Winning Debut For LaJoie
Holds off Brown to grab Atlanta 150 victory
Hampton, GA — Corey LaJoie drove like a veteran in his first career NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour start. Using lapped traffic to get by Tim Brown, the 18-year-old third-generation driver then held off a furious challenge from Brown over the closing laps to capture the Atlanta 150 Friday. LaJoie edged Brown at the line by .061 seconds.
The race was the first for the Tour held on the track’s flat, quarter-mile front stretch oval. The setup is similar to Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., where Brown is an eight-time champion in the track’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Modified division.
But under the lights at Atlanta, it was LaJoie who came out on top.
He battled back from an early mistake that put him in the back of the field. While battling for the fifth-place position on the backstretch of the tight oval, LaJoie wound up driving into the infield. He was able to keep his momentum, cutting through the grass, and re-enter the track in Turn 4. But the miscue put him near the back of the running order. He slowly picked his way back through, moving past Fleming for the No. 2 spot with 30 to go.
LaJoie used lapped traffic to take the lead from Brown on Lap 131. Brown took the top spot back with eight to go with a move inside going into Turn 2, but LaJoie again took advantage of lapped traffic a lap later to reclaim the lead. Over the final five laps, Brown was all over LaJoie’s bumper but was unable to rattle the rookie.
LaJoie’s father, Randy, was a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and he got his start running Modifieds in the Northeast. It was a popular win for LaJoie, who was congratulated by Kevin Harvick, Todd Bodine, and Joey Logano among others in Victory Lane.
Frank Fleming finished third, followed by David Brigati and Brandon Hire. James Civali, Jason Myers, Zach Brewer, John Smith and Buddy Emory rounded out the top 10.
The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will next race Sunday, March 14 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C.
Sources: Jason Christley/NASCAR WSMT PR
RESULTS | VIDEO OF COREY LAJOIE CELEBRATING IN VICTORY LANE | LAP-BY-LAP RECAP | AUDIO OF POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH TIM BROWN AND FRANK FLEMING | AUDIO OF POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH COREY LAJOIE AND RANDY LAJOIE | NASCAR HOME TRACKS BLOG POST | IN-CAR VIDEO WITH BURT MYERS DURING PRACTICE