Denny Hamlin tried to give some advice Corey LaJoie in the latest episode of his Harmful actions Podcast, now that it’s official, the driver will not return to Spire Motorsports in 2025.

It’s certainly a disappointing revelation for LaJoie, who has built Spire over the past few seasons, but his difficult 2024 has led to a loss of confidence as the team heads in a new direction next season. Hamlin believes he knows the cure that can save LaJoie’s career.

“It’s unfortunate for Corey. I understand why Spire made that decision, right? They felt this is a performance-based business and the performance wasn’t up to their expectations,” Hamlin explained. “I listened to Corey’s podcast to hear his take on the whole thing. I thought he was very professional and matter-of-fact. I think he made light of it and took responsibility for his role in it. I think there are multiple layers to it, like: Is it all Corey’s fault? No, probably not, but you have an obligation to get the best out of your car every week. I think he took responsibility there, but I don’t think that’s the end of it.

“I think there’s a chance for him. My advice is the same as I’ve been saying for a long time: Go win, man. Get your, you know, get some wins, you know, because he’s fought. It’s been a long time, but he’s fought with Kyle Larson And Chase Elliott in the ARCA series. And he raced with them, right up there with them. He did. He raced against them and won races and was very competitive. Well, you know, he kind of skipped the Truck Series and Xfinity and all that and just started with Cup. But, you know, he got a Cup opportunity, you know. He was on a team that was behind the others, but he got the chance to drive on Sunday, so he took it. So you never really had that warm and fuzzy feeling of what he could do, right?

“I think this is a chance for him to come back down. I think he should come back and win a series or two. It worked for John Hunter Nemechekso that he can restore his legitimacy in sport. Cole Custer. You know, both Cole Custer and John Hunter are both going to get a shot in the Cup Series, but you have to do it. You have to show these guys that you can win. And I think he’ll work hard enough and hopefully he’ll get an opportunity to show what he can do. And you know, I wish him the best, but I have a lot of respect for how he handled it and how honest he was with us and himself when he talked about it on his podcast.”

As Hamlin mentioned, John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer are recent examples of drivers who returned to NASCAR’s Xfinity and Truck Series to regain their confidence and are now in a better position toward their Cup Series careers.

Nemechek developed into one of the most sought-after drivers in the Xfinity Series and landed with the Legacy Motor Club, while Custer will return to the Cup Series with the Haas Factory Team after showing in the Xfinity Series that he is the true hero.

Corey LaJoie has a chance to do the same in the future. It’s up to the soon-to-be-former Spire Motorsports driver to seize the opportunity and prove the team wrong to pass him up in 2025.