11/11/2016
Five Flags Speedway
LaJoie Not Traveling to Snowball Derby to Finish Second
For the third year in a row, the man known as “Supershoe� is heading down to Pensacola, Florida for the Snowball Derby. And this year, Corey LaJoie feels is his best shot yet at winning the Snowball Derby.
“I’m starting to figure out what this Fury Chassis is starting to like, and I’m also gaining more of an understanding of the way a Super Late Model race tends to run,� LaJoie told Speed51.com powered by JEGS. “I feel like I’m more ready than ever going down to the Derby. I’m really excited and I feel like I’ve made some good changes to this thing too.�
LaJoie said his first two attempts at the Snowball Derby were met with bad luck and inexperience. He finished 13th and 14th in each attempt, but LaJoie said he was just beginning to learn how Super Late Models act and react.
“They’re not quite like the K&N cars I’m used to working on or Late Model Stocks or XFINITY cars that I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on,� he said. “Every time I took my car out (last year), I felt like I was just working the bugs out.�
The 25-year-old North Carolina driver, has always been one to work on the equipment that he races. For the second year in a row, LaJoie is going down with his own race car. For the third straight year, LaJoie is doing as much research as possible to be prepared as he possibly can.
LaJoie, who has only raced a handful of times in 2016, said it isn’t a lack of seat time that hurts him when he comes to a Super Late Model race. He said it’s just a matter of continuing to learn these race cars.
“I just have to do a little more homework, which isn’t a problem, and study as much as I can to understand what these offset cars are like,� he explained. “Seat time would be great, but at the end of the day I’m going to drive my car as fast as it can go and I have to do a good job to get the car to do what it needs to do for 300 laps there.�
While LaJoie is focused on being a contender for the Tom Dawson Trophy, he’s also focused on winning a different challenge. In 2015 LaJoie battled Speed51.com’s Bob Dillner in a game of Cornhole at the Speed51 Snowball Derby Kickoff Party at Downtown Pensacola’s Beef O’ Brady’s. LaJoie lost that battle one year ago.
“It was a fluke last year,� LaJoie said. “He had the slipperiness of the Cornhole bags figured out and only gave me about three tosses to get used to it. I didn’t have enough bag time last year. So I’m going to get a few extra tosses in to give him a run for his money. It’s like anything else. It’ll take a couple laps to figure out a Cup car, it’ll take a couple laps to figure out a Super and it’ll take a couple tosses to figure out the Cornhole boards.�
LaJoie will be one of the many drivers heading to Beef O’ Brady’s for this year’s Kickoff Party on November 29th live on Speed51 TV. LaJoie said he’s going to beat Dillner in the rematch.
“That’s the plan, man. He’s a pretty solid Cornhole tosser, I’ll give him that. But I’m not going down there to finish second.�
One would think LaJoie isn’t just talking about Cornhole.
The 49th Annual Snowball Derby weekend kicks off on Wednesday, November 30 with the Cat Country/WEAR TV3 Green Flag Pit Party and Qualifying Order Draw Down.
Thursday, December 1 will see the Super Late Models take to the track for the first official Snowball Derby practice. The night will be highlighted by a 30-lap race for the Butler U-Pull-It Bombers and a 50-lap event for the Dock on the Beach Sportsmen division.
The top Snowball Derby starting spots will be set on Friday, December 2 during NASH FM 102.7 Pole Night. The Faith Chapel Super Stocks and the Modifieds will each run 50-lap features.
The Pro Late Models take center stage on Saturday, December 3 for the Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100. The 50-lap Last Chance Qualifier for the Snowball Derby and a 50-lap feature for the Beef O’Brady’s Pro Truck division will also run on Saturday night.
Then on Sunday, December 4 the green flag will fly over the the 49th Annual Snowball Derby. The 300-lap race will begin at 2 p.m. CT.
For more information on the 49th Annual Snowball Derby weekend at Five Flags Speedway, visit www.snowballderby.com. All media credential requests and inquiries for the Snowball Derby can be sent to Pat Bryant at Pat@SnowballDerby.com.
51’s “Official News Site� status allows advertisers of 51’s Snowball Derby coverage to be seen by more race fans than any other short track event. Affordable advertising rates are available now by emailingmarketing@speed51.com.
-By Rob Blount, Speed51.com Southeast Editor – Twitter: @RobBlount
-Photo Credit: Speed51.com
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