Corey LaJoie Will Race in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series
What’s Happening? Corey LaJoie will race in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025 with Rick Ware Racing in the No. 01….
Following his announcement that he will race part-time in 2025, an interview with Corey LaJoie caused online controversy. Some fans and industry members felt his comments were derogatory about the Xfinity and Truck Series. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s Happening? Corey LaJoie will race in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025 with Rick Ware Racing in the No. 01….
Corey LaJoie announced Monday that he will race part-time with Rick Ware Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. This follows six years of full-time Cup Series competition and reiterated that he is focused on Cup Series racing.
However, some fans wondered throughout his free agency if he should look to one of NASCAR’s lower series. However, throughout the process, LaJoie seemed determined to find some form of Cup Series ride in an ever-slimming market.
LaJoie addressed this topic in an interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. Pockrass asked LaJoie why he has a “different outlook” from drivers who prefer to be competitive in the Truck or Xfinity Series.
“Those guys who say they want to win, they win one or two truck races a year, and then they become lifelong truck guys, and they never get the race on Sunday,” said LaJoie.
While comments like this would surely spark controversy, his follow-up comment further cemented his belief that racing on Sunday, even part-time, is the best it can get.
“Do you wanna go pump the ego up and hold a trophy on a Friday when there’s 12 people in the grandstands? No, I wanna compete against the best because I feel like with every group that I’ve been, groups that I’ve built from the ground up, any given Sunday, we can go contend for a win whether it just speedway, and we can run top-ten any given week.” — Corey LaJoie
Every NASCAR Series has its fans; some even watch Trucks or Xfinity almost exclusively. While LaJoie was simply sharing his opinion, fans and even those in the NASCAR industry these comments were derogatory about those series.
The main problem that several fans have had with these comments stems from Lajoie’s family history. LaJoie is a third-generation racer; his dad, Randy, was a NASCAR regular and fan favorite for over two decades.
Despite starting only 44 Cup Series races—228 less than his son—Randy made the 2023 NASCAR 75 Greatest Drivers list. The elder LaJoie’s inclusion on this list is due to his time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, in which Randy won 15 races and two titles in 1996 and 1997.
While fans focused on what they deemed family hypocrisy, others, such as Truck Series team owner Josh Reaume, approached Lajoie’s comments with understanding yet frustration at what he deemed insulting comments.
While some were frustrated by LaJoie’s comments, some were less focused on what he said at end of his statement. Returning as sponsors of LaJoie in 2025 are Schluter Systems and Celsius. LaJoie is a great ambassador for these brands through his racing and podcast, “Stacking Pennies.”
At the end of his response, LaJoie claimed that he has a priority to take his sponsors to the biggest stage as much as possible.
“So I can’t also justify to my partners that have been invested in me to go down to the lower divisions because they don’t get a return for their money,” LaJoie said. They want to bring their people to the big show, not to a Friday or Saturday show.”
This is a reminder that sponsorship is what factors into almost any off-track and, as many are now realizing, on-track decisions made in NASCAR. As loyal to them as they are to him, he is focused on giving those who have invested in him, the best return for their money.
However, as Eric Estepp of Out of the Groove reminded fans, while this is important, LaJoie’s comments about the lower NASCAR National Series should not be over looked.
While LaJoie’s priorities lie with his sponsors, the NASCAR community seems to feel that he should be more respectful of his peers at all levels of competition. This latest online drama only adds to what will be a major year in LaJoie’s NASCAR career, with many feeling he needs to prove himself now more than ever.
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Garrett Mitchell, better known by his online persona Cleetus McFarland, says his 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule isn’t set in stone, something the YouTube star explained to Dale Earnhardt Jr on the latest episode of The Dale Jr Download.
One of the biggest surprises in recent NASCAR news is that YouTube star Cleetus McFarland, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, will make his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut next month at Rockingham Speedway.
Mitchell, who has just won a NASCAR National Series start to his name, will make this start with Richard Childress Racing in their No. 33 car as part of a part-time development contract that will see him make starts in 2026 and 2027.
Per Mitchell, his contract will cover three races per season, though he hinted it could be more in a Facebook post. Nonetheless, fans are eagerly awaiting an official schedule of what other tracks Mitchell and RCR will tackle in 2026.
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a little longer for this schedule, as the 30-year-old Floridian explained during a recent interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr, his 2026 schedule is still up in the air a month ahead of his first race.
During an interview on the latest episode of the Dale Jr Download, Mitchell told Earnhardt that while he plans to race the superspeedways after Rockingham, with his sights set on Talladega’s April 25 or October 24 race weekend, the decision lies in the hands of NASCAR.
“NASCAR said I cannot run Talladega unless I go to Rockingham first and do well,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell then clarified that while he will have a rookie test for Rockingham, the race at Rockingham will determine his eligibility to race at Talladega.
What’s Happening? YouTube star-turned-NASCAR driver Garrett Mitchell, best known by his online persona Cleetus McFarland, has signed a part-time deal to…
Mitchell, who has two ARCA starts at Daytona and one at Talladega, has already taken a rookie test this season at Rockingham for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Despite a minor crash during this test, Mitchell was cleared to race in the season-opening race at Daytona, crashing himself in a single truck spin five laps into the race, after a valiant qualifying effort.
Even with the barrier of Rockingham in the way, fans are already somewhat concerned about McFarland’s skills, given the result of his short time behind the wheel of a truck.
During this episode of The DJD, Mitchell expressed his intentions to work his way up the ladder and learn, but with the caveat that if an opportunity presents itself to him, he will take it, using the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Cup Series as a metaphorical example.
“I don’t want to drive a Cup car right now. But, brother, if someone calls me and says, ‘We got a spot in a Cup car in the Daytona 500?’ I mean, what am I supposed to do?” — Cleetus McFarland
Despite his doubters, with the support of RCR and their developmental tools, Mitchell seems confident about the opportunity, already getting in some sim time with RCR.
Either way, no matter how much support he has in his corner, Mitchell is diving in headfirst once again with this opportunity.
What’s Happening? Despite his internet fame, Garrett Mitchell, by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has recently taken to stock car racing…
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Lionel has officially opened pre-orders for Garrett Mitchell’s (better known as Cleetus McFarland) first-ever NASCAR diecast.
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YouTube star-turned-NASCAR driver Garrett Mitchell, best known by his online persona Cleetus McFarland, has signed a part-time deal to race with Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for the next two seasons.
UPDATE 3:00 PM EST: Per RCR Mitchell will make his debut at Rockingham Speedway on April 4.
What’s Happening? Despite his internet fame, Garrett Mitchell, by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has recently taken to stock car racing…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
