Track Talk: Corey LaJoie to Drive Spire Motorsports Camaro, WRC 2021 Season Is Set to Kick Off

Spire Motorsports announced that Corey LaJoie will drive the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) full time in 2021 and beyond.

It was also revealed LaJoie has inked a multi-year agreement to drive for the Concord, N.C., organization beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2021.

LaJoie, 29, is a third-generation racer whose father Randy and grandfather Don and hail from Norwalk, CT are members of the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame. He spent the last two seasons at the wheel of Go Fas Racing’s No. 32 NASCAR Cup Series entry where he earned three top-10 finishes and a team/career best sixth-place finish at Daytona International Speedway.

LaJoie won his way to the NASCAR Cup Series ranks through top developmental series like the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (six victories) and the ARCA Menards Series (three wins). Brief stops in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (two top 10s) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (one top 10) propelled LaJoie into the NASCAR Cup Series full time the past two seasons.

“The next chapter of my racing career provides me with a unique opportunity to play a key role in working with a motivated leadership group to build a competitive NASCAR Cup Series team from the ground up,” said LaJoie. “I’m thankful to work directly with Spire Motorsports co-owners Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr and all of our partners as we build on the proud and competitive tradition associated with the No. 7. We expect to be a force in the garage for years to come.”

Spire Motorsports announced an agreement to purchase the assets of Leavine Family Racing (LFR) in August and completed the sale today. The team is expanding to a two-car operation in 2021 and will compete with the Nos. 7 and 77. Crew chiefs for both programs and a driver announcement for the No. 77 will be released at a later date.

“Corey LaJoie is a talented young driver and has proven that he wants to get better every time he sits in the race car,” said Puchyr. “He wants to better himself and is willing to go to great lengths to make it happen. That’s the same philosophy Jeff (Dickerson) and I subscribe to in all of our business ventures. He fits very well with our group and will obviously play a critical role in the success of our team as we continue to grow and develop. We’re going to build this together and Corey will be the anchor.”

Following completion of the LFR acquisition, Spire Motorsports will relocate from its current facility in Mooresville, N.C., and make its home in Concord, N.C., at the former shop of 1992 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Alan Kulwicki. The team chose the No. 7 with permission from NASCAR and Tommy Baldwin Jr., with a nod to Kulwicki and later Geoff Bodine who purchased the team from Kulwicki’s family following his death in 1993.

“I’ve been an Alan Kulwicki fan my entire life,” stated LaJoie. “To compete with the No. 7 on the roof and door is an honor for any driver at any level, but to have it here on our car in the NASCAR Cup Series is taken very seriously.”

“We’re thrilled to pay tribute to Alan Kulwicki and Geoff Bodine by running the No. 7 and racing out of that shop,” added Puchyr. “Alan had a unique way about him and took a very unconventional route to winning a championship. Everyone knows the story. He didn’t have a ton of money and did more with so much less than many of the most well-heeled teams of that day. We see a lot of parallels between Spire Motorsports and Alan’s approach. At the same time, I grew up in the northeast and the No. 7 was synonymous with the Baldwin family so, it’s a proud moment to tie all that history together and compliment the No. 77 we’ve run the last two years.”

The 63rd running of the Daytona 500 will be televised live on FOX, Sunday, February 14, 2021. The first of 36 races on next season’s NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Monster Energy Supercross Tickets on Sale for Houston and Indianapolis
Preferred Customers Can Purchase Tickets Today, General Public Goes on Sale Next Tuesday, December 8

Note: It’s also possible that the Supercross could be returning to Gillette Stadium in Foxbrough, MA in mid-April of 2021. It will all depend on the Corona Virus infections in southeastern MA.

Tickets are officially on sale for the first six rounds of the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, season. The series is set to kick off in Houston, Texas at NRG Stadium on Saturday, January 16 for the first of three rounds (Tuesday, January 19, Saturday, January 23), prior to travelling to Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, January 30 for the first of three races (Tuesday, February 2, Saturday, February 6), set to take place in Indianapolis, Indiana.

When the gate drops on January 16 in Houston, it will be the first time in the sport’s 47-year history where the season opener will take place in the state of Texas. It will also be the first time in 25 years since the series has opened outside of California and began with the racing of the Eastern Regional 250SX Class for the first six rounds. Houston carries the special distinction of hosting the second Supercross race of the inaugural season in 1974 and has been a consistent tour stop ever since. The series first raced at the Astrodome and then moved to Reliant Stadium in 2003, now named NRG Stadium.

Indianapolis also has a rich history in Supercross that dates to 1992 at the RCA Dome where the King – Jeremy McGrath, found great success throughout his storied career. Lucas Oil Stadium became home in 2009 and has hosted Supercross races every year since. Indianapolis has always been a rider favorite and the soft and rutty dirt always produces challenging and technical racing. Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin took home the victory in 2018 and 2019 and will look to make it three-in-a-row as he returns to racing after being sidelined with an injury for the entirety of the 2020 season.

