Corey LaJoie out as driver of No. 7 car at Spire after 2024 season
Corey LaJoie, who has struggled this year and sits 28th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, won't return to the Spire Motorsports No. 7 car next season.
LaJoie, who is under contract with Spire for next year (but obviously can now look elsewhere), confirmed the news to FOX Sports. It was first reported by The Athletic.
"I won't be driving the 7 car next year," he said in a statement. "I take a lot of satisfaction from having an integral part of building Spire into a respectable team on the grid, but unfortunately the future won't involve me.
"We will finish the remainder of 2024 strong, continuing to deliver for my partners, my guys who work hard to build good cars, family, fans and friends who have supported me since day one in the Cup Series. This chapter ends after Phoenix, and I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for my family next."
The 32-year-old LaJoie has 258 career Cup starts since 2017 with a best of 25th in the standings, which came in 2023 in a year where his average finish was 20.8. But he has not matched the results this year, sitting 28th in the standings with an average finish of 22.7.
LaJoie joined Spire in 2021 as its first full-time driver since its inception in 2019.
Spire has already announced it would hire Stewart-Haas Racing's Rodney Childers as crew chief for the car next season. Spire will be a three-car operation, having announced Michael McDowell as its replacement for Zane Smith in the No. 71 and Carson Hocevar remaining in the No. 77 car.
"Corey LaJoie has been a cornerstone of Spire Motorsports since 2021 and it would be impossible to overstate what he’s meant to this organization and how much I’ve agonized over this decision," Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson said in a statement. "Corey put his heart and soul into this team. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work before we had a race shop, a toolbox or even our own cars."
LaJoie current crew chief Ryan Sparks will focus on his competition director role and with Childers coming in, Dickerson said this was a natural time to make a driver change.
"This is a performance-based business, and it just hasn’t been there for several reasons," Dickerson said. "All those reasons are factored in when it comes to making a decision of this magnitude. With Ryan moving upstairs and Rodney coming in next season, the best thing for Spire Motorsports is a clean slate for the No. 7 car in 2025.
"Corey deserves a fresh look from another organization, too, and we’ll do everything we can to help him get another opportunity in the Cup garage. I believe in Corey and his ability to be successful in this sport and look forward to him using this as motivation to prove all his doubters wrong."
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
