NASCAR fan favorite driver Corey LaJoie is set to compete for his first NASCAR Cup Series win at the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, aiming to improve on his personal best eighth-place finish at the event.
Entering his fourth season with Spire Motorsports, LaJoie will race the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro, sponsored by Chili’s. Think Chili’s isn’t gonna bring something fun to the table though? Guess you aren’t part of that Marg life.
This partnership not only brings a unique branding opportunity but also an interactive fan experience through a QR code displayed on LaJoie’s car and fire suit will allow fans to potentially win a $10 Chili’s gift card or a VIP trip to watch him race in Austin, Texas.
“It’s been a blast so far,” LaJoie said in an exclusive interview with Fox News. “It comes with a little bit more responsibility than usual. You want to make sure you welcome a big brand like Chili’s back, or even into, our sport. You want to make sure you do those guys a good job on and off the track.”
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The pressure is real for LaJoie; he’s not just a partner with Chili’s, he’s a fan of America’s favorite restaurant (ok it might not be America’s but it sure as heck is mine).
“There’s not very many times in our sport where, especially direct-to-consumer brands like restaurants or anything where it’s a unique fit,” he said. “Normally, you just try to get anybody you possibly can to pay money to put stickers on the car. But with this, I’ve been eating lunch at Chili’s and dinner at Chilis’ since I was a kid.”
“It’s such a well-known brand and a well-liked restaurant … it’s an iconic brand to represent. So, it’s cool to get our team to a spot through a lot of hard work over these last 3–4 years to be able to take on and activate, to do a good job for brands of this size. It should give our guys in the shop a lot of confidence and a lot of pride for being able to get the nod from a group like Chili’s to be able to kick the season off at the Daytona 500.”
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This love for the brand makes this partnership hotter than a Chili’s fajita. Fox continued by asking the one question everyone would be asking though— what is his Chili’s go-to order?
“I’m not a guy that has set things. I really go with what I’m feeling in the moment,” he told Fox. “If I leave here and go to lunch, I don’t know if I’m ripping out a margarita at lunchtime.”
Lunchtime margaritas, what a bro.
“Let’s just say we’re going to dinner. I’m getting a water with lime, a skinny margarita or a presidente margarita, probably a little bit of club soda. And then I’m going to fajitas.”
