Randall Joseph LaJoie (born August 28, 1961) is an American former NASCAR Busch Series race car driver (now the Xfinity Series), where he won the championship in 1996 and 1997. He is the father of racers Casey LaJoie and Corey LaJoie.
In 1983 he moved to the NASCAR North Tour, and he was the series' Rookie Of The Year. That season, he made his first attempt at making the Daytona 500, but did not qualify. One year later, he suffered a horrific crash in the Gatorade Twin 125's race and failed to qualify once again, he won the consolation race the following year. In 1985, he scored five victories in the North Tour on his way to the series championship; LaJoie was not awarded the championship until 1988, as a lawsuit regarding a disqualification at Catamount Speedway was not resolved until then.
He did not return to Cicci in 1990, and ran a handful of Busch Races in his own No. 71, his best finish was 23rd at Richmond. He did not run another NASCAR-sanctioned race until 1993, when he got selected to run the No. 20 Fina car owned by Dick Moroso at Talladega. This would turn out to be a shrewd career move for LaJoie as he ran up front with the leaders all afternoon and finished a surprising second. This got LaJoie five more races for Moroso and one for BACE Motorsports in the Busch Series. His best finish was second, twice. In 1994, he was a thought by some to be a dark horse for the championship. He drove for Moroso full-time in the No. 20 Fina Lube-sponsored Chevy that season posting seven top-tens. LaJoie led the point standings early in the season before a string of poor results, also a lack of performance dropped him to 16th in the final point standings. He also ran three Cup races, finishing in the top-twenty in all three of them that season.
He signed to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for James Finch in 1999, despite the fact that the team lacked major sponsorship. After a season-opening victory at the NAPA Auto Parts 300, Bob Evans Restaurants came on board as the team's sponsor. Despite the added funding, LaJoie dropped to tenth in points. He moved up to seventh in the standings the next season with one win, but chose to depart the team at the end of the season for NEMCO Motorsports. Driving the No. 7 with a sponsorship from Kleenex, LaJoie won two more races but again fell to twelfth in points. He had fourteen top-ten finishes in 2002 and moved up one spot in the points.
Mach 1 switched to the No. 34 Chevy in 2005, and he began the season with them before he was released. He reunited with Cicci in the Busch Series with Dollar General sponsorship and posted three top-ten finishes, finishing 19th in points. Dollar General left the team at season's end, leaving LaJoie without a full-time ride. He had signed to drive for Mach 1, which was under new management again in 2005, but was replaced early in the season by teammate Chad Chaffin. He drove one race apiece in the Busch Series for Davis Motorsports, Jay Robinson Racing, and Vision Racing. He also was a test driver for Richard Childress Racing, filling in for Kevin Harvick in the No. 21 United States Coast Guard Chevy during practice and qualifying sessions.
LaJoie has not run a NASCAR-sanctioned race since 2006, focusing on team ownership for his son Corey LaJoie, who finished second in the 2012 K&N Pro Series East championship to Kyle Larson despite five wins in the series.
In 2016, LaJoie was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame.
On June 22, 2010, LaJoie was suspended indefinitely from NASCAR for violating their substance abuse policy while working as a spotter on the No. 18 Nationwide Series car. He had smoked marijuana with some race fans following the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte and took responsibility for his actions. On August 25, 2010, LaJoie was reinstated by NASCAR after a two-month suspension. "NASCAR.com" , June 22, 2010
1984 | Bob Johnson Racing | Chevrolet | DNQ | |
1985 | DNQ | |||
1986 | DNQ | |||
1989 | Wawak Racing | Pontiac | DNQ | |
1995 | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 24 | 29 |
2005 | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | DNQ | |
2006 | Front Row Motorsports | Chevrolet | DNQ |
† - Qualified for Michael Waltrip · ‡ - Qualified for Kevin Harvick |
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