Veteran NASCAR Topkick Brian Pattie to Lead All-Star Effort
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 8, 2024) – Corey LaJoie will drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Bluegreen Vacations Chevrolet Silverado in the season-opening Fresh from Florida 250 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) race at Daytona International Speedway.
The effort will be led by veteran crew chief Brian Pattie. Spire Motorsports will field the No. 7 Silverado full time in 2024 with LaJoie headlining an all-star lineup to jump-start the 2024 season. Further details regarding the team’s plans and driver lineup are forthcoming.
The 2024 season marks LaJoie’s fifth year collaborating with Bluegreen Vacations and the vacation company’s first venture into NCTS competition. Bluegreen Vacations made its NASCAR Cup Series debut in April 2023 when LaJoie drove his No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to a 21st-place finish at Richmond Raceway.
“We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Corey LaJoie in 2024, particularly as he opens the 2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season in Daytona,” said Dusty Tonkin, executive vice president & chief sales and marketing officer at Bluegreen Vacations. “He’s been a favorite among our owners who have enjoyed getting to know him at the exclusive Bluegreen Bash events hosted at our resorts. We look forward to introducing Corey to even more Bluegreen owners as he helps us in our mission to share happiness.”
“We’ve been working with Bluegreen Vacations now for four years so it’s exciting to continue to grow that partnership,” said LaJoie. “Bluegreen sponsors the Duals on Thursday night, so it’s important we do a good job for them because they have such a big presence during Speedweek at Daytona. Having them on our truck and giving them a chance to root for me—hopefully we can get that Bluegreen Chevrolet Silverado in Victory Lane on Friday night.”
LaJoie opened last season at the controls of the No. 7 Chevy Silverado at the “World Center of Racing” where he started fifth and led a race-high 19 laps. The Concord, North Carolina, native was the class of the field before he was shuffled out of the top spot during the late-race goings. He ultimately finished 23rd when rain forced NASCAR officials to call the race, 21 laps short of the scheduled distance.
“We led the most laps and it rained,” Lajoie added. “I knew the rain was coming – I was trying to play defense – and I just missed covering Zane Smith. That was the difference. I got shuffled out of the lead and it started raining two-three laps later and they called the race. I thought we had a good enough truck to take the win, so I was irritated about that. I’m still irritated about that, so I’m glad I get a chance to do it again this year.”
The Fresh from Florida 250 from Daytona International Speedway will be televised live on FS1 Friday, Feb. 16, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The first of 23 NCTS races on the 2024 schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
About Bluegreen Vacations Holding Corporation …
Bluegreen Vacations Holding Corporation, a subsidiary of Hilton Grand Vacations, markets and sells vacation ownership interests and manages resorts in popular leisure and urban destinations. The Bluegreen Vacation Club is a flexible, points-based, deeded vacation ownership plan with 70 Club and Club Associate Resorts and access to nearly 11,300 other hotels and resorts through partnerships and exchange networks. The Company also offers a portfolio of comprehensive, fee-based resort management, financial, and sales and marketing services to, or on behalf of, third parties.
About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team will also field the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 20, 2023, when Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in the Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
