Frontstretch Newsletter: Corey LaJoie Leaving Spire Motorsports At End Of 2024

Published: Fri, 07/26/24

Updated: Sun, 07/28/24

Frontstretch Newsletter: July 26, 2024
Volume XVIII, Edition CXXVI

What to Watch: July 26-28

- The ARCA Menards Series will be at one of their longtime mainstays, Salem Speedway, this weekend. Practice is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. ET Saturday. Qualifying will follow shortly afterwards. The sessions will not be televised.

Coverage of the Salem ARCA 200 is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET Saturday evening. The race will air live on FOX Sports 1, but will also be simulcast on FLORacing.

- A thin field of 13 teams will compete Saturday night in the ARCA Menards Series West Shasta 150 at Shasta Speedway. Teams actually have access to the short track tonight for 150 minutes of optional practice starting at 10 p.m. ET.

Regular practice will start at 7:30 p.m. ET with qualifying following afterwards. Neither session will be televised.

Coverage of the Shasta 150 will start at 11:30 p.m. ET on FLORacing. The green flag is scheduled for 11:45 p.m. ET.

- Formula 1 is making their annual visit to the treacherous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps this weekend for the Grand Prix of Hungary. Friday's on-track activity is already complete.

Saturday will start with Free Practice No. 3 at 6:25 a.m. ET. The session will air live on ESPN2. Qualifying will be at 9:55 a.m. ET on ESPN2. Saturday is forecast to be wet and that means incredibly sketchy conditions. If it is too wet, the whole day could end up being wiped out like it was in 2021.

Coverage of the Grand Prix of Belgium will begin with Formula 1: Grand Prix Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET on ESPN. Race coverage will begin at 8:55 a.m. ET with the formation lap starting at 9 a.m. ET sharp.

Note that Max Verstappen will have a 10-spot grid penalty Sunday due to taking on engine parts in access of the limit.

- World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series teams have a busy weekend coming up. After racing at BAPS Motor Speedway Wednesday night, teams will make the 14-mile haul to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Penn. for the C&D Rigging Summer Nationals. Coverage will begin at 6:45 p.m. ET tonight and Saturday night on DirtVision.

- Sunday night sees the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series make their only visit of the year to the state of New York when they travel to Weedsport Speedway for the Empire State Challenge. Coverage is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET on DirtVision.

- World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series teams are at Fairbury Speedway this weekend for the Prairie Dirt Classic. Coverage from Fairbury is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET both tonight and Saturday night on DirtVision.

Also, don't forget to follow our Twitter page, @Frontstretch as well for updates!

TV Schedule: Here

Today's Top News:

Corey LaJoie Won’t Drive the No. 7 Next Year

As originally reported by The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi Thursday and later confirmed by Spire Motorsports, Corey LaJoie will not be back in the No. 7 Chevrolet in 2025.

Read more

Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.

Have news for Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.

Around the World in Motorsports: July 26

- In Belgium, Red Bull's Max Verstappen was fastest in Free Practice No. 1 at the 4.352-mile Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps with a lap at 151.561 mph. The lap was .531 seconds faster than Hungary winner Oscar Piastri. Williams' Alexander Albon was third quickest, while Mercedes teammates George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth.

Free Practice No. 2 saw the speeds increase quite a bit. Once again, McLaren put themselves at the top of the charts.

Lando Norris was fastest with a lap at 153.209 mph. The lap was .215 seconds faster than Piastri. Verstappen was just two-thousandths of a second behind Piastri in third. Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. were fourth and fifth.

- AO Racing announced Friday morning that Julien Andlauer has been tapped to drive the No. 77 Porsche in the GTD Pro alongside Laurin Heinrich next weekend at Road America. Andlauer will replace Sebastian Priaulx, who left the team earlier this week due to increased responsibilities with Multimatic Motorsports. Andlauer joins the leading squad in the GTD Pro class standings. With Priaulx leaving, Heinrich will continue to try to win the championship by himself.

"I’m super excited to be back in IMSA, and to join the AO Racing Team which has been very successful so far," Andlauer said in a press release. "I’m really looking forward to jumping in the car and giving the maximum to give my best effort for the team to have a good chance for the championship. I don’t know Road America yet, but it looks to be an amazing track, and I hope it can suit our beautiful Roxy. I will fight well and look forward to being there and working with the entire team."

Andlauer has two starts this year in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He drove in the Rolex 24 at Daytona for Kellymoss with Riley, finishing 11th in what turned out to be the team's only start this season. At Sebring, he drove the Porsche 963 for Proton Competition and finished eighth in class.

In addition, Andlauer is full-time in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Proton Competition. He is currently 12th in points with a best finish of fifth at Spa in May.

Finally, Andlauer referenced Roxy in his statement. That is because the team is breaking out their pink paint scheme for Road America that is represented by their pink dinosaur mascot in place of the normal mascot, Rexy.

Photo is courtesy of IMSA.

Today at Frontstretch:

4 Burning Questions: Joe Gibbs Racing Has an Engine Problem

by Stephen Stumpf

F1 Midweek: The Team Orders Conundrum

by Jeffrey Boswell

Short Track Weekly: Assessing Langley Speedway’s Dominant Duo

by Chase Folsom

Tomorrow at Frontstretch.com:

We'll have recaps and breakdowns of all the action from Spa, Salem and Shasta.

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