Fresh off exciting news of their switch to Ford Performance in 2018, JGL Racing entered the season finale with Corey LaJoie piloting their No. 24 Toyota once again. Despite some troubles on pit road, LaJoie steered his No. 24 youtheory Toyota to a solid 15th place finish in the running of the Ford Ecoboost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“We had a solid day in our No. 24 youtheory ride,” said LaJoie. “We had very good speed and got inside the top-10 there at the midway point of the race. But we had a droop chain break in the right rear which made it difficult during our pit stops and that cost us some valuable track position. We also were fighting being a little loose but that is characteristic of the Homestead track and something everyone was probably dealing with.”
Corey would start the season ending 300-mile event from the 17th position as a result of his qualifying effort on Saturday morning. LaJoie would move up quickly in the opening laps and sit in the 15th spot when the first caution flew on lap 18. Corey would report to his crew that despite the charge forward he was battling a loose condition. He would briefly move up to the 13th position before sliding back a few spots and ending the 45-lap first stage in 16th place.
A trip down pit road before the start of the second stage proved harmful as a broken droop chain made for a longer stop that normal with Corey returning the track in the 20th position. Once again, the No. 24 youtheory Toyota would charge forward in the field once back to green flag action and a caution free second stage would find LaJoie cracking the top-10 when the stage ended on lap 90.
With a trip down pit road once again costing LaJoie some track position, the North Carolina native would once again charge forward early in a run. With the second half of the race featuring Championship excitement, while also being caution free, Corey would deal with the loose condition of the track and his No. 24 youtheory Toyota. When the sun set and the checkered flag flew, Corey would earn a solid top-15 finish to end the 2017 season.
“I want to once again thank youtheory for the great support this season and everyone at JGL Racing for all of their effort and hardwork,” added Corey. “Also, congratulations to Cole Custer on the race win and William Byron for winning the Championship.”
With the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series season now in the rear-view mirror, JGL Racing now turns their attention to switching manufacturers for next season as they join the Ford Performance family. They also welcome Kaz Grala to full time competition next season as he will pilot the No. 24 Ford Mustang. Stay tuned for further sponsor and additional driver announcements.
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