“I’ve made too many mistakes”: Corey LaJoie takes the blame amid the harsh reality of a season full of difficulties in the Cup

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season has been a nightmare for Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie. After 20 races so far this season, he sits 31st in the points standings, and a playoff berth seems like a pipe dream. With the team fielding two rookie drivers in Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, LaJoie was expected to lead the charge, but he just hasn’t been successful.

The only good run of results he had this season came in the first two races, where he finished 4th at Daytona and 13th at Atlanta Motor Speedway. However, since then, he simply hasn’t been able to achieve his goals and now he’s out to take responsibility for this unfortunate run.

The remedy to save the rest of Corey LaJoie’s season

If we compare his race-to-race results to this point in the season last year, he has certainly taken a step back. In 2023, he managed ten top-20 finishes and one top-five finish. While he was far from competing for wins, he at least had a consistent run of results. So what has gone wrong with the #7 Spire Motorsports team?

Well, according to the driver, he feels he has pushed the limit a little too far, causing errors that have harmed his performance on the track. “I made too many mistakes behind the wheel. I tried to push a bit further than I think the pace of our car is. We need to be able to be in the top 15 more consistently and then it becomes top 10 and top five and that’s when you’re in contention.” LaJoie had this to say via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Although it shed light on the growing problem of not being able to compete with the rest of the field with a rather docile race setup for his car, “You know we’ve had the same thing, sometimes not a lot of support in terms of resources. So a substantial breakthrough was a bit unlikely, but you know I think we haven’t executed well, whether it’s me behind the wheel or in a race where we usually have some pace and not a general race,” he added.

The good thing for LaJoie and his team is that the No. 7 team has already received plenty of reinforcements for next season. While they may have to dig deep from this season’s results, next year looks promising for Spire Motorsports and Corey LaJoie.

Rodney Childers to lead No. 7 Spire team in 2025

With Stewart Haas Racing’s NASCAR operations shutting down, the veteran crew chief was freed up. He was linked to his current SHR driver, Josh Berry, but the two went their separate ways. Berry landed at Wood Brothers Racing, while Childers landed a multi-year deal with Spire Motorsports.

The addition won’t turn the No. 7 into a contending team overnight, but the 48-year-old certainly knows the ins and outs of the sport and guides his driver to success. He won the Cup Series championship with Kevin Harvick and has 40 victories to his name, making him the winningest active crew chief in the series.

It should not be forgotten that Corey LaJoie will also have an experienced driver, Michael McDowell, as his teammate next year. So, there are positive changes for the driver to work with. However, he will have to fight his way through this difficult season and try to get back on track with consistent results, which would lead to that big result.