Randy Lajoie

When in comes to talk about NASCAR legends, few racers can actually claim to have made history. But among those select few, Randy Lajoie is certainly one of the most celebrated in recent years. Not only has he won the Busch Series championship, but he has done so twice. And, as if those achievements weren’t impressive enough, Lajoie managed to win two years in a row, a true milestone in a world where such accomplishments are few and far between. Born on August 28, 1961 in Norwalk, Connecticut, Randy started his driving career at an early age, racing go-karts when he was just twelve years old.

It wasn’t until 1980 that he started driving in full-bodied racecars, becoming the track champion in the Modified Sportsman division at the Danbury Fair Racearena in 1981. His next move came in 1983, when Lajoie debuted in the NASCAR Busch North Series, becoming the series Rookie of the Year, and two years later he would win that championship after scoring 15 victories during the 1985 season. Between 1986 and 1993, Lajoie participated in the Busch Series part-time, generally fielding his owner car, and it wasn’t until 1994 that he began his first full season, but he moved to the Winston Cup Series the following season, but the returned to the Busch Series by mid season to drive for Dennis Shoemaker.

The 1996 season would see Lajoie being crowned Busch Series champion, with five wins and 20 top-ten finishes, driving the #74 Chevrolet. Following up that performance would not have been an easy undertaking, but Lajoie once again rose up to the challenge, with another string of five wins and 21 top-ten finishes, winning the championship for the second time at the end of the 1997 season. In addition to that, Randy Lajoie also won the International Race of Champions (IROC) race that same year. The next few seasons would find him floating between the seventh and the twelfth place in the final point standings, ultimately racing only part-time in selected events for Davis Motorsports.