Story by: Corey Latham ~ corey@RACE22.com

Concord, NC(December 18, 2009) -- There are a lot of drivers in the Late Model Stock Car ranks as of late with rich family racing history. It seems to be in their blood, Bob, Robert and Coleman Pressley, Dickie and Richard Boswell, Larry Mac and his son Brandon.

The Lajoie family is also one with a deep racing heritage, as Don, Randy and now son Corey have all had stellar runs behind the wheel of numerous race cars. Corey has been coming up through the ranks as of late, winning the first ever Late Model Stock Car race at Rockingham Speedway a year ago, and closing out the season with an impressive third place finish at Dover in the Camping World East Series. Now Corey will have a new test for 2010, as he tries to follow in the glory of his dad and grandfather, and go back to the family's racing roots, piloting a NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified. He hopes to mimic the success of his grandfather in his famous #711, behind the wheel of another famous car, the Hill Racing #79.
 

As it goes for every racer, Corey was not immune, and money seems to hold one back more than anything. The Hill's have been friends with the Lajoie family for years, as they have used the Lajoie seats in their cars for as long as one can remember. It all came together in the last few months, and Corey is set to get behind the wheel of the famous #79 in the Southern tour at the start of the year.

"I had hoped to be at ARCA testing this week, but some good things are going on," said the younger Lajoie. "We have known David and Roger(Hill) for years, and I spotted for James Civali at the North South Shootout this year, they wanted me to test the car and see what I could do in the off season. We went to Caraway today(12/17/09) and it went really well, within 20 laps I was only a few hundredths off the pole time from the last mod race there. They said I did pretty well," Lajoie said with his usual upbeat attitude.

The modified car is something totally different than what Corey has been accustomed to, and he welcomes the new challenge. "It is basically the same motor we ran in the East car, but with a lot less weight and a ton of grip, they are a blast to drive."

Anybody who has ever talked to a Lajoie knows that they are some characters, and in typical fashion Corey summed it up from a quote from Days Of Thunder. "When you were racing open wheels the tires were twice as wide and the car weighed half as much. Now the car weighs twice as much and the tires are half as wide" Said a laughing Lajoie. "I just have to reverse that statement now. They are low slung and you are sitting on the left front tire it seems, I never have been able to see the tires in a car I was racing."

The plans for the season are not completely set in stone, but Corey hopes, and is confident enough that it will go as they had planned for the long-term. "Roger and David want to be the first team to run the Northern and Southern tours. Civali in the North and me in the South. Right now we are going to do 3 races to start the year and have an evaluation of sorts then, but I'm confident I can get the job done and we'll roll on with it. Right now I'm trying to secure some sponsorship money to go to Speedweeks in February."

Racing the mod Isn't the only thing on Corey's agenda for 2010, as he will still run some fendered races and running the mod will help that out on some weekends. "We still have our Camping World East car and I would like to run it with the companion races with the mod like Martinsville, South Boston, and hopefully New Hampshire. I still have a Late Model Stock Car too and I'm working on a few things to get me back to some of the big races for those, I'd like to defend my Rockingham win. If I had a few million I would be racing Nationwide, I don't care what it is I'll race it. But I'm like every other driver, I need cash to make it happen, but at the same time, I think I have enough skill to get plenty of attention."

Corey also said that the last driver to make it to the big time from the mods was Steve Park, and that was many years ago. He agrees that the mods don't get the respect they deserve, and would like to see himself use the mods as a stepping stone to get to the next level. And I couldn't agree more, the mods DO deserve much more respect, from NASCAR, the fans, the talent scouts, everyone in the mix.

Corey has been known to be a little wild at times, but has shown great improvement on his "patience" in the past year. But, the mods are a different beast and knowing Corey and his confident attitude, I think he will fit in just fine. Beating, banging and going fast in the most powerful cars under NASCAR sanction, yep, that's right up his alley. I'll call it now, there IS a new force to be reckoned with in the Southern Modifieds.