This weekend, Corey LaJoie joins Rick Hendrick’s garage, albeit on a temporary basis. The Spire Motorsports driver was recruited after Chase Elliott earned a suspension for his intentional clash with Denny Hamlin. Ahead of the Cup race at the World Wide Technology Raceway, LaJoie made his first appearance as a Hendrick Motorsports driver.

Without a doubt, LaJoie will be excited to step into the #9 Hendrick Motorsports car. Several other drivers were happy to see him get the drive, and one of them was his friend, Bubba Wallace. The 23XI Racing driver even tried to impart some advice during a chat with a nervous LaJoie. Now, the new #9 driver knows that he has to deliver to the best of his ability for the Hendrick Motorsports team.

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Corey LaJoie praises the work dynamic inside the Hendrick Motorsports garage

During a pre-race press conference, Dave “The Godfather” Moody from Serius XM asked Corey LaJoie, “When this new car came out, you expressed a hope that it would bring the middle closer to the from and the back closer to the middle. It certainly has. But after 72 hours now in the Hendricks system, can you speak about the difference between the have’s and the have not’s.“

LaJoie replied, “I thought I knew what we didn’t have at Spire Motorsports, but I had no idea. There’s tools that those guys have, that are probably intellectual properties specific to Hendrick, that some of the other teams don’t have.

“The biggest thing that I noticed was just the people and the attitude of the pursuit of perfection. All the key partner teams across all OEMs have the same data. They have an unbelievable way of delegating, taking, compacting, and making it just digestible. Whether it’s for a driver or an engineer or a crew chief. I think that the fact that they have four incredibly strong teams, individually, raises the tide for those guys.”

To be precise, the 31-year-old suggested that the amenities at Hendrick Motorsports are vastly superior. Although every team has the same data, HMS just about has the ability to make the most of it. This is why the organization is able to field four strong cars, who are in regular contention to win.

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LaJoie opens up about the level of competition within the Hendrick Motorsports Garage

LaJoie continued, “When you’re sitting in the simulator, and William Byron ran a 33.20, you’re on a 33.35 with the same setup. You know you got a tenth-and-a-half in your b*tt and you have to go find it. Then when I go run a 33.20, William next time is going to want to run 33.19.

“There’s always a consistently raised watermark on the driver’s end; the crew chiefs trying to build the best setups; the engineers trying to find the best strategies; but the inner team competition is one of the biggest things. I think there are several teams that have that. The healthy ones are certainly evident. It’s just the overall structure, we have a Hawkeye, Pharaoh Arms, all the things that the same stuff that Hendrick has. The depth of people, the collective focus on the goal, and the mission is noticeable and evident.

“It’s a different world.”

Of course, the driver admitted that the team worked hard to stay competitive. LaJoie noted that all of the drivers at Hendrick Motorsports often raise the bar in trying to better each other. The best part is that this is not just limited to the drivers, but extends to the rest of the crew as well.

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