The Daytona 500 may have ended without his ideal result, but Corey LaJoie showed his happiness at the track portrayed through a wide smile. Even after missing out on a shot at victory, LaJoie took to X to share his excitement over simply having had the opportunity to compete at the front. His words captured the essence of his underdog mentality.
Corey LaJoie’s Daytona 500 Journey
“The entire industry headed south this week just hoping to have a shot at winning the #Daytona500 like we did,” LaJoie wrote. “We led laps, controlled the restart with eight laps to go, and it didn’t work out. I haven’t smiled inside my helmet as wide as I did tonight.”
The entire industry headed south this week just hoping to have a shot at winning the #Daytona500 like we did. We led laps, controlled the restart with 8 laps to go and it didn’t work out. I haven’t smiled inside my helmet as wide as I did tonight.#stackingpennies pic.twitter.com/IqXkW9ei85
— Corey LaJoie (@CoreyLaJoie) February 17, 2025
LaJoie, who has long embraced the hard road in his racing career, entered the Daytona 500 as part of a part-time effort with Rick Ware Racing, driving the No. 01 Take 5 Oil Change/Duramax Ford.
LaJoie’s journey to the 500 wasn’t easy, but then again, it never is. He had to race his way in through the Duel qualifiers, securing his spot with a strong performance in the second race.
“A lot of relief,” LaJoie said in an interview with News 5. “There wasn’t too much stress leading up to the event. But when you get into it, and you start hearing six laps to go, five laps to go, and you got one eye on your mirror, you got one eye out of the windshield.”
From Leading To Losing the Daytona 500
Once in the Daytona 500 field, LaJoie made the most of his opportunity. He positioned himself at the front of the pack while leading laps and carefully controlled the restart with only eight laps remaining.
A driver who has battled throughout his NASCAR career had a perfect opportunity to relish this special position. But in its last moments, the race ended up producing results against LaJoie.
The combination of strategy planning and drafting advantage, along with the intense superspeedway chaos, prevented LaJoie from achieving the win. While he could have dwelled on his disappointment, he chose instead to celebrate this milestone.
“It’s been my whole career,” LaJoie said. “Everything’s been stacked all the time. So nothing new. If there’s a hardest way, I will figure out how to make sure I take that route. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s bad, but it’s gonna be great this week.”
Despite not taking home the Harley J. Earl Trophy, LaJoie’s Daytona 500 performance was another reminder of what he’s capable of. Through his position as a leader and his persistent fight, he made it clear that he deserved to be there. Such strenuous dedication has the potential to generate even greater prospects for Lajoie in the future.
He’ll continue to pursue his “Stacking Pennies” approach by continually striving while capitalizing on all available opportunities in his path ahead. The broad grin LaJoie showed following Daytona points to future goals in his mind.
