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With the NASCAR Cup Series heading towards the playoffs at an astonishing pace, drivers like Corey LaJoie, who have mostly been under the radar, might be the ones to make headlines in the upcoming races. Eighteen races into the 2022 season, fans have witnessed an astonishing thirteen different drivers visit Victory Lane this year, highlighting the parity the new car has bought for the sport.
The Cup Series visited Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 and is preparing to race on the refreshed track once again this weekend. The upcoming Quaker State 400 will mark the series' second visit to the Superspeedway this year.
Ahead of the 400-mile-race this Sunday, Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie, who has had a trying season so far, will be looking to make an impact. The 30-year-old's best result came at the 1.5-mile-long track in the form of a top-5 finish earlier this year.
The Charlotte, North Carolina native's conservative driving style comes into its own on tracks like the Quad Oval in Hampton, Georgia, which propelled him to his season-best finish last time out on track. LaJoie, however, will be heading into the race to switch things up as he prepares to qualify for the playoffs. He spoke on how he plans to be aggressive with strategy and on-track driving, saying:
“I think we’re gonna change the strategy up a bit because I think we have to go to win, I think a top five day doesn’t cut it. And we’ve shot ourselves in the foot for the last six, seven weeks here with a lot of mechanical failures and not running near to our potential as a race team. But, you know, if it’s a superspeedway, we have to go attack and be in position to throw a Hail Mary and steal one.”
Corey LaJoie's recent performances in NASCAR Cup Series
Corey LaJoie, looking back on his results in the past seven races, accepted that he and the team's performances have been dismal, to say the least. The #7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver has finished 34th or lower in the past five races. Spire Motorsports' Achilles heel has been a reliability issue that their drivers have been facing over the last couple of outings on track.
LaJoie highlighted the struggles of a small outfit like Spire and said:
“Some of it’s bad luck; some of it’s being a little bit lean with people and processes, where a lot of teams have blueprints and they take the stuff from the suppliers apart and assemble them back together, that they’re a little more durable. And we don’t have that. We just are trying to get the cars built, let alone fine-tune the parts that we’re getting from the vendors.”
Watch out for Corey LaJoie as he prepares to turn his fortunes around this Sunday during the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
