Track PR
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Rockingham, N.C. (October 16, 2012) – For Corey Lajoie winning for the fourth time in four starts at Rockingham Speedway would be more than a cool statistic.
It would likely mean a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship.
Lajoie has an unblemished record at The Rock, having won his three careers starts on the one-mile oval in the UARA-STARS Late Model Series. The son of two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Randy Lajoie currently sits second in the K&N East standings, one point behind leader Kyle Larson.
The series makes its penultimate stop of 2012 at Greenville Pickens Speedway on October 27 before heading to Rockingham to crown a champion on November 3.
“…we have some momentum on our side and hopefully we can carry it to Greenville and come get the championship here at Rockingham,” said the younger Lajoie during a practice session at the speedway.
While Lajoie is going to be leaning on his experience at Rockingham when the series makes it return to the track, he’s not discounting his competition.
“It definitely helps just knowing the pace of the race and knowing how much you have to save and how much you have got to go and when to go,” said Lajoie. “But the K&N East car is a totally different animal than that late model.
“There are a bunch of good guys in this deal (K&N East Series),” Lajoie said. “Those guys will pick the racetrack up in five laps of practice.”
And Lajoie is not the only driver in the K&N East field with a winning pedigree at Rockingham. Chase Elliott, son of 1988 NASCAR Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, has two wins on The Rock’s abrasive asphalt.
But heading into the race at Greenville-Pickens, Lajoie has the hot hand in the series. He leads all drivers with four wins on the season. All four have come in the last eight races of the season.
“Save for a couple of cut tires, we’ve been a top three car each week,” said Lajoie. “We had a few races with some bad luck that got us behind the eight ball a bit, but we have fought back.
“Right now we are just trying to get our I’s dotted and T’s crossed, have a good run at Greenville and get a win and clinch a championship at the Rock.”
The K&N Pro Series East will be part of the Classic 3 Championship presented by the RCR Racing Museum. The tripleheader race day on November 3 will also feature the UARA-STARS and the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals.
Racing action for the Classic 3 Championship gets underway with practice and qualifying on Friday, November 2 with an infield party when the track clears for the day.
For more information, or to order tickets for the Classic 3 Championship presented by the RCR Racing Museum, visit Rockingham Speedway online atwww.rockinghamspeedway.com or call 910.205.8800.
