Spire Dumps Corey LaJoie

What’s Happening?

Spire Motorsports is letting go of its’ longest-tenured driver. On Thursday, Spire announced that they would move on from Corey LaJoie driving the No. 7 car following the conclusion of the 2024 season, despite signing the driver to a multi-year contract before the season. LaJoie himself originally broke the news to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic earlier in the day in the statement below.

I won’t be driving the 7 car next year. I take a lot of satisfaction from having an integral part of building Spire into a respectable team on the grid, but unfortunately the future won’t involve me. We will finish the remainder of 2024 strong, continuing to deliver for my partners, my guys who work hard to build good cars, family, fans & friends who have supported me since day one in the Cup Series. This chapter ends after Phoenix and I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for my family next.

Corey LaJoie

• Corey LaJoie has had a disastrous 2024 season so far. He took a major nosedive after having his best season yet in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023 and a top-5 result in the 2024 Daytona 500. He hasn’t finished in the top 10 since and has hung around 28th-30th in points for most of the season, routinely being outperformed by rookie teammate Carson Hocevar.
• Spire Motorsports has been one of the most aggressive teams in NASCAR in recent years. They nailed a major sponsorship from Gainbridge, bought a third Cup Series charter, and bought out Kyle Busch Motorsports to start a full-time Truck Series program. The team also signed Rodney Childers as crew chief of the No. 7 team starting in 2025.
• This move comes two weeks after a controversial incident between LaJoie and Kyle Busch at Pocono. After being blocked on a restart, LaJoie turned back into traffic, hooking Busch into the infield and setting off a multi-car crash. LaJoie and his race team placed the blame squarely on Busch, with LaJoie alleging on the in-car radio that Busch “Hooked himself.” Fans did not take kindly to that, and Busch later called Lajoie a “Liar” and vowed “Payback.”

Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson released the following statement regarding dropping LaJoie. While he said he was “agonized” over the decision and applauded LaJoie for his work, Dickerson cited poor performance and the desire for a “Clean slate” for all parties involved as reasons for the decision.

Corey LaJoie has been a cornerstone of Spire Motorsports since 2021 and it would be impossible to overstate what he’s meant to this organization and how much I’ve agonized over this decision. Corey put his heart and soul into this team. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work before we had a race shop, a toolbox or even our own cars. Those days, looking back, were so much simpler than where we are in our journey now. Back then, we just wanted to get to the racetrack. Today, we’re consumed with consistently battling for top-10 finishes and contending for wins in the near future.  

In racing, there are always variables but one thing we all know, is this is a performance-based business, and it just hasn’t been there for several reasons. All those reasons are factored in when it comes to making a decision of this magnitude. With Ryan (Sparks) moving upstairs, and Rodney (Childers) coming in next season, the best thing for Spire Motorsports is a clean slate for the No. 7 car in 2025. Corey deserves a fresh look from another organization, too, and we’ll do everything we can to help him get another opportunity in the Cup garage. I believe in Corey and his ability to be successful in this sport and look forward to him using this as motivation to prove all his doubters wrong.

Jeff Dickerson

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