Another important Silly Season announcement has taken place. Spire Motorsports has revealed the drivers that will control its Cup Series entries in 2023.
Spire Motorsports held a press conference at its shop on October 18 and confirmed that Corey LaJoie will return to the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro during the 2023 season. He will once again partner with crew chief Ryan Sparks after they both signed contract extensions. A part of this deal is that Sparks will also take over as director of competition for the team.
We would like to welcome @tydillon to team #SpireMotorsports for the 2023 season as the full-time driver of the #77!
Welcome to the team Ty; we are very happy to have you here alongside @CoreyLaJoie in the #7 and look forward to all that we will accomplish together next season.
Additionally, Spire Motorsports also revealed that Ty Dillon will move over to the team and take over the No. 77. He will serve as the full-time driver after several competitors shared the entry throughout the 2022 season. Dillon will have Kevin Bellicourt as his crew chief.
Dillon will close out the 2022 Cup Series season as a driver for Petty GMS Motorsports. His time in the No. 42 Chevrolet will come to an end after the season finale at Phoenix, which will set him up to join Spire Motorsports.
Dillon Will Reach a Career Milestone Before Joining Spire Motorsports
GettyCorey LaJoie (front) will have a new teammate in 2023.
Joining Spire Motorsports marks another chapter in Dillon’s NASCAR career, and it gives him an opportunity to pursue more top-10 finishes. Prior to making this move, though, Dillon will mark another important milestone.
The race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be Dillon’s 200th career start in the Cup Series. He has moved his way toward this mark while driving for Richard Childress Racing, Leavine Family Racing, Germain Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Gaunt Brothers Racing, and Petty GMS Motorsports.
Dillon’s time in the Cup Series has featured seven top-10 finishes and two top-fives. This includes a fourth-place finish at Daytona International Speedway in 2019 and a third-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 2020. Now he will join another team that circles superspeedway races as an opportunity to make some noise.
This Move Benefits LaJoie in Another Way
GettyCorey LaJoie (front) will gain important information during his time working with Ty Dillon.
There were multiple reasons why Spire Motorsports made the decision to add one full-time driver for the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro instead of relying on a multitude of drivers. Consistency is at the top of the list.
This also holds true for LaJoie. He has been the main driver for Spire Motorsports over the past two seasons while working with a variety of teammates. This list includes Justin Haley, Landon Cassill, and Josh Bilicki among some guest drivers.
While LaJoie has enjoyed working with these drivers, especially Cassill, he pointed out something important during the press conference. He noted that having one full-time teammate will provide constant and consistent data and information. This information should only benefit both drivers as they explain how their respective cars are handling.
LaJoie will have the consistency of one teammate providing feedback. Dillon will have a different benefit from working with the driver of the No. 7. He will have the support of a teammate that believes he can achieve success in the Cup Series. Dillon mentioned Trackhouse Racing drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez and how they support each other.
As a sign of this support, LaJoie took time during the press conference to list his goal for the season. He said that his top line item is to win a race. He gets tired of seeing the banners that pop up on TV reading “most starts without a win.” He said that he wants to erase his name and Dillon’s name from this list.
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Spire Motorsports Sets NASCAR Cup Series Lineup