How big is the Daytona 500? LaJoie bet his kids' college fund on a chance to make the NASCAR race
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Corey LaJoie so badly wanted to race in the Daytona 500 that he gambled his children's college fund to secure a seat in 'The Great American Race.'
LaJoie was let go last season from Spire Motorsports and closed out the year driving the final six races with Rick Ware Racing with no promise of 2025 work. Ware was willing to field a second car at Daytona International Speedway, but it would be a driver who brought the financial funding for the effort.
LaJoie, who has welcomed three sons since 2020, grabbed their college fund and turned it over to Ware to make sure another driver wouldn't snag the No. 01 Ford before he could find sponsorship.
He said he handed over the money 'in January to make sure nobody else got the car.'
'I was probably dumb enough to let my chips ride on the table and try to make this race on my own dime,' LaJoie said. 'It was all of my kids' college fund rolled into one race."
LaJoie said the cost for the seat was 'four zeros, one comma," but he was made whole before he arrived at Daytona International Speedway when sponsors 'DuraMAX and Take 5 came in at the last minute and took me off the hook.'
Everything is bonus money from here as LaJoie raced his way into the field in one of Thursday night's qualifying races. He and Cody Ware will give RWR two cars in Sunday's race and strengthen Ford's presence in an event in which manufacturers need to help each other to be competitive.
LaJoie will run a limited Cup Series schedule with RWR this year and also be an analyst for Amazon Prime Video's portion of the Cup Series schedule. He's using the platforms to build his Stacking Pennies Performance Brand.
The No. 01 is meant to represent the 'Stacking Pennies' concept LaJoie has developed around the idea that small victories lead to greater success. His Stacking Pennies podcast is one of NASCAR's most popular.
RWR has not announced how many races LaJoie will enter but he's in the biggest show of the year.
'I was at peace with letting that amount of money go as a bit of a faith tester,' LaJoie said. 'It was like every day for weeks, and it got down to the 11th hour, right? I'm not sure what the future holds quite yet, but I'm excited that the first box we set out to check was coming down here and making the 'Great American Race,' and that's what we did.'
LaJoie finished fourth in last year's Daytona 500 driving for Spire.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
26 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Jannik Sinner won't say why he fired two team members right before Wimbledon
Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Jannik Sinner confirmed that he recently fired two members of his team — fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio, who themselves were replacements for people involved in the player's doping case — but declined Saturday to explain the reason for the change ahead of Wimbledon. Sinner, who has been ranked No. 1 for more than a year, said that he decided shortly after losing in the second round of the grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany, this month to make the change. Sinner has not yet found substitutes for Panichi and Badio, who both used to work with Novak Djokovic. 'Nothing seriously bad happened. They did great work for (the past) three months. Sometimes, things happen,' Sinner said at his pre-tournament news conference. 'The timing obviously isn't the best, but having done a lot of work (together) before, it won't affect this Grand Slam a lot. I feel well physically and mentally and ready to compete.' Play begins Monday at the All England Club, where Sinner was a quarterfinalist in 2024. He will play Luca Nardi in an all-Italian matchup on Tuesday. Last year, Sinner tested positive twice for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March; the case wasn't made public until August, shortly before the U.S. Open, which he ended up winning for the second of his three Grand Slam titles. He initially was completely cleared, based on the defense that he accidentally was exposed to the banned substance, Clostebol, via a massage from his then-physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi. Sinner said his fitness trainer at the time, Umberto Ferrara, purchased a product in Italy and gave it to Naldi for a cut on Naldi's finger. Naldi then treated Sinner while not wearing gloves. The World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the exoneration, and Sinner agreed to serve a three-month ban that ended right before the Italian Open in May. On Saturday, Sinner was asked repeatedly in English and Italian what led him to part ways with Panichi and Badio. 'There's not one specific thing,' Sinner said. He was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open three weeks ago, wasting a two-set lead and three match points in a final that lasted 5 1/2 hours. As for adding new team members, Sinner said Saturday: 'I haven't thought about replacements. It's not the time to think about my options. But there are a lot of options.' ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis: in this topic
San Francisco Chronicle
40 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Djokovic crashes Sabalenka's news conference at Wimbledon to offer advice: 'Put some power into it'
LONDON (AP) — Novak Djokovic offered some lighthearted advice to top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon on Saturday after gatecrashing the Belarusian's news conference. Djokovic and Sabalenka spent some time practicing together at the All England Club this week ahead of the start of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, then playfully interrupted the end of Sabalenka's news conference on Saturday by telling her to hurry up so he could take over the podium. 'What did you think about hitting with me?" the three-time major winner asked Djokovic. "How do you see my level? Am I good?' Djokovic, who holds a total of 24 Grand Slams, was quick with a quip. 'I think you have the potential. You're like a really talented player,' he said, before offering a criticism of Sabalenka — who is known as one of the biggest hitters on the women's circuit. 'Can I be honest? You're lacking intensity on the court," Djokovic said, drawing laughter. 'You don't have enough intensity. It's too flat. You've got to lighten up a little bit and put some power into it.' Djokovic went on to win his first Wimbledon title, while Wozniacki lost in the fourth round. Djokovic opens his bid for an eighth Wimbledon title on Tuesday when he plays Alexandre Muller of France. Sabalenka plays Carson Branstine on Monday. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
40 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cavaliers acquiring Lonzo Ball from the Bulls for Isaac Okoro, AP sources say
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire guard Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls for forward Isaac Okoro according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the trade can not be finalized until the start of the new league year on July 6. Ball averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35 games this past season after missing the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns because of a left knee injury. The 27-year old Ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 after two surgeries failed to fix an injury he suffered during his first season in Chicago in 2021-22. Ball, the second overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 draft, missed the last two months of the season because of a sprained right wrist. He has one year remaining on his contract with a team option for the 2026-27 season. Cleveland has a need at point guard with Ty Jerome becoming an unrestricted free agent and Darius Garland likely to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing surgery on his left big toe earlier this month. The Cavaliers had the second-best record in the NBA at 64-18 but were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers in five games. Okoro averaged 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds this past season and is a strong defender who can also shoot well from the perimeter. However, he found his playing time begin to decrease over the season. He averaged 14.2 minutes in the playoffs after logging 19.1 minutes per game in the regular season. ___
