Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Lajoie Primed For Rockingham Return

For Corey Lajoie, winning for the fourth time in four starts at Rockingham Speedway would be more than a cool statistic. It would likely mean a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship. 

Lajoie has an unblemished record at The Rock, winning in each of his three career UARA-STARS Late Model Series starts on the one-mile oval. The son of two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Randy Lajoie currently sits second in the K&N East standings, one point behind leader Kyle Larson.

The series makes its next-to-last stop of 2012 at Greenville Pickens Speedway on October 27, before heading to Rockingham to crown a champion on November 3. 

"We have some momentum on our side and hopefully we can carry it to Greenville and come get the championship here at Rockingham," said Lajoie during a practice session at the speedway. And while he will obviously rely on his prior Rockingham experience on Nov. 3, he's not discounting the competition. 

"It definitely helps knowing the pace of the race, how much you have to save, how much you have got to go, and when to go," said Lajoie. "But the K&N East car is a totally different animal than the Late Model.

There are a bunch of good guys in this deal (K&N East Series)," Lajoie said. "Those guys will pick up the racetrack in five laps of practice." 

Lajoie is not the only driver in the K&N Pro Series East field with a winning pedigree at Rockingham. Chase Elliott, son of 1988 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, has two wins on The Rock's abrasive asphalt.  

Heading to Greenville-Pickens, however, Lajoie clearly holds the hot hand. He leads all drivers with four wins, and all four have come in the last eight races of the season. 

"Save for a couple of cut tires, we've been a Top-Three car each week," said Lajoie. "We had a few races with some bad luck that got us behind the eight ball a bit, but we have fought back. Right now, we are just trying to get our I's dotted and T's crossed, have a good run at Greenville, then get a win and clinch a championship at the Rock." 

The K&N Pro Series East will be part of the Classic 3 Championship presented by the RCR Racing Museum on November 3. The tripleheader race day will also feature the UARA-STARS Late Models and the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals. Racing action for gets underway with practice and qualifying on Friday, November 2, followed by an infield party when the track clears for the day. 

For more information, or to order tickets for the Classic 3 Championship presented by the RCR Racing Museum, visit Rockingham Speedway online at www.rockinghamspeedway.com, or call 910-205-8800.

No comments:

Post a Comment