Tickets for the 2021 Houston and Indianapolis Rounds will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, December 8 at 10 a.m. in each city’s local time zone. Preferred customers can sign up in advance for early access to purchase tickets today, December 1 through December 7, by visiting SupercrossLIVE.com, starting at 10 a.m. ET.

Supercross has implemented enhanced health measures to help ensure the highest standards of wellness when it comes to today’s live experience. Seating capacity will be reduced at each stadium with a Pod Seating structure, which will allow family and friends to safely enjoy all the action while social distancing from other groups in attendance. More information about each stadium’s safety protocols can be found on their individual websites – NRG Stadium and Lucas Oil Stadium. Unless otherwise exempted by law, guests age 2 and older must wear a face covering except when actively eating and drinking – local venue rules also apply. More information about Monster Energy Supercross’ Fan Wellness can be found here.

FanFest is currently scheduled to take place in Houston as the expansive outside footprint will feature the race team rigs, Monster Energy exhibitions, photo opportunity set ups, food and beverages, plus authentic Supercross and racer merchandise sold via contactless shopping. Ticketed patrons will be allowed to move between the FanFest perimeter and the stadium to watch qualifying at designated times:

Houston 1 – Saturday, January 16, 2021
FanFest Access Only – 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
FanFest and Stadium Access (Qualifying) 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Houston 2 – Tuesday, January 19, 2021
FanFest Access Only – 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
FanFest and Stadium Access (Qualifying) 3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Houston 3 – Saturday, January 23, 2021
FanFest Access Only – 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
FanFest and Stadium Access (Qualifying) 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Additional details for each race can be found on the event page listing at SupercrossLIVE.com.

Kicking off its 22nd year of racing, the Wells Fargo KTM JUNIOR RACING SX Program will return to competition and the 2021 program will feature, for the first time, participants racing aboard KTM’s highly competitive electric minicycle – the SX E-5.

A fan favorite, the KTM JUNIOR RACING SX Program will take place on the Saturday races in Houston, Indianapolis, Glendale, and Arlington with additional rounds announced later when the final schedule is released.

Wells Fargo KTM JUNIOR RACING SX Program – Houston and Indianapolis:
Houston – Saturday, January 16
Houston – Saturday, January 23
Indianapolis – Saturday, January 30
Indianapolis – Saturday, February 6

Feld Entertainment, Inc. is also very pleased to announce the addition of GearWrench and GasGas as new partners of Monster Energy Supercross, joining a long list of returning partners that includes Monster Energy, Western Power Sports, Fly Racing, NBC and NBCSN, Rocky Mountain ATV, Oakley, Kawasaki and others. GearWrench will be an official partner of Supercross for select events, focused on developing an authentic connection with Supercross fans.

Following the three rounds in Indianapolis, the series shifts west to Glendale, Arizona on Saturday, February 20, Tuesday, February 23, and Saturday, February 27. The annual Daytona Supercross round is set to take place on Saturday, March 6 before the series heads back to Texas in Arlington on Saturday, March 13, Tuesday, March 16, and Saturday, March 20. The 2021 Supercross season finale is scheduled to conclude in Salt Lake City.

The WRC 2021 season is set to kick off with its traditional opener in Monte Carlo (just over a month after the final rally of 2020) before heading through Sweden, Croatia, Portugal and Italy before the convoy heads to Kenya in June.

Rally Estonia is currently penciled in for mid-July, subject to final agreement, before trips to nearby Finland and Rally GB. The final three rallies of 2021 see the WRC circus flying around the world, first to Chile, before they return to Europe for the Spanish round in Catlunya, and then fly to Japan to end the season.

The only round in real danger is the British round of the championship, one of its oldest. With government support still sought by the organizers and a tug-of-war going on between the gravel tracks of Wales and the tarmac roads of Northern Ireland. If government funding is not secured soon it looks likely that the GB round will slip from the WRC calendar for the first time since 1996.

WRC Promoter managing director Jona Siebel said: “The inclusion of Croatia to the WRC for the first time is an exciting new challenge to our fixture list and brings huge anticipation.

“COVID-19 has hit international sporting events extremely hard. WRC has not been spared, leading to the unfortunate cancellation of several events throughout 2020

“We could not foresee any long-haul events being held in a safe manner for the public, or for our large group of travelling staff, suppliers, competitors and media, for the first five months of 2021.

“It’s essential our event organisers are fully committed to managing the difficult COVID-19 controls we can expect to be in place next year while delivering high-quality championship rounds. I’m confident the 12 rallies chosen for next year will not let us down.”

In case of any drop offs due to COVID-19, or in the case of Rally GB, lack of funding, rallies in Turkey Latvia, Belgium, Greece, Italy (Monza) and Argentina are on a reserve list.

(The following schedule is a tentative North American Rally Series listing and subject to change due to the coronavirus).