Spire Motorsports parted ways with Corey LaJoie during the Olympics break. With no wins, and just one top-five and top-ten finish in the season so far, it’s not hard to see why. The 32-year-old was asked to vacate his No. 7 seat, but that hasn’t stopped Jeff Dickerson’s team from featuring their long-time driver in promotional material. The North Carolina native was pictured in an ad uploaded by Spire Motorsports, where the team was inviting potential sponsors.

The ad also featured Corey LaJoie’s signature, prompting NASCAR fans to discuss Spire Motorsports’ move on Reddit. The irony wasn’t lost on supporters that the advertisement specifically mentioned that the team was looking for partners for 2025, despite their partnership with LaJoie ending at the end of the 2024 season.

What could be Corey LaJoie’s next career move?

The 2024 Cup Series season has seen plenty of changes, largely because of Stewart-Haas Racing ceasing operations at the end of the 2024 season. Not only did three out of four drivers from the soon-to-be-defunct racing team find new seats, but four new charters brought about a range of possibilities for up-and-coming drivers. Corey LaJoie, who helped get Spire Motorsports on the map during the team’s transition years has had a difficult season so far. Currently ranked 28th in the driver standings, his playoff hopes remain a distant dream.

While a seat in NASCAR’s highest tier looks unlikely, Corey LaJoie has been linked with a move to Rick Ware Racing or Kaulig Racing for 2025. The driver could be considered a prospect for Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 car, which is currently being shared by five drivers. However, standing in LaJoie’s way is Shane van Gisbergen, as Trackhouse Racing already has an alliance with Kaulig. The Kiwi has been heavily linked with a move to a full-time Cup Series seat for 2025, and signing him guarantees a road course victory at the very least. Given LaJoie’s track record of four top fives and six top 10s over 129 Cup starts for Spire Motorsports, the numbers don’t pose a pretty picture for him.

Another possibility is for Justin Haley to join Spire Motorsports, while Corey LaJoie goes to Rick Ware Racing. The No. 51 Ford driver has only managed two top-ten finishes all season and is one spot behind LaJoie in the driver rankings. While Haley doesn’t seem like an automatic upgrade for LaJoie, Jordan Bianchi hasn’t ruled out the possibility. The NASCAR journalist has said, “The names that we’re looking at for the 7 car, one name to really keep an eye on is Justin Haley. There’s a lot of things intertwined behind the scenes that are kind of this unfolding, but I would say Justin Haley’s the leading contender over there.”

Corey LaJoie has been the longest-serving driver in the history of Spire Motorsports, so, unsurprisingly, his stature has evolved over the years to become the face of the brand. However, it seems in bad taste that the team has used him for sponsorships for the 2025 season, particularly after parting ways with the driver. Whether it was an honest mistake or an intentional strategy, the ad brought about reactions from the NASCAR world, with many fans taking to Reddit to voice out their opinion.

Fans react to Spire Motorsports’ sponsorship ad ft. LaJoie

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It didn’t take long for fans to make their voices heard about Spire Motorsports featuring Corey LaJoie on promotional material for the 2025 season. The social media advertisement brought about a range of reactions from fans, most of whom considered it to be distasteful. Taking into consideration LaJoie’s lackluster season so far, one fan joked on Reddit by saying, “You’re looking at it the wrong way, they’re actually promoting the fact that lajoie won’t be there.”

The ad featured a Spire Motorsports driver wearing a helmet while standing on a racetrack. The image also featured a copy that read, “Sponsorships opportunities available.” Considering the promotional material and the driver that was featured to be generic, a fan wrote, “To be fair, it’s a pretty generic advertisement. Looks like a pretty generic driver tbh.” In response, another Reddit user commented “Is that a pretty generic signature at the bottom too?,“ pointing at Corey LaJoie’s signature that was featured at the bottom of the image.

According to one fan, Corey LaJoie being featured in Spire Motorsports’ promotional material is nothing new. Expressing his shock at the team’s social media strategy while indicating that it might have been done intentionally, the fan said, “They have another Facebook ad currently running with a pic of LaJoie. Several commenters were like, ‘y’all might wanna get a driver who’s actually still on the team.’ Me, I was pretty flabbergasted to see Spire running ads like this. I’m pretty sure that is the first time I have ever seen ads like that from any NASCAR team.”

Echoing that sentiment, another fan wrote that Jeff Dickerson’s team was also running sponsorship ads for promoters under their umbrella. The fan said, “Spire also has been running ads of this nature looking for sponsors for the Milwaukee truck race. Spire owns Track Enterprises, which is the promoter for the race.”

What are your thoughts about Spire Motorsports using Corey LaJoie in their sponsorship ads? Let us know in the comments!