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Corey LaJoie, a third-generation New Englander, has only two top-5 finishes and six top-10s in his 214-race Cup Series career stretching back eight years.
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He was recruited by team owner Rick Hendrick to replace former champion Chase Elliott, who was suspended for this week’s 300-miler.
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It’s understandable — especially given his meager resume — that LaJoie briefly questioned himself, wondering if he’s good enough to fill in for Elliott.
“It’s a different world.”
Those four words from NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie sum up the difference between the mid-level Spire Motorsports team he regularly drives for and the Hendrick Motorsports ride he inherited for this weekend’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.
A third-generation New Englander, LaJoie has only two top-5 finishes and six top-10s in his 214-race Cup Series career stretching back eight years. But he has never had as good equipment as the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro that he will drive on Sunday. He was recruited by team owner Rick Hendrick to replace former champion Chase Elliott, who was suspended from the 300-miler after officials said he deliberately smashed Denny Hamlin last weekend in Charlotte.
Josh Berry, who drove the No. 9 car in six races early in the season while Elliott recovered from a broken left leg, was unavailable as the Xfinity Series is at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway this weekend. Elliott is expected back next weekend for the Cup race in Sonoma, Ca.
LaJoie got a heads-up Tuesday around noon from Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson that this could happen while Elliott’s status was being determined. “Yeah, it was like ‘if this happens, you’re going to fill in,'” LaJoie said of the call. “I was like ‘are you punking me?’ Don’t tease me now.’ And Jeff was like – ‘no, no, it happens.’
“Since then it’s like drinking from a fire hose.
“Just information, preparation and a level of perfection that those guys (the Hendrick organization) expect is really cool to see over the first three or four days leading up to St. Louis. The opportunity to ride for Mr. Hendrick is a once in a lifetime. The whole group is as professional as can be.”
LaJoie visited the HMS campus on Wednesday to meet with crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 9 team. He realized immediately—when he entered the front door, actually—that things were different at Hendrick’s than the humble environment he was used to at Spire.
“Their goal is to win races and championships,” said LaJoie, son of two-time Xfinity Series champion Randy LaJoie. “The more time I spent there… you can walk through the lobby and talk about why they are so successful. I got there about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday morning and spent about an hour and a half with Alan and his technicians, walking through the shop. Around 8.30am we went to the simulators and spent some time there. They have 500 people there with the same mindset, and it’s like – okay, that’s why they’re so damn good.
“I thought I knew what we didn’t have at Spire Motorsports, but I had no idea. There are tools that those (Hendrick) guys have, intellectual traits that even some of the other (Chevrolet) teams don’t have. What struck me most were the people and the attitude of striving for perfection. All major (manufacturer) partners have the same data, but Hendrick has an incredible way of delegating, taking, compressing and making it digestible for a driver, an engineer, a crew chief.”
After spending some time in the Hendrick store, LaJoie texted Dickerson. “‘I can’t believe Spire and Hendrick are racing in the same series,'” he wrote. “(Spire) is closer to a good truck team. If (Hendrick) is what a Cup team is, holy cow, we’ve got a long way to go. But sometimes it’s fun to wear that chip on your shoulder and try to be the ones to beat the Goliaths.”
It’s understandable — especially given his meager resume — that LaJoie briefly questioned himself, wondering if he’s good enough to fill in for Elliott, accepted as one of NASCAR’s top stars, the sport’s hottest driver, and an 18-time winner.
“There was a lot of self-doubt that crept in that (Tuesday) night,” he admitted. “Like, ‘can I do it?’ It’s kind of like “shut up or shut up.” You struggle around and you struggle with these emotions of scared and nervous. Then you wake up Wednesday morning, you go to the store, you walk in there for the first five minutes and you realize precisely the collective focus of that group.
“(But) once you put the helmet on… the talking and the interviews and all the things that come with it, it’s noise. But the sound stops when you put on the helmet. You drive (the No. 9) no differently than I would the No. 7.
Note to LaJoie: The Hendrick people will expect more than just that.
