Corey LaJoie Wins K&N Pro Series East Race at New Hampshire

Kyle Benjamin won the pole for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire International Speedway. It was his third pole of the season in the K&N Pro Series East.

Corey LaJoie hasn’t won a race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series in nearly four years, but it didn’t take him long to get up to speed. LaJoie won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire International Speedway, his first since 2012 when he won five races.

Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 41 Chevrolet, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire International Speedway. He led 34 laps of the United Site Services 70.

LaJoie led the final 34 laps of the United Site Services 70, taking the lead from Kyle Benjamin on lap 39. Benjamin won the pole and was out front for the first 38 laps of the race. LaJoie started on the front row with Benjamin, who fell back in the waning laps of the race to finish fourth.

LaJoie, a NASCAR Next alumnus, won for the first time in the K&N Pro Series East at New Hampshire. He was the runner-up to Kyle Larson in 2012. LaJoie was in contention for the victory in 2010, but crashed late in the race.

Corey LaJoie won his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race since 2012 when he won five races and was the runner-up in the K&N Pro Series East standings.

“Expectations are high when you come here,” LaJoie said. “I’ve lost a couple here at New Hampshire. I lost one to Larson here in 2012. I lost one wrecking with the leader coming for the checkered a couple years before that. I wasn’t going to let this one get away.”

His dad, Randy LaJoie, won a NASCAR race in New Hampshire in 1996. Randy LaJoie was 5-years-old when his dad won that race.

Corey LaJoie won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire International Speedway in his first start of the season.

“It’s really cool just to get into Victory Lane anywhere,” Corey LaJoie said. “Obviously having that picture with Dad holding me in Victory Lane here is obviously pretty cool too. The biggest thing is just so many times I’ve ran good here and not been able to get it done. It just all worked out. When all the restarts started falling, this is about the time I probably give one up. I luckily had enough experience and had a couple good restarts and I am sitting here with this trophy.”

Corey LaJoie, who races in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, was making his first start of the season in the K&N Pro Series East. He was the runner-up in the K&N Pro Series standings in 2012.

A pair of teenagers followed LaJoie across the finish line. Rookie and NASCAR Next driver Todd Gilliland, who started the race in seventh, was second. It was the third top-five finish in five K&N Pro Series East races for Gilliland.

“The first half of the race was pretty uneventful,” Gilliland said. “I think we went almost all green. Right at Lap 35 it was more exciting, more action, a lot more side-by-side racing. At this track restarts are really important. Corey was really good at restarts today. It was tough keeping up with him.

Corey LaJoie, who also races in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Corey LaJoie won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire International Speedway. He started on the front row next to pole winner Kyle Benjamin and took the lead in the race on lap 39.

 Justin Haley crossed the finish line in third. It was his eighth top-five finish in nine K&N Pro Series East races.

“We were leading the points coming in here,” Haley said. “We were looking for a solid day in the top five where we’ve been kind of running all year, fortunate to get two wins.  We fell to third there in the early portion of race. … Happy to be leading the points still.”

Haley has won two K&N Pro Series East races and leads the K&N Pro Series East standings by 40 points over Benjamin. Benjamin was fourth in the race at New Hampshire, followed by Austin Theriault in fifth.

The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series race is the Casey’s General Store 150 at Iowa Speedway on July 29. It is a race for the drivers and teams from the K&N Pro Series East and West.