Corey LaJoie only had one thing on his mind: to win. As the Round of 8 reached its midpoint at Talladega, the 34-year-old looked poised to take a trip to Victory Lane until disaster struck. “I’ve been thinking every week’s my shot for nine years. But, you know, you prepare and you go to execute. No different for that restart as you would the 5,000 before…It either works out or not.” However, that elusive win never came.

LaJoie rolled off Friday’s race deep in the mid-pack, starting 18th. But as momentum and speed started favoring the veteran, he looked poised to challenge for the win. However, one misstep, one mistake, derailed not only his day but also his teammate, the Truck Series sensation, Rajah Caruth.

Corey Lajoie laments on what could have been at Talladega

Corey LaJoie was quite devastated after the checkered flag was waved. He said, “I was wondering if he (Rajah Caruth) got a bad push or he was just trying to get a spot there at the end. Because I felt like if he, say, committed, we probably could have run third and fourth as opposed to eighth and 12th or whatever it was. He got a bad push in the 15. And I was loyal to him. He was loyal to me. And we just, a little short.”

It all unfolded in the closing moments of the race. Rajah Caruth, who had been pushing Corey LaJoie during an overtime restart, got loose through the Tri-oval. This misstep caused him to fall back in ninth place, just behind the No. 77 Chevy, which finished in eighth place. Considering how fast the Spire Motorsports trucks were, the race fell short of the team’s expectations.

Despite starting in the low teens, Corey LaJoie quickly found pace and by the 11th lap of the extended 90-lap race. He started appearing in the top five behind pole-sitter Gio Ruggiero, followed by Corey Heim and Rajah Caruth.

As Stage 1 commenced, Lajoie was runner-up to Caruth, who claimed the stage win. This showed the incredible pace that the Spire upheld throughout the race. By the next nine laps, he stayed competitive through pit cycles and restarts, maintaining position near the lead pack. However, by Stage 2, the No. 77 driver found himself in sixth place. And in the final laps, he was high on the outside lane during the overtime restart on lap 84 behind Corey Heim and Gio Ruggiero, but could not challenge for the win.

LaJoie’s NASCAR comeback hasn’t played out the way he would have wanted. After being ejected from his Cup Series seat by Spire Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing last year, the North Carolina-native was hoping to make an impact in the lower tiers this year. However, in his seven Truck Series appearances this year, the 34-year-old hasn’t finished higher than 5th, which may have contributed to his disappointment at the ‘Dega’.

While nobody expected Gio Ruggiero to snatch the win, the implications of the 19-year-old’s triumph were felt throughout the Truck Series garage. As things stand, Rajah Caruth remains safe for now, but the race was nothing short of disappointing for the 23-year-old.

Rajah Caruth clears the air with teammate amid Talladega chaos

Rajah Caruth entered the Love’s RV Stop 225 on the playoff cutline, where he needed a big picture race, a mantra echoed by crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and spotter Eddie D’Hondt throughout the No. 71 team’s radio communications.

Despite half the playoff drivers taking damage early, Caruth powered through to claim his first stage of the season, the second of his career. However, the overtime push towards Corey LaJoie derailed his day. While this wasn’t a win, Caruth secured his third consecutive top 10 finish for the second time in 2025.

Caruth didn’t shy away from expressing his emotions post-race. He admitted,   “I would say pretty frustrated with how it ended. I didn‘t want to split [Lajoie]; I just got popped at the wrong time. Still a great points day.”

Though the No. 71 truck lost several spots in the final sprint, Manion noted it was fortunate to finish intact. Caruth now sits 14 points above the bubble heading into the elimination round at Martinsville Speedway. And the young ace certainly will be eyeing a win in the penultimate race of the Truck Series calendar.