Corey LaJoie came tantalizingly close to securing a Daytona 500 win – a win that would have been one of the greatest moments of his career. His team strategy unfolded almost perfectly, yet success slipped through their fingers in the final stretch.

Completing 499 miles, only to fall just short, must have been very painful for the driver who hails from North Carolina. Throughout the race, the team’s execution was brilliant, even if the win remained elusive.

“Daytona … we checked every box that we set down there to do and when we went down there our goal was to put ourselves in that spot and give us a shot to win,” he said via a press release. “We were about a mile away, legitimately, after 499 miles of doing that.”

LaJoie was full of praise for the team’s efforts and the car they built for the Daytona weekend. His machine’s performance was on fire during the event, giving LaJoie a boost in his confidence.

“I can’t say enough about the guys at the shop that built that car. We came out of the box with a lot of speed and that really allowed us over the course of the weekend to go do what we wanted to do and execute.”

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Aside from the disappointment, this near-win holds potential benefits for LaJoie’s sponsorships and future races. A strong performance at a prominent event like the Daytona 500 can have positive ramifications for sponsorship deals. He said:

“Anytime you can run good and contend for wins that gets your existing partners fired up and it also allows you to put together some really cool marketing decks with the 01 leading the field at the 500 to go try to sell a couple more.”

His sights are already set on the upcoming Atlanta race, where he is optimistic.

“Daytona was great, but I’ve also been even closer to winning here at Atlanta. That’s why we circled this one to come here with AirMedCare Network, to go to contend and put ourselves in the same spot we did last week.”

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LaJoie is looking forward to a promising 2025 season, with his performance so far looking very positive. Daytona, though not resulting in a victory for the driver, serves as a robust foundation for this weekend that will hopefully have him going in with a smile.

He will start 35th in tomorrow’s race.

For the latest NASCAR news, head over to Newsweek Sports.

NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 2025 Starting Lineup

1. Ryan Blaney – Team Penske
2. Austin Cindric – Team Penske
3. Josh Berry – Wood Brothers Racing
4. Joey Logano – Team Penske
5. Todd Gilliland – Front Row Motorsports
6. Kyle Busch – Richard Childress Racing
7. Zane Smith – Front Row Motorsports
8. Chris Buescher – RFK Racing
9. Brad Keselowski – RFK Racing
10. Noah Gragson – Front Row Motorsports
11. Ryan Preece – RFK Racing
12. AJ Allmendinger – Kaulig Racing
13. Alex Bowman – Hendrick Motorsports
14. Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing
15. Austin Dillon – Richard Childress Racing
16. Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports
17. William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports
18. Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports
19. Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing
20. Ty Dillon – Kaulig Racing
21. Justin Haley – Spire Motorsports
22. John Hunter Nemechek – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
23. Cole Custer – Haas Factory Team
24. Michael McDowell – Spire Motorsports
25. Chase Briscoe – Joe Gibbs Racing
26. Carson Hocevar – Spire Motorsports
27. Riley Herbst – 23XI Racing
28. Erik Jones – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
29. Daniel Suarez – Trackhouse Racing
30. Shane Van Gisbergen – Trackhouse Racing
31. Cody Ware – Rick Ware Racing
32. Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing
33. Ross Chastain – Trackhouse Racing
34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – HYAK Motorsports
35. Corey LaJoie – Rick Ware Racing
36. Ty Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing
37. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing
38. BJ McLeod – Live Fast Motorsports
39. JJ Yeley – NY Racing Team