Corey Lajoie will look to pick up the first NASCAR Cup Series victory of his career on Sunday, when the 2024 season starts its engines at Daytona International Speedway for the Daytona 500.
LaJoie’s best finish at NASCAR’s Super Bowl was eighth place, when he drove for Go Fas Racing. This time around, he is entering his fourth season with Spire Motorsports and may have a secret weapon on the hood of his car – the power of Chili’s.
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Corey LaJoie will be a part of Chili’s “Catch a ‘Rita” campaign. (Chili’s)
The driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro will enter “The Great American Race” with a Chili’s sponsorship on his vehicle, which will also bring a unique opportunity for fans. LaJoie will drive with a QR code on the car and on his fire suit. If fans can catch LaJoie or his car and scan the QR code, they could enter to win a $10 Chili’s gift card or a VIP trip to see him race in Austin, Texas, later this season.
“It’s been a blast so far,” LaJoie told Fox News Digital of his partnership with Chili’s. “It comes with a little bit more responsibility than usual. You want to make sure you welcome a big brand like Chili’s back, or even into, our sport. You want to make sure you do those guys a good job on and off the track.”
LaJoie said the partnership with Chili’s made sense for him because he is a fan of the restaurant.
“There’s not very many times in our sport where, especially direct-to-consumer brands like restaurants or anything where it’s a unique fit,” he said. “Normally, you just try to get anybody you possibly can to pay money to put stickers on the car. But with this, I’ve been eating lunch at Chili’s and dinner at Chilis’ since I was a kid.
Corey LaJoie will have Chili’s on his car for the Daytona 500. (Chili’s)
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“It’s such a well-known brand and a well-liked restaurant … it’s an iconic brand to represent. So, it’s cool to get our team to a spot through a lot of hard work over these last 3–4 years to be able to take on and activate, to do a good job for brands of this size. It should give our guys in the shop a lot of confidence and a lot of pride for being able to get the nod from a group like Chili’s to be able to kick the season off at the Daytona 500.”
The burning (or sizzling) question is what is LaJoie’s go-to order.
“I’m not a guy that has set things. I really go with what I’m feeling in the moment,” he told Fox News Digital. “If I leave here and go to lunch, I don’t know if I’m ripping out a margarita at lunchtime.
“Let’s just say we’re going to dinner. I’m getting a water with lime, a skinny margarita or a presidente margarita, probably a little bit of club soda. And then I’m going to fajitas.”
He said his kids would probably go with the chicken crispers.
“And then, I’m probably eating no less than four trays of chips.”
Corey LaJoie, driver of the #7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, prepares to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 21, 2023 in Homestead, Florida. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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The Daytona 500 will race on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch on FOX.
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