Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

NASCAR Team Owner Roasts Corey LaJoie Over Insulting Comments

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jackson Fryburger | Last updated Jan 28, 2025 8:50 PM ET

Corey LaJoie, the former NASCAR Cup Series full-time driver for Spire Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing in 2024, could not find a full-time ride in stock car racing's premier series for 2025.

LaJoie, a series veteran, made headlines on Monday after discussing his plans for the upcoming season with Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass.

The 33-year-old Charlotte native will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 as an Open car driver with Rick Ware Racing in the No. 01. He also will drive in a select few events for the unchartered team.

A veteran in the Cup Series, he lost full-time seat funding in favor of younger drivers and Rick Ware's son, Cody.

LaJoie ticked off some in the garage Monday with his sharp comments on NASCAR's feeder series.

"Those guys that say they want to win, they win one or two truck races a year and then they're lifelong truck guys and they never get to race on Sunday," he said.

Those comments sparked plenty of debate, considering the veteran driver has no career wins across all three NASCAR touring series himself. With 11 career Top 10s and 4 Top 5s in 271 Cup starts, the driver continued.

"It's all about Sunday," he said. "I don't want to go run F3. I want to be a Formula 1 driver. I don't know why this media perception — do you want to pump the ego up and hold a trophy on a Friday, when there's 12 people in the grandstands?"

The rather blunt comments drew a clever response from NASCAR Xfinity Series team owner and former driver Tommy Joe Martins, who was at Rockingham Speedway for testing on Tuesday.

"More than 12 in attendance today @RockinghamSpdwy @XfinityRacing," Martins wrote.

More than 12 in attendance today @RockinghamSpdwy @XfinityRacing https://t.co/B3mK90kXia pic.twitter.com/BvTxSB35yI
— Tommy Joe Martins (@TommyJoeMartins) January 28, 2025

Shots fired!

But Martins wasn't alone. SS GreenLight Racing also chimed in on the conversation.

"Got tons of laps in and filled up our notebooks for our return to Rockingham. Thanks to all of the fans (more than 12 we counted) for coming out today!" the team posted.

Will this exchange develop an ongoing feud in the garage between LaJoie and team owners? Only time will tell.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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