Richard Petty Motorsports has signed a development deal with Corey LaJoie and plans on putting the 21-year-old in a few Nationwide races later this season and running a full series schedule next year, pending sponsorship. ‘It definitely takes a lot of weight off my shoulders’ LaJoie told Motor Racing Network on Saturday morning. ‘Weve been working so hard on a shoe-string budget. Its cool that somebody takes notice and invest in me and, hopefully, push me to the next level. Im really excited to be a part of their family.” LaJoie, son of two-time Nationwide champion Randy LaJoie, has run a limited schedule with his familys operation this season. Hed run only two NASCAR K&N Pro Series races this season before getting a chance to race in Saturday nights K&N Pro Series East race at Bowman-Gray Stadium and defend last years win. LaJoie said he plans to run a few ARCA races later this year and will receive engines, technical support and a pit crew from RPM. His first ARCA race likely will be next month at Chicagoland Speedway.( Motor Racing Network )(6-1-2013) UPDATE: Richard Petty Motorsports confirmed Sunday it has signed Ryan Truex to a development deal, the second young driver to join the organization this week. Truex joins Corey LaJoie, who also signed a development deal. Sponsorship will determine their programs, Sammy Johns, RPMs competition director, told Motor Racing Network. The 21-year-old Truex has run 35 Nationwide races the past three seasons for a variety of teams, including Michael Waltrip Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. He had two top-five finishes and nine top 10s. Hes run three Camping World Truck Series races, including Daytona this season. He placed 28th in that race, his only start in any of NASCARs national series this season. Truex, the brother of Martin Truex Jr., was scheduled to make his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at Richmond but had to miss that after breaking his collarbone in two places on Easter. Ryan Truex had hinted in recent days on Twitter that hed been hired. He tweeted Saturday that ‘I will say that my future is finally clear and secure.” The changes are part of the growth Richard Petty Motorsports is seeking to make. ‘I think were changing as a company’ Johns said. ‘There have been a couple of years where we were just trying to keep the doors open. Weve got a lot better footing on that. Our Cup programs are starting to run better and were starting to look like we can possibly be Chase contenders.”( Motor Racing Network )(6-2-2013) News from June 1, 2013
