Corey LaJoie has joined forces with Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing for this year’s Daytona Speedweeks festivities.
LaJoie, a 34-year-old native from Concord, North Carolina, will be piloting RFK Racing’s fourth entry, the No. 99 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry, that will be sponsored by Trimble and enter the 2026 Daytona Speedweeks festivities at Daytona International Speedway as an open entry. With an open entry, LaJoie will attempt to earn a starting spot for this year’s 68th running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500.
To qualify for this year’s Daytona 500, LaJoie would have to be the highest-finishing open competitor at the conclusion of the Daytona 500 Qualifying session on February 11 or through one of two America 250 Florida Duel events on February 12.
The announcement comes as LaJoie, who last competed as a full-time competitor during the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, is coming off part-time campaigns between the Cup and Craftsman Truck Series divisions. Between the campaigns, LaJoie made nine Truck starts with Spire Motorsports and four Cup starts with Rick Ware Racing. The latter series included LaJoie competing in the 67th running of the Daytona 500, where he finished 22nd after he was collected in a final-lap multi-car wreck while battling for the victory.
Should LaJoie qualify for this year’s Daytona 500 event, it would mark his 10th consecutive appearance in the Great American Race. It would also mark the first time that RFK Racing would field four entries in an event since the team’s rebrandment in 2022.
LaJoie’s best result during his previous nine starts in the Daytona 500 is fourth, which occurred in 2024. LaJoie would also become the 10th competitor overall to notch a first Cup Series career victory in the Great American Race, should he achieve the feat in 2026.
“This is a dream come true to get an opportunity with RFK Racing at the Daytona 500,” Lajoie said in a released statement. “This is without a doubt, the best car and opportunity I’ve had at Daytona. I’m grateful for the trust they’ve placed in me.”
The decision to field the No. 99 entry for LaJoie for this year’s Daytona Speedweeks marks a reunion for RFK Racing and the No. 99, a number that had been fielded by the organization that had previously competed as Roush Racing and Roush Fenway Racing from 1996 to 2014. During the 19-year stretch, the No. 99 achieved 39 victories (17 with Jeff Burton and 23 with Carl Edwards). The No. 99 had been sported by Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez over the previous five Cup seasons, to which Suarez won twice (once in 2022 and once in 2024).
Prior to this year’s Daytona Speedweeks, LaJoie is scheduled to compete in this year’s Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium (Febraury 1) as an interim competitor for his teammate and co-owner of RFK Racing, Brad Keselowski. Keselowski, the 2012 Cup Series champion from Rochester Hills, Michigan, is recovering from a broken leg he sustained during a skiing accident in mid-December. He is expected to recover in time to compete in this year’s Daytona 500 and make his 17th bid of winning the event for the first time ever.
“From a competition standpoint, having a fourth car gives us and Ford Racing a better chance to win the Daytona 500,” Keselowski said. “It’s not just about adding another entry. Superspeedway racing is about cooperation and having an additional car allows us to be more effective in forming drafting alliances, controlling lanes, and putting ourselves in position when it matters most.”
The 2026 Daytona 500 Qualifying session is scheduled to occur on February 11. The America 250 Florida Duel events is scheduled to occur the following date, February 12, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.
The 68th running of the Daytona 500 is scheduled to occur on February 15 and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.
