Corey LaJoie Reveals RFK’s Strategic Reason for His Daytona 500 Entry

What’s Happening?

Corey LaJoie is racing in the 2026 Daytona 500 with RFK Racing, and though this may seem like a normal one-off start for the veteran, his inclusion in the RFK roster might give the team a much-needed assist on raceday.

Corey LaJoie has not raced full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in over a year.

Last year, the second-generation driver found himself part-time in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck and Cup Series, piecing together a total of four races with Rick Ware Racing in a new No. 01 entry.

In his four starts with the team, which included both Atlanta races and the 2025 Daytona 500, LaJoie performed well, though luck would not favor him during the races.

Of course, it was no surprise that LaJoie was competitive at these tracks, as, prior to his move to part-time, he had shown the capability to compete for wins at drafting tracks with Spire Motorsports.

Entering the new year, fans didn’t know whether or not LaJoie would find his way back to NASCAR’s top division, but this all changed on January 20, when RFK Racing announced that LaJoie, who was already filling in for injured co-owner Brad Keselowski in the 2026 Clash, would drive a fourth car in the Daytona 500.

Getting the Ride

While this was a surprise to many fans, and a welcome one with the return of RFK’s iconic No. 99 to the track, plans for LaJoie went beyond his recent involvement with the team following the femur injury sustained by Keselowski in December.

During the latest episode of LaJoie’s podcast, Stacking Pennies, the 34-year-old revealed that these conversations began late last season.

But, as the new year drew closer, these talks seemingly stalled out, with LaJoie saying that he didn’t want to “be pressing” Keselowksi and RFK about the potential part-time schedule in a fourth car.

“That’s when I get really anxious, when I try to just move pieces on the board that probably aren’t meant to be moved or try to leverage relationships,” LaJoie said. “And I think that, for me, is one of the biggest reasons why I was burned out because every relationship in your life is transactional.”

But things picked up when LaJoie was having coffee with his friend, RFK Racing President Chip Bowers. As the two were together, Bowers got the call that Keselowski had broken his femur, with Bowers telling LaJoie to “be ready.”

Though LaJoie may not have known it at the time, this would domino into his gig filling in for the 2012 Cup Series Champion at this weekend’s Clash, and his eventual part-time slot with the team.

LaJoie said that initially, the fourth car was on pause while the team awaited to hear Keselowski’s status for the 500, and, with his recovery timetable clearing him for the 500, RFK, alongside sponsor Trimble, pushed forward with the new fourth car.

The Numbers Game

The most interesting takeaway from this episode was the reason for this fourth car, as, while it gets a new partner on track for some big races, its origins are strategic.

LaJoie revealed that during his early discussion, Keselowski felt that Fords, and to an extent, RFK Racing, were at a numbers disadvantage to Chevrolet and Toyota at Superspeedways.

“I’d say since right about the start of the playoffs last year, we had been talking about trying to run five or six races this year. Because Brad feels like they get to the end of these races [Superspeedway races] and they don’t have strength in numbers to work together relative to Hendrick cars or Toyotas.” — Corey LaJoie  

In last season’s six races at drafting tracks (Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta), Chevrolets outnumbered Fords 105 to 78, though Fords outnumbered 78 to 56. However, both Chevrolet and Toyota, unlike Ford, have at least one official full-time four-car team.

For the 2026 season, Ford is already at a greater disadvantage at these tracks, as the Haas Factory Team and Rick Ware Racing shift their operations to Chevrolet through alliances with Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing.

In this year’s 500, as of press time, there are officially 20 Chevrolets, 13 Fords, and 11 Toyotas entered for 41 spots.

RFK Racing isn’t the only team helping Ford in the numbers game, as, alongside Garage 66’s No. 66, fellow Tier One Ford team Front Row Motorsports is entering Chandler Smith in the No. 36 as their fourth entry into the fray.

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