LaJoie to run some Cup races UPDATE: BGN driver Randy LaJoie and his BGN team owner [#7 Chevy], Ed Evans, are talking to a potential sponsor about moving up to run four or five Cup races later this season. “I’m not going to go just to ride around,” he says. “I want to go and be competitive. Like when those Cup guys come over here and kick our butt? I want to go over there and kick theirs.” LaJoie, 40, won back-to-back BGN titles in 1996 and 1997. In the past few years, he has turned down several offers to move up to Winston Cup; one would have paid him four times more than he’s making now. LaJoie says the extra money isn’t worth the additional sponsorship, media and testing hassles that would come along with it. He has several friends in Winston Cup and can’t believe how much family time they miss. “I can’t put a price tag on that,” he says. “It kind of cracks me up when you listen to all these (drivers) that are mid-40s now. I think they finally realized that they had kids. By then their kids are teenagers, you know? To me, I’ve had so much fun watching my 6-year-old get his first basket in basketball, my 8-year-old getting a hit in baseball. I can’t replace that.” LaJoie turned down one particularly enticing offer a few years ago after one of his sons asked him why he’d want a job that would take him away from home more often; didn’t he already make enough money? “He’d better not get mad at me when he goes to a state college instead of Duke,” LaJoie jokes.(more at USA Today)(3-21-2002) UPDATE – LaJoie to Cup? Randy LaJoie’ BGN [#7] team could be moving up next season, team owner Ed Evans said Saturday. LaJoie, the 1996 and 1997 Busch Series champion, stands fourth in the points heading into Saturday’ race. We believe weve got a premier Busch team, Evans said. Our standing in the points would indicate that were doing things the way we expect to do them right now. We would like to get up to Cup at some point in time. While saying that, were still very committed to Busch and to Kimberly-Clark, and were not going to do anything to jeopardize this program or our run for the championship this year. Weve got a pretty good shot at it. Were having ongoing discussions. There hasnt really been any news to report at this point. As we get closer to the fall, well have a little bit more to talk about.(RacingOne)(5-26-2002)
