For the following week and a half, is what he has been for a lot of this decade, a NASCAR Cup Collection driver.
With affected by a damaged proper femur suffered in a fall on ice throughout a household snowboarding journey on December 18, Lajoie bought the decision to race within the Cookout Conflict at Bowman Grey Stadium within the famed RFK Racing No. 6. That is along with his beforehand scheduled begin with RFK within the equally well-known No. 99 on the Daytona 500.
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Lajoie misplaced his full-time experience with Spire Motorsports on the finish of the 2024 season. Since then, he’s dabbled within the Truck Collection and in addition made a transition to tv with Amazon Prime’s portion of the Cup Collection schedule.
Even this yr, he’s going to make some Truck Collection begins alongside his tv and podcasting schedule, persevering with a bizarre section of his life the place Lajoie has wrestled together with his identification in NASCAR.
“That’s a every day wrestle as a result of it’s fairly simple while you’re chasing being a race automotive driver,” Lajoie stated throughout a Wednesday press convention upfront of the Conflict.
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He stated it was simple in 2012 when he gained at Bowman Grey within the Okay&N West Collection. He was on the trail to following his father, two-time Busch Collection champion Randy, to the best ranges of NASCAR.
Not solely get there, however win races and compete for a championship, he stated.
“I bought shut,” Lajoie stated. “I reached the highest of the spear as I had hoped. I want there was at all times extra, however transitioning, not essentially voluntarily however transitioning to Prime, that group was unbelievable. I’m excited to run it again with these guys. I’m doing a little truck stuff.
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“Hanging out with my children extra. I’m making an attempt to start out up a enterprise. All of this stuff are studying experiences and finally, it’s simply taught me to carry issues a lot nearer and let the Lord take the wheel.”
Lajoie says if that results in extra racing, ‘that’s nice’ and he’ll give it the whole lot he has. However extra importantly, Lajoie simply needs to be extra current in his on a regular basis life.
“It’s been a complicated journey of kinds currently, but it surely’s been good to have a central focus, whether or not or not it’s this week getting ready for the Conflict or definitely subsequent week for the five hundred to actually lock in and focus,” Lajoie stated. “In racing, your objectives are actually clear. It’s to organize and do a greater job than the following man, and I’m glad I get to have that clear-cut aim for the following two weeks.”
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Lajoie says he’s taking part in with home cash these first two weeks of the season at The Conflict and Daytona 500.
“Simply after I was beginning to grasp the concept the window is closed being a race automotive driver then this chance arose,” he stated. “I hate it for Brad. I noticed him yesterday and he’s as sharp as he’s ever been. He’s getting round properly, so I’m excited for him to be again within the fold subsequent week, however this chance has been superior.
“I believe there’s at all times stress. Should you don’t really feel the stress, then you definitely don’t perceive the gravity of what the chance is, and simply to remind myself that I’ve been doing it for a very long time and I’ve been doing it at a excessive stage, so for these guys to faucet me because the man that may be within the 6 automotive and really feel like I can do a great job is definitely an honor.
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“It’s been cool to be within the combine and prep within the sim once more, sort of knocking the rust off, however when the rubber hits the highway right here shortly hopefully we shake out fairly good.”
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