Corey LaJoie's Recent Improvement May Pay Dividends at Nashville
6 months agoAlthough Corey LaJoie was very disappointing for most of the first half of the season--particularly at Gateway where he had the second-slowest average speed in the race while his rookie teammate, Carson Hocevar, finished 8th--it seems that may have lit a fire under Lajoie, as in the three races since, he has exhibited more patience and racecraft than earlier this year (particularly at Sonoma). Although Hocevar has been faster this season and gotten better finishes, LaJoie was faster in the last three races. Nashville may continue this trend as in three previous races there, he has an average finish of 18.3, better than any other non-drafting oval he has visited more than once. While Hocevar still outqualified him, LaJoie should at least retain his 21st-place starting position and is likely to improve upon it based on his earlier Nashville runs and his performances in recent weeks.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference