Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie has confirmed that he intends to return to the broadcast booth for the 2026 season.
LaJoie lost his Cup Series spot after the 2024 season, stepping into the car four times for a part-time schedule with Rick Ware Racing early in the year, but excelled as an on-air analyst for Amazon Prime in the streaming giant's first season covering the sport.
The 34-year-old has now admitted to the Athletic that the move to TV helped him turn things around personally, at a time when he was struggling to accept being rejected by the sport he's put so many years into.
“I got such great feedback from not only the fans, like people in the industry that I have a lot of respect for, like Rick Hendrick," he said.
LaJoie reveals how Prime Video helped through Cup axe
"I then realized how much equity I had in the garage and that I care way more about that equity than whatever equity is leading the fan base on X, because if you looked at X, (the fan base) turned on me for whatever reason.
“Being on Prime helped me weather the storm. When Prime is sitting there, and they have a list as long as they want, and they called me. Then they give you the right tools to be successful at your job, and we went and had a blast. … That helped turn the ship back the right way.”
LaJoie also admitted that he'd like to go back to the Cup Series and compete full-time – but only with a competitive team, and with no intentions of running a full program in the Truck or O'Reilly's Series.
“I’ve been still chasing the dream of trying to get back to Sunday full time," he said, "and if that window is closed, I’ll just shift gears and go on to the next thing. I am happiest when I have clear direction and goals to accomplish, and I feel like I’m working towards them.”
