● Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 51 Schluter Systems Ford Mustang Dark Horse, will make his eighth career Homestead-Miami Speedway start in Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400. His best finish at the 1.5-mile oval is a 20th-place effort earned in the October 2023 event.
● In honor of 50 years of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), the Steger Family of Indiana will be riding along on LaJoie’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse. The Steger family have been residents of the RHMC Northeast Indiana since April 2024. When Ambuhr Steger was 26 weeks pregnant she contracted COVID-19 that turned into pneumonia. She was intubated and in the ICU for two weeks, and her health complications lead to an early delivery. On April 16, her son Hendrix was born weighing one pound, 10 ounces, and measuring 11.5 inches long. Ambuhr’s husband Chris and their four other children moved into the RHMC Northeast Indiana. “It was a perfect spot to be with my family and be close to Ambuhr and Hendrix,” said Chris. “It was nice to know my kids were having fun, doing something new, meeting other kids in a similar situation,” said Ambuhr. “Thank you for the security, comfort, reassurance, and the support. You don’t have to do this, but you do, and it’s beautiful.”
● The North Carolina native also owns four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Homestead, three resulting in top-20 finishes. Best of those was a 16th-place finish in November 2014.
● In last Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, LaJoie drove to a 14th-place finish. It was his best result in 14 starts at the 1.5-mile desert oval and the best finish for RWR at Las Vegas. The result was also the second top-15 and third top-20 for LaJoie in four starts with RWR this season.
● Schluter Systems joins LaJoie for the third time this year and first as the primary partner on the No. 51 RWR Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Schluter Systems provides innovative, easy-to-use installation systems to support the durability, integrity and design of tile installations. With more than 8,000 products within its growing portfolio, Schluter Systems is continuously improving the landscape of the tile industry. Its educational workshops and intuitive approach to product design supports Schluter’s position as an industry leader in quality and service. Schluter Systems services North America with multiple training, distribution and manufacturing facilities in Plattsburgh, New York, Montreal, Reno, Nevada, and Fort Worth, Texas. For more information, visit www.schluter.com.
● Kaz Grala returns to the No. 15 Meat N’ Bone Ford Mustang Dark Horse for his first Cup Series start at Homestead. In nine starts on intermediate tracks, the Boston native has an average finish of 27.7 and a best result of 18th earned May 12 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
● Grala’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse will carry the Jackson family of RMHC of the Piedmont Triad. The Jackson family had the opportunity to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Winston Salem, N.C., after their baby girl, Raelyn, was admitted to the NICU weighing five pounds in November 2023. She was born five weeks early and spent nine days in the NICU, including Thanksgiving. Staying at the Ronald McDonald House allowed the family to be close to Raelyn and visit her daily while she was in the hospital. “We are forever grateful for the RMHC staff and volunteers who treated us like family, provided a beautiful Thanksgiving meal, and helped to keep our spirits high.”
● In the Xfinity Series, Grala has two starts at Homestead with a best finish of 18th earned in November 2018.
● Grala has 21 Cup Series starts this season and will pilot the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RWR in the final three events of 2024 beginning this weekend at Homestead.
● Meat N’ Bone is an online butcher shop offering premium quality meats delivered locally and shipped nationally. Customers can order from more than 300 products, including USDA Prime and Wagyu A5, and have it delivered fresh to their door. Meat N’ Bone also offers local pickup and a personalized retail experience in its boutiques.
Corey LaJoie, Driver Q&A
You earned your best finish with RWR last Sunday at Las Vegas. Is there anything you can use from last week as you prepare for Homestead?
“We had a good run at Las Vegas that I think we can definitely use to our advantage. We’re carrying a lot of momentum into another mile-and-a-half and another track where you have a lot of options to move around and find speed. Similar to Vegas, it’s easy to have a decent car and not get the finish you deserve at Homestead. You just have to maximize the day, through strategy or track position or whatever is working in your favor.”
Homestead has an older surface where there is a lot of tire wear, and with the heat it can be a slick track. How does that affect the racing and what you’re looking for in your car?
“It creates an interesting race. Your first lap or two is going to be completely different than what you’ve got on lap 15 or 16. It’s why you need those other lines to move around and find what works best for you as a driver. This is track where it really comes down to what a driver can do. Your car is never going to be perfect, but if you can get it to a place where you’re in control of it and can put it where you’ve got good speed, you’ll be okay.”
Kaz Grala,
Driver Q&A
This weekend at Homestead is the last time this year you’ll be making your first Cup Series start at a track. Are you looking forward to Sunday’s race?
“Yeah, Homestead is one of my favorite tracks. There are a lot of lines you can use to find speed, though typically you’ll see guys trying to ride right up against the wall. I feel like RWR has come a long way with our mile-and-a-half program, so I’m excited to see what we’ve got this weekend.”
You’ll finish out the season with two tracks that you’ve got a good amount of experience at between the Cup and Xfinity series. How does that affect your mindset leading into Martinsville and Phoenix?
“It’ll be interesting to go back to Martinsville and Phoenix. It’ll be a good way to judge how much progress we’ve had as a team and I’m looking forward to going back to those tracks with more experience under my belt. When we visited those tracks earlier in the season, I was still working to understand the Cup car and where it differs from the Xfinity car. I feel like I’ve got a pretty good handle on it now and will be able to better assess what I need throughout a race. So, hopefully with that, we can finish out the season on a high note.”
● Event: Straight Talk Wireless 400 (Round 34 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 27
● Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 267 laps/400.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
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