Information Is The Key To
Keeping Safe Inside A Racecar

Randy LaJoie has seen a lot in his many years of racing. He’s won races on a weekly short-track level and has competed and won in NASCAR’s top series. The three-time NASCAR Busch Series Champion has nearly done it all in his career, but there’s one thing left on his list. LaJoie’s new focus is to make sure every driver, regardless of age or racing level, has the most up-to-date safety products and information implemented in their race cars.

For years LaJoie has been at the forefront of racing seat safety with his company, The Joie of Seating, but now he is putting an emphasis on sharing safety information with novice and experienced short track drivers. Previously, this information was only available to the top-tier racers.

“I’ve been to the short tracks of North Carolina to New York, Connecticut to Kansas, and Minnesota to Florida, and I know local racers haven’t been fed the information on safety as quick as drivers in the top-three divisions,” said LaJoie. “As part of NASCAR’s top-three divisions for a long time, I’ve worked very closely with NASCAR’s Research and Development department. It seems like every bit of information that comes out of there goes directly to the competitors in the top-three series, but not to the short track racers. It could be very easily done, so that’s why I am so focused on getting the information to the weekly racers.” For LaJoie, racing safety goes beyond just having a safe seat mounted inside the racecar. There are many more things racers can do to make sure they are safe on the racetrack, and that’s exactly what LaJoie is trying to relay to drivers all around the country.

“I’d say 99.7% of short track drivers don’t pay enough attention to safety. Honestly, I didn’t pay as much attention to safety as I should have until we lost Dale Earnhardt. It’s too bad it took his passing, as well as five or six others in the top NASCAR levels, but we now realize we don’t want anymore injuries or deaths in race cars. “Racing is a dangerous sport, there’s no doubt about that, but with the right information, drivers can be kept safer. I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt behind the wheel of a race car.”

Racing safety doesn’t start in the weekly short track divisions either. Legends, Bandolero, and Go-Kart drivers need to be just as safety conscious as drivers in NASCAR divisions. That is why LaJoie is offering his help to parents to make sure their kids are safe inside their race cars. “As a parent, I do not want my kids getting hurt inside a racecar. No parent does. That’s why keeping on top of the latest safety products, and proper use of them, should be every parent’s and driver’s top priority. “I know that parents will be able to sleep better at night knowing the seat and belts are installed the right way and that their kid has the best helmet, the best firesuit and the best head and neck restraint,” added LaJoie, who has two sons, Corey and Casey, who both race cars. “Every parent should feel the same way, that’s why paying attention to safety is so important.” LaJoie and his staff are making themselves available to answer any racer’s questions on how to be as safe as possible inside the racecar.

 

To contact him, visit The Joie of Seating design & manufacturing facility in Concord, NC, just minutes from Lowes Motor Speedway, or call the showroom/shop at 704-795-7474.

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