BRISTOL, Tenn -- Rick Ware Racing acquired Corey LaJoie from Spire Motorsports in a stunning midseason trade ahead of the Bristol night race. As it turns out, this move created an opportunity for both RWR and the veteran driver.
For LaJoie, it's an opportunity to keep his Cup career moving forward after learning that he would not be back with Spire Motorsports in 2025.
For Rick Ware Racing, it's an opportunity to continue growing more competitive while helping a Cup driver reach another level of performance.
"The way that (RWR President Robby Benton) talked to me about Corey from the drop was... He was just like, 'I think I can get more out of him than you, okay,'" explained Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson after announcing the trade.
"And he said that as friends, right? And as competitors and colleagues. And, man, it just stuck with me. You know what I mean? Just not in an ugly way."
LaJoie has been with Spire Motorsports since the start of the 2021 season. He has delivered eight top-10 finishes and four top-fives. The organization has grown more competitive while expanding to three full-time entries, but it has fallen short of victory lane and the playoffs.
LaJoie will now have an opportunity to continue his pursuit of his first playoff appearance after "pushing his chips" into the middle of the table to drive the No. 51 instead of dropping down to Xfinity or Cup.
LaJoie will do so with a new team and manufacturer, and he will have to hit the ground running considering that no deal for 2025 has been announced. Although Benton and Rick Ware Racing have optimism about what he can achieve in the No. 51 Ford Mustang.
"We want to make sure that we're elevating the organization as far as we can carry it, and that starts with the race car driver," Benton said. "That is the most important catalyst that any of us have with any of our race teams.
"So to have an opportunity to partner with a guy like Corey, with the level of experience and general talent that he has on and off the track, we would be foolish not to do that."
This partnership between LaJoie and Rick Ware Racing will fully begin at Kansas Speedway. It will continue with trips to Talladega Superspeedway, the Charlotte Roval, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway.
How LaJoie will perform remains unclear. After all, he has to adapt to a different car, crew chief, pit crew, and organization. This is not a simple process, but it is one LaJoie has gone through in the past while driving for BK Racing, Go Fas Racing, and Spire Motorsports.
If Rick Ware Racing can get more out of LaJoie than Spire Motorsports did, as Benton predicts, it could potentially set up a bright future.
"We're going to take the opportunity to see what we can do together, understand what we can do for each other, and see where that takes us," Benton said.