Corey LaJoie may be busy working on Prime Video's pre- and post-race shows, but he is not ditching his firesuit. He has joined Spire Motorsports for a nine-race schedule.
LaJoie, who competes part-time in the Cup Series for Rick Ware Racing, will take on nine Craftsman Truck Series races. He will drive Spire's No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado RST while enjoying a reunion with the team he helped build.
LaJoie's first start will be at Michigan International Speedway this weekend as the Truck Series returns to the 2-mile track for the first time since 2020. He will then head to Richmond Raceway on Aug. 15.
LaJoie's schedule will continue with the final seven races of the season. This includes Darlington Raceway (Aug. 30), Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 11), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Sept. 20), Charlotte Roval (Oct. 3), Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 17), Martinsville Speedway (Oct. 24), and Phoenix Raceway (Oct. 31).
Photo credit: Spire Motorsports
LaJoie has extensive experience working with Spire Motorsports. He drove for the team in the Cup Series from 2021 until September last season when a mid-season trade sent him to Rick Ware Racing in exchange for Justin Haley.
"I'm looking forward to getting back in the seat and chasing some NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins," LaJoie said in a press release. "I put in a lot of work in the early days to help shape Spire Motorsports, and I still have some friends that have been there since day one, so it'll be good to see them.
"The No. 07 team has been bringing some fast trucks to the track this year and are looking for a spot in the owner's playoffs. It'll be nice to have some consistency with the team to get acclimated to these vehicles, chase some wins, and hopefully, a Craftsman Truck Series owner's championship."
The No. 07 Chevrolet has featured eight drivers this season while serving as one of the two All-Star trucks. Kyle Larson took the entry to victory lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He also finished second at Bristol Motor Speedway. William Byron finished second in the No. 07 at Kansas Speedway.
LaJoie has suited up for the Spire Motorsports Truck Series program before. Three of his five career Truck Series starts were with the Mooresville-based team. His best finish was 16th at Darlington Raceway in 2023. LaJoie also made two starts for Ricky Benton in 2014. He earned a 10th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Now, he will gain considerable experience while working on this nine-race schedule.
"While discussing our best path to bring Spire our first Craftsman Truck Series Championship and describing what we needed in a driver, the driver we were all talking about without saying his name was Corey LaJoie," said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson.
"So, when I ran into Corey in the motorhome lot one morning earlier this spring, I asked him what he thought about coming home and doing this. He is synonymous with what we've built here over the last few years and deserves this opportunity.
"I'm looking forward to getting him in the truck at Michigan to work out some kinks and start getting a game plan together for the playoffs."