Corey LaJoie on return to racing in Atlanta after joining Prime Video broadcast team: 'I’m going to enjoy it'

Corey LaJoie is back behind the wheel in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend. He’ll be looking to land the No. 01 for Rick Ware Racing in Victory Lane at EchoPark Speedway, following his contributions to Prime Video’s coverage over the past five weeks.

It’ll be just LaJoie’s fourth start of the season, and his first since his trip to Bristol Motor Speedway in April. What’s different this time around? According to LaJoie, working on the TV side of things has changed his perspective, and he feels a bit freer this time around.

“Driving the race car can be a really lonely place,” LaJoie said, via Kelly Crandall of RACER. “You have all this weight of expectations to deliver for your team and your sponsors and yourself and your fans, and when you feel like you’re not doing that, it feels like everybody is looking at you. But what I realized these last five weeks during my time on Prime, I’m intently watching the race, but I’m really only focused on three guys’ races. The other guys who are there grinding away, unless they somehow factor into the main storylines of the race, they’re not top of mind.

“Before this opportunity to see the race from a TV perspective, I would feel like if I wasn’t running well, then I was letting a lot of people down. I think that I cared too much, and I would hold the outcome too tightly, as opposed to just enjoying it when I was doing it.”

All told, Atlanta is the perfect place for LaJoie’s return to take place. He’s found success there in the past, racing Chase Elliott for the win on the final lap at the track in 2022. That’s not lost on him as he gets behind the wheel once again.

“We led the final restart of the day, and then Chase Elliott got a big push, got to the lead, and I should’ve worked a bit harder to block that run for the lead,” LaJoie added. “I thought I made the right move on the last lap to get to his right-rear quarter, but he just threw his block a bit later, and he threw the block to win, right? It didn’t work for me and the help didn’t go my way, but that was pretty close to career victory number one.

“But that’s why I keep showing up, especially here at Atlanta. I feel that we can find ourselves in the same spot. … Now that I’m back in the seat, I’m going to enjoy it. I really like the atmosphere at Rick Ware Racing, and now we’re going back to a place where I’ve been close to winning before. It’s a great opportunity for me to run well and have some fun.”

Corey LaJoie is still searching for win No. 1, and he’ll keep trying as long as he can until he gets it. If it comes at EchoPark Speedway on Saturday night, it’ll certainly be an upset, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility, if the past is any indicator.