Samaritan’s Feet – ROVAL – Race Advance
Event: Bank of America ROVAL 400 (Race 28 of 36)
Venue: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Charlotte, NC)
Format: Three Stages – Stages End: Lap 25, 50, 109 = 248.52 Miles
Date/Broadcast: Sunday, September 29 at 2:30 PM ET on NBC
When Corey LaJoie graciously decided to put the Samaritan’s Feet organization on board his No. 32 Ford at Watkins Glen International last month, he had a goal of raising $20,000.
By the time the weekend was over, that goal had been far exceeded. More than $115,000 was raised by way of more than 1,700 donors who contributed to LaJoie’s effort to support the mission of Samaritan’s Feet – to provide shoes to children and individuals in need to inspire hope and encouragement.
The organization, founded in 2003, will return to the body of the Go Fas Racing (GFR) No. 32 Mustang for this weekend’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Rather than competing merely on the traditional four-turn, 1.5-mile oval, drivers will navigate the 17-turn circuit that combines the oval and an infield road course, together known as the ROVAL. The layout debuted last fall and Crew Chief Randy Cox guided the No. 32 to a 13th-place finish in an edge-of-your-seat event.
Cox will look to guide LaJoie in Friday and Saturday’s practice sessions as LaJoie learns the ropes ahead of his first start on the new layout. Despite having no prior experience on the 2.28-mile course, the Charlotte, NC native hopes to equal the feat he achieved at the Coca-Cola 600 in May, finishing 12th.
LaJoie and the Samaritan’s Feet organization are giving fans the opportunity to not only have their name on the No. 32 but also be entered to win a pair of racing shoes via LaJoie’s ShoeStakes. To learn more on how you could win a pair of shoes signed by LaJoie, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano or Chase Elliott to name a few, visit SamaritansFeet.org/ShoeStakes.
The No.32 Ford will also be sponsored by Dynamic Towing Equipment and Management, HMS Motorsport, Corban Homes, My Freedom Smokes, Deacon Foodservice, Venture-Nation, LineBerger Orthodontics, Thrivent Financial, The Keith Corporation, Clean Juice, and Thermal Control Products this weekend.
As championship contenders vie for a spot in the Round of 12 for just the second time on the ROVAL, the action is forecasted to be exhilarating. Don’t miss it on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2:30 p.m. on NBC.
LaJoie on the upcoming weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL:
“This will be my first trip to the Roval and I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be an amazing week with Samaritan’s Feet and hopefully we can have some fun and raise more money to buy shoes for those in need. At Watkins Glen we raised over $115,000 and I hope that we can get closer this week to their goal of providing shoes for one million people in need in 2019.”
In the Rearview Mirror: Federated Auto Parts 400
Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 32 Keen Parts Ford, was credited with a 29th-place finish under-the-lights at Richmond Raceway. Starting 29th, the Charlotte, NC native wasted no time clawing through the field after the green flag flew for the 400-lap event. By lap 10, LaJoie had worked his way into the top-25 and by lap 60, he was nearing the top-20. Ultimately, he would end Stage One in the 26th position.
Under the stage-ending caution, LaJoie relayed to the team that the “balance is really good, just a two or three free everywhere, it’s really close” as he made his way to pit road for four Goodyear tires, Sunoco fuel and an adjustment to tighten the No. 32. He took the green flag for the second stage in the 27th position just before a caution for the No. 88 of Alex Bowman. LaJoie had battled his way back up to 22nd before radioing to the No. 32 team that the GFR Ford had gotten tight. As lap 200 cycled, the green-checked flag flew to conclude Stage One in which the Keen Parts Ford finished 27th.
Reporting that he needed help with center rotation, Crew Chief Randy Cox called the third generation driver to the attention of the pit crew for adjustments, tires and fuel. The next break would be a caution for the No. 77 of Reed Sorenson. Under the caution, LaJoie reported that he “lost rear drive that run” and that the No. 32 was “still tight rolling.” Cox instructed LaJoie to take the wave-around, putting the Keen Parts team back to two laps down.
LaJoie would revisit pit road on lap 286 for four tires and fuel and return to the track in 29th. With 40 laps to go in the Federated Auto Parts 400, he had reached the 27th position. LaJoie crossed the finish line in 30th as the checkered flag flew but would be credited with 29th after post-race inspection.
————————————————————–
About Our Team
About Samaritan’s Feet:
Samaritan’s Feet serves and inspires hope in children by providing shoes as the foundation to a spiritual and healthy life resulting in the advancement of education and economic opportunities. Since their founding in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet and its partners have distributed over 7 million pairs of shoes in 108 countries and 395 U.S. cities. For more information, visit samaritansfeet.org.
Get Corey LaJoie Updates:
To get live updates during the race weekends follow @coreylajoie on Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to give Corey a “like” on Facebook – “@CoreyLaJoieRacing”. For a detailed bio and updated in-season statistics, please visit www.coreylajoieracing.com .
About Go Fas Racing:
Go Fas Racing (GFR) currently fields Ford Mustangs in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for driver Corey LaJoie. Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, GFR has competed in the NASCAR’s premier series since 2014; fielding cars for some of NASCAR’s top drivers, including past champions. To find out more information about our team please visit www.GoFasRacing.com.
