Event: Foxwoods 301
Venue:New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Loudon, New Hampshire)
Date/Broadcast:Sunday, August 2 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN
For some members of the NASCAR industry, the annual trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon is just another stop on the rigorous Cup Series schedule. But for the Go Fas Racing team, it’s considered a special trip for multiple reasons.
GFR team owner Archie St. Hilaire and general manager Mason St. Hilaire hail from the area in nearby Maine, so a visit to the Granite State is like a trip back home to where their vision for operating a NASCAR team originated.
St. Hilaire’s driver, Corey LaJoie, also has a special connection to the track dubbed the ‘Magic Mile.’ On September 21, 2014, the North Carolina native made his Cup Series debut at the Loudon track driving the No. 77, marking a significant milestone in his career.
The 28-year-old driver now has five Cup Series starts under his belt at the 1.058-mile track with a best finish of 23rd, which he earned last year in his first season behind the wheel of the No. 32 GFR entry.
LaJoie has also found success at New Hampshire in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series in 2016 by leading 34 of the 72 laps to net his sixth win in the series.
When LaJoie takes to the track on Sunday for 301 laps, he will have the support of Patriots of America, a political action group calling for the reelection of Donald Trump.
Out of an estimated 75 million NASCAR fans, about 15 million are not registered voters. With less than 100 days until Election Day, LaJoie and GFR are hoping to help get NASCAR fans to the polls in November.
Tune in to the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on Sunday, August 2 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
LaJoie on the upcoming race:
“New Hampshire is one of my favorite tracks on the schedule. I’ve had success since my first laps in the K&N series. The northern-based NASCAR fans are always passionate about their motorsports so I’m excited to see how fans welcome us as a sport and our car in Loudon. It’s also a big race for Archie and Mason, our Team Owner and General Manager, with them being from the area, so we know we’ll have a lot of friends and family out from the St. Hilaire group. I’m really excited to get on track this Sunday.”
LaJoie’s Cup history at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
Starts: 5
Best Finish: 23rd (2019)
Average Start: 33.4
Average Finish: 29.8
Looking back on Kansas Speedway:
Corey LaJoie and the No. 32 Plan B Sales Ford raced hard at Kansas Speedway to bring home a solid 21st-place finish. LaJoie started in 31st, but wasted minimal time advancing his position, as the 28-year-old had reached 27th by the competition caution. Following a trip to pit road at the attention of Crew Chief Ryan Sparks for an air-pressure adjustment, LaJoie restarted 25th for the race to the green-and-white checkered flag for stage one.
Just before crossing the line in 27th to complete the 80-lap opening segment, LaJoie alerted the No. 32 team that the Plan B Sales Ford needed more right-rear grip. He headed to pit road for a chassis adjustment, along with four tires and fuel to kick off stage two. A caution flew on lap 99, and LaJoie returned to pit road for service to make it to the end of stage two. With 25 laps to go in the segment, the Go Fas Racing driver was put two laps down in 29th, but took the green-and-white checkered flag in 27th.
Taking the green from 24th for the final stage, LaJoie navigated several incidents early on. Sparks made the call to bring the Plan B Sales machine to pit road for four tires and fuel before restarting 21st, on the lead lap, on lap 181. Numerous caution flags flew again, and the No. 32 continued to move up the leaderboard. On lap 235, a caution flew as a tire went down on the No. 32 Ford, forcing LaJoie to pit road. A lap down in 22nd, LaJoie fought for the free-pass position with the No. 12 and the No. 27 with under 25 laps remaining. Over the final sprint, LaJoie took the 21st spot, bringing home his 11th top-25 result of the year.
GFR PR
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