"I feel like I was the least happy I’ve ever been": Corey LaJoie reflects on his Spire contract termination before expiration

Former Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie reflected on the time when he parted ways with Spire Motorsports after four full seasons with the Cornelius, North Carolina-based outfit. He even said it was the least happiest moment of his life.

When Spire released LaJoie, who had been with the team since 2021, the 34-year-old was still under a contract to pilot the No. 7 Chevy Camaro for at least another season. However, later it was announced that Justin Haley would swap seats with LaJoie for the remainder of the 2024 season.

In a recent interview with Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, Corey LaJoie recalled the early contract termination with Spire, saying,

“I feel like I was the least happy I’ve ever been (in 2024) when no matter how much work you can put towards trying to make yourself better, the results don’t complement it because there’s people not pulling the rope collectively.”

“And that is when the stress and anxiety and all that stuff builds up because no matter how hard you work, the deeper the hole gets, and then the results don’t follow, then it just spirals out and you lose self-confidence,” he continued. “And this is just like the death spiral for a racecar driver.”

LaJoie took over Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Ford Mustang starting with the September 29 race at Kansas Speedway. Through the final seven races of the 2024 season, his best performance (P14) with RWR came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

LaJoie returned to Spire Motorsports as the driver of its No. Chevrolet Silverado for nine of the final 13 Truck Series events of 2025. He also competed in three Cup Series races with Rick Ware Racing and captured a season-best P22 finish in the season-opening Daytona 500.

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When Corey LaJoie said he was “at peace” following his sudden Spire exit

Corey LaJoie was the first full-time Cup Series driver for Spire Motorsports since its inception in 2019. During his three-plus-year run with the team, LaJoie amassed four top fives and eight top-10s, leading a total of 165 laps.

“It's onward and upward," Corey LaJoie told NASCAR.com. "I don't know what the next step is. It's been a unique situation with all the variables that are in play, but nonetheless, I am at peace with it. I'm excited about what the next chapter holds, and I'm pretty motivated to still be the first one that puts a win banner on the wall at Spire.”

“I do hate that we weren't able to see it through; we weren't able to kind of adjust the 7 team and kind of turn the right knobs to get performance where we needed it,” he added. “Also, I made too many mistakes behind the wheel this year.“

Besides the few starts he made for Spire and Rick Ware Racing in 2025, Corey LaJoie also served as an analyst with Amazon Prime. He also continued hosting his NASCAR podcast named “Stacking Pennies” throughout the entire season.