Despite signing a multi-year contract extension with Spire Motorsports last summer, Corey LaJoie will not return for what would have been his fifth season driving the No. 7 Chevrolet in 2025.
LaJoie confirmed his departure to The Athletic, which was the first to report that the 2024 season will be his final one with the team.
The 32-year-old driver from Charlotte, North Carolina, joined Spire Motorsports in 2021 as their inaugural full-time driver after racing for Go Fas Racing in 2019 and 2020. Over 128 starts with Spire Motorsports, LaJoie has achieved six top 10 finishes, including four in the top five. His best results are fourth-place finishes at superspeedway tracks: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and Daytona International Speedway.
In 2023, LaJoie experienced his first season with a full-time teammate and finished a career-high 25th in the points standings, seven spots and nearly 250 points ahead of teammate Ty Dillon.
However, in 2024, with Spire Motorsports expanding to three cars, LaJoie is currently 28th in the standings, five positions behind rookie teammate Carson Hocevar and five spots ahead of another rookie, Zane Smith. Smith recently secured a career-best second-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway, showing improved performance.
With four races left in the regular season and LaJoie sitting 228 points below the playoff cut line, he will need a win to make his first career playoff appearance.
LaJoie’s exit is notable as Stewart-Haas Racing crew chief Rodney Childers is set to join Spire Motorsports in 2025 following the shutdown of Stewart-Haas Racing, and he is expected to lead the No. 7 team. While LaJoie was thought to be under contract through 2025, his departure leaves the identity of Childers’ driver for the new team uncertain.
