COREY LAJOIE (SPIRE MOTORSPORTS) CHEVY
2023 DRIVER FANTASY POINTS: 28th
2024 FANTASY NASCAR RANK: 28th
* The 2024 ranking are based on the driver’s projected points scored for the 2024 season and not his predicted finish in the Cup Series standings. The rankings are based on the driver’s performance last year, momentum heading into the 2024 season and the strength of the driver’s team.
2023 RECAP: Corey LaJoie has now competed in the Cup Series for seven full seasons. The 2023 season was his best. He finished 25th in the Cup Series Points Standings, finished two races in the top-five (Atlanta and Talladega), led the most laps of his career (66) and had his best average finishing position (20.3). LaJoie was one of the best drivers for your DFS lineups because his price was cheap and he scored positive place differential points in 24 of the 36 races. LaJoie also got to fill in for an injured Chase Elliott at Gateway. LaJoie started 19th and finished 20th in the race.
2024 PREVIEW: Spire Motorsports is serious about becoming one of the top teams in NASCAR and they have the money to make the climb to the elite level. They purchased the Truck Series team from Kyle Busch so that they could expand their fingerprint in the top levels of NASCAR. Spire Motorsports will have the No. 51 Truck open to allow some of their Cup Series drivers to get some extra seat time each weekend. The team has not announced yet if Corey LaJoie will compete in any Truck Series races, but he drove their truck at Daytona and Darlington last year.
The No. 7 team for Spire Motorsports will be the same in 2024. Ryan Sparks will serve as the crew chief and the team will have an alliance with Hendrick Motorsports. Corey LaJoie will have some new teammates this year. Zane Smith will drive the No. 71 car for Spire Motorsports and Carson Hocevar will be behind the wheel of the No. 77 car. The added teams will give LaJoie’s team more data to work with so that they can find the speed to contend for a playoff spot in 2024.
So, what will Corey LaJoie’s fantasy value be in 2024? He will be one of the best value picks in DFS “if” the sites continue to keep his price low. LaJoie will be a great pick at Daytona and Atlanta, but we need to take a wait and see approach with the No. 7 team at the shorter tracks.
SUPERSPEEDWAY VALUE (DAYTONA, TALLADEGA, ATLANTA)
Corey LaJoie has his most fantasy value at the Superspeedways. Daytona ranks as his best track and Atlanta is a close second.
Do you want a long-shot to bet for the Daytona 500? Corey LaJoie is your driver. He has finished 8th (2020), 9th (2021), 14th (2022) and 16th (2023) in his last four Daytona 500’s. LaJoie will be a good pick for all season-long lineups at Daytona, but he will only have value in DFS if he qualifies outside the top-20 with a chance to score place differential points.
Atlanta is another track where Corey LaJoie needs to be considered for your fantasy lineups, but you need to use him wisely. LaJoie has been excellent in the spring races at Atlanta and not so good in the summer. LaJoie finished 4th and 5th in his last two spring races at Atlanta and he finished 21st and 31st in his last two summer races. It may not be a bad idea to use LaJoie in the first two races of the season (Daytona and Atlanta) and save your top drivers for the more predictable tracks.
(Corey LaJoie ranked 20th in fantasy points scored on the Superspeedways last year with an average finishing position of 15th)
SHORT-FLAT TRACK VALUE (PHOENIX, RICHMOND, MARTINSVILLE, GATEWAY, NEW HAMPSHIRE, IOWA)
There will be nine races this year on the short, flat tracks (11 races if you count the Clash at the Coliseum and the All-Star Race). Corey LaJoie will need to improve at these tracks in order for his fantasy value to increase in 2024. LaJoie scored the 29th-most fantasy points on the short, flat tracks last year. His average finishing position in his last seven races at Martinsville is 26.2, his average finishing position in his last seven races at Richmond is 27th and his average finishing position in his last seven races at Phoenix is 29.7. These are not the kind of stats you want in your Fantasy NASCAR lineups. Make sure you find another driver for your team when the Cup Series competes at the short, flat tracks in 2024.
(Corey LaJoie ranked 29th in fantasy points scored on the short-flat tracks last year with an average finishing position of 26.5)
HIGH-BANKED TRACK VALUE (BRISTOL, DOVER)
Corey LaJoie has been a decent sleeper pick on the high-banked tracks in the Next Gen car. He finished 15th and 25th in his two races at Bristol (on the concrete) and he finished 14th and 18th at Dover. These types of stats are not going to win you your season-long league or any money in DFS contests, but they will not hurt you as well. There are more consistent drivers to use in Fantasy Live and the Driver Group Game at Bristol and Dover. LaJoie is worth a spot in your DFS lineups at these tracks “if” he is priced low enough.
(Corey LaJoie ranked 16th in fantasy points scored on the high-banked tracks last year with an average finishing position of 19.5)
ROAD COURSE TRACK VALUE (COTA, SONOMA, WATKINS GLEN, CHICAGO STREET, CHARLOTTE ROVAL)
Corey LaJoie is not known as a road course expert, but there are much worse drivers for your fantasy teams at these tracks. LaJoie finished 14th at the Chicago Street Course, 17th at the Charlotte Roval, 11th at COTA, 20th at Watkins Glen and 20th at Sonoma. These stats are not great for season-long leagues, but they are excellent for DFS contests. LaJoie is going to be cheap and his ownership will be low. Do not tell your friends, but make sure you use LaJoie as your secret weapon to fill out your DFS lineups at the road courses.
(Corey LaJoie ranked 28th in fantasy points scored on the road courses last year with an average finishing position of 18.5)
HIGH TIRE WEAR TRACK VALUE (AUTO CLUB, DARLINGTON, MICHIGAN, HOMESTEAD)
Corey LaJoie was pretty good at Michigan and not so good at Darlington and Homestead. The draft comes into play more at Michigan than it does at the other high tire wear tracks. LaJoie is good at using the draft to his advantage, but not very good at saving his tires over a long run. LaJoie will have some fantasy value for DFS contests at Michigan. You can fade him at Darlington and Homestead.
(Corey LaJoie ranked 27th in fantasy points scored on the high tire wear tracks last year with an average finishing position of 19th)
INTERMEDIATE TRACK VALUE (LAS VEGAS, KANSAS, CHARLOTTE AND TEXAS)
Corey LaJoie has not been a very good fantasy pick at the intermediate tracks. The only intermediate track that ranks in his top-10 tracks is Texas. LaJoie finished 4th, 14th and 26th in his three races in the Next Gen car at Texas. His average finishing position in the Coca-Cola 600 in the Next Gen car is 26th, his average finishing position in his four races at Kansas is 23.5 and his average finishing position in his four races at Las Vegas is 19.5. These numbers could improve in 2024 because Chevy is the only manufacturer who will not have a new chassis to figure out. I expect the Chevy’s to start the season with a slight advantage. I will still take a wait and see approach with LaJoie before I decide to use him in my season-long lineups.
(Corey LaJoie ranked 24th in fantasy points scored on the intermediate tracks last year with an average finishing position of 20.7)
Best Tracks for Corey LaJoie: 1) Daytona, 2) Atlanta, 3) Michigan, 4) Dover, 5) Texas
Be sure to check out all of the Driver Preview articles that will be released later this week. I will have the drivers ranked 21st – 35th for FREE. The top-20 will be behind the pay wall, so the members can get an advantage over their competitors.
* Team Information from Jaysky.com
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