Disqualified NASCAR Team Returns for Payback at Daytona Pitting Veteran Driver Against Tony Stewart
Jan 27, 2026 | 2:57 PM EST
Disqualified NASCAR Team Returns for Payback at Daytona Pitting Veteran Driver Against Tony Stewart
Jan 27, 2026 | 2:57 PM EST
Tony Stewart’s Daytona return in the Truck Series is quite hyped. Meanwhile, another team, which didn’t have the best luck running the race last year, is also returning with a veteran Cup Series driver.
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The Daytona 500 is one of the most anticipated NASCAR events of the year. But the Cup Series race is preceded by the NOAPS and Truck Series races. Parker Kligerman won the Truck Series race last year, ultimately getting disqualified in a post-race inspection. Now, the team is returning to the grand event with a much more experienced driver.
Tony Stewart to race against another Cup veteran
Corey LaJoie’s 276 Cup Series entries in a decade make him one of the most experienced drivers. While he hasn’t been piloting any full-time roles with a team, he will return to the Truck Series with Henderson Motorsports at Daytona. The 250-mile event will also feature former Cup Series driver and owner, Tony Stewart, who last competed in the series in 2005.
“Did I mention how much I love trucks?” LaJoie wrote on social media shortly after Henderson Motorsports announced his return.
He knows his way around in the series. He ran nine races for Spire Motorsports last year and finished in top-10 in seven of them. Cory LaJoie is a strong candidate for the race, and his experience from the Cup Series will come in handy. Although he wasn’t the strongest, he did manage to clinch a top-5 finish at the Daytona 500 in 2024 with Spire.
On the other hand, Tony Stewart was more successful.
Did I mention how much I love trucks? https://t.co/gpnBDmdzHU
— Corey LaJoie (@CoreyLaJoie) January 26, 2026
With over 600 races run, he collected 49 race wins and three Cup titles. However, it is tough to say who will perform better at Daytona in the Truck Series.
This is mainly because Stewart hasn’t raced the series in twenty years. Moreover, the drivers in the Truck Series can be rather reckless, as Kyle Busch warned Stewart.
Corey LaJoie, meanwhile, proved his performance in the series just last year. Plus, Henderson Motorsports is waiting to clinch a victory on the race, as vengeance for last year, when their win was nullified.
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Henderson Motorsports aims to reclaim the throne at Daytona
Racing the #75 for Henderson in the Truck Series, Parker Kligerman built a gap long enough to save himself from the wrecks happening right behind him on the final lap. He even secured a bold victory on the track for the first time. But he had a disheartening twist of fate during the Daytona 500 weekend last year.
A post-race technical inspection revealed that his Truck’s rear was lower than the specified regulations. His team was disqualified from the race, and Corey Heim was declared the winner.
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Parker Kligerman
This still hasn’t sat well with Henderston Motorsports. The team’s co-owner, Debbie Henderson-Creasy, has yet to take vengeance for that race, and Corey LaJoie seems to be the right choice for it.
“We won that race on the track,” Debbie Henderson-Creasy shared. “We went through the appeal process, respected the decision. But that experience stays with you—and it fuels you.”
The Truck Series is a proving ground for the young and upcoming drivers. With LaJoie’s experience, he seems to be the one to dominate the field at Daytona; however, he will also have to face the brilliance that Tony Stewart brings, making it quite a challenge.