Spending this week with Hendrick Motorsports has proved eye-opening for Corey LaJoie.
He’s going to pilot Chase Elliott’s No. 9 automobile these days at Global Huge Generation Raceway after NASCAR suspended Elliott one race for wrecking Denny Hamlin all through ultimate week’s Coca-Cola 600. This provides LaJoie the risk to force in the most productive apparatus of his profession.
Running with Elliott’s staff additionally has given LaJoie an inside of glance as to what makes Hendrick Motorsports such a success.
“I believed that I knew what we didn’t have at Spire Motorsports, however I had no thought,” mentioned LaJoie, who begins thirtieth after tagging the wall all through his qualifying lap. “There’s gear that the ones guys have, highbrow houses explicit to Hendrick Motorsports, that even one of the most different groups don’t have.
“However the greatest factor that I spotted was once simply the folk and the perspective of the pursuit of perfection. All of the key spouse groups throughout the entire (producers) all have the similar information, however (Hendrick Motorsports has) an out of this world means of delegating, taking, compacting and making it simply digestible – whether or not it’s for a motive force, an engineer, a group leader.
“I feel the reality that they have got 4 extremely robust groups in my opinion raises the tide for the ones guys as a result of while you’re sitting within the simulator and William Byron ran a 33.20 (seconds for a lap) … when you’re operating a 33.35 with the similar setup, you could have a tenth-and-a-half underneath your butt and you have got to head to find it. After which once I pass run a 33.20, William subsequent time goes to need to run a 33.19.
“There’s at all times a constantly raised watermark at the motive force’s finish. There’s at all times a constantly raised watermark at the group chiefs in seeking to construct the most productive setups, and the engineers looking for the most productive methods.
“The internal-team festival is likely one of the greatest issues, and I feel there are a number of groups that experience that … the wholesome ones are indubitably obtrusive. However it’s simply the entire construction. Now we have a Hawkeye (camera-based inspection stations utilized by NASCAR on the observe) … the entire issues that do the similar stuff that Hendrick Motorsports has, however the intensity of folks, collective center of attention of the objective and the undertaking is noticeable and obtrusive. It’s a distinct global.”
It could be simple for LaJoie to be crushed on this state of affairs. His profession has been marked with underfunded rides and seeking to take advantage of his apparatus. He’s having his best possible season in Cup this yr. LaJoie ranks nineteenth in issues heading into these days’s race.
LaJoie recognizes the chance he has, however he may also’t let it modify his center of attention.
“It’s been a wild week,” he mentioned. “I will get all sentimental … (about) my dad subbing in for Ricky Craven in 1998 (for Hendrick Motorsports) and all that kind of stuff. However on the finish of the day, once I take a seat in that factor, I don’t know that NAPA is on it, or the No. 9 is on it.
“I’m going to force it like I’ve been using the No. 7 Chevy and hanging that factor nineteenth in issues. It’s been a really perfect a laugh, a success yr up to now, and we’ve got a large number of paintings left to do and issues to perform over there.”
When he returns to his Spire Motorsports journey after these days’s race, LaJoie admits this weekend’s enjoy with Elliott’s staff will lend a hand him along with his personal staff.
“How I get ready, how I’m going to have interaction with my staff at Spire Motorsports going ahead goes to switch,” LaJoie mentioned. “I feel I’m going with the intention to are available there and simply follow and percentage one of the most issues I’ve discovered over the process the week with (group leader Ryan) Sparks and the No. 77 staff, as neatly, and I feel we’re all going to be more potent for it.”
