“51 failed twice”: Rick Ware Racing’s recently swapped driver suffers from unfortunate pre-race fate

Corey Lajoie, the newest addition to Rick Ware Racing's Cup Series roster, failed pre-race inspection twice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Following the weekend at Bristol, Spire Motorsports swapped Lajoie with Justin Haley, the 2016 ARCA Menards East champion.

Lajoie started the 2024 season driving the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports. However, the Chevy team slated for Haley to take over LaJoie's ride for the last seven races of the season, starting from the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on September 29. Meanwhile, Lajoie would drive Haley's No. 51 RWR Mustang.

Las Vegas brought bad news for LaJoie. According to a recent tweet by Jayski, failing the pre-race inspection twice by the No. 51 RWR team will result in them losing pit selection and one of their crew members.

'Pre-race inspection in the NASCAR Cup Series garage is complete," the post read. "The No. 51 failed twice (loss of pit selection and crew member ejection)."

In his previous 13 starts at the 1.5-mile raceway, Lajoie finished inside the top 20 on five occasions. His best finish there, i.e. a P15, came on March 6, 2022.

Haley, on the other hand, has made seven stars at LVMS so far. His best finish is a P8 finish that came in March 2023. the Indiana native used to drive the No. 31 for Kaulig Racing back then.

Fans can watch the duo race on NBC Sports. PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will drop radio updates on the 267-lap event from 2:30 PM ET onwards. Kyle Larson, who won last week at Charlotte, is the defending winner at LVMS.

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Rick Ware Racing's latest recruit chooses handling over speed ahead of Las Vegas outing

Corey Lajoie, who debuted with the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing machine at Kansas on September 29, revealed what he needs to run well at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 33-year-old speedster feels that balance matters the most at the tri-oval intermediate speedway.

"You definitely need speed," Lajoie said (via Speedway Digest). "It's a fast track and you don't want to be too far behind on that front. But, you need a car that handles really well."

"The track is rough, it gets dirty and there are a few different lines you can run so it can get busy. I'd say handling. Speed is always important, but Las Vegas is a track where you need your car to be in good place," he explained.

Lajoie finished 32nd in the spring race at Las Vegas. On that note, does revisiting the same track later in the season help in any way? To which Lajoie replied:

"I think it depends. We pretty much know what to expect when we go to an intermediate track. The racing is the same and everyone has had all year to work on their package for this race, so now we get to see who has learned the most. If someone has figured out how to gain track position a restart and not fall off too much over the long run, that's probably who we'll see up front at the end."

Lajoie will start 35th in Row 18, alongside teammate Cody Ware. He recorded his qualifying lap of 29.811 seconds at 181.141 miles per hour. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell won his third pole of the season.