Spire Motorsports and Corey LaJoie have partnered with AeroVanti for the 64th running of the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as NASCAR, its teams and drivers honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The “golden goose” of AeroVanti, a private aviation membership club that is redefining modern travel, will be displayed on the hood of LaJoie’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The Concord, N.C., native will be racing in honor of U.S. Navy Capt. Brian Bourgeois, who was serving as Commanding Officer of the elite SEAL Team 8 when he died in a training incident in December 2021. Bourgeois’ name will be featured on the windshield of LaJoie’s Chevy Camaro throughout the race weekend. His family (wife Megan and their four children) will also be recognized as part of NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program. Members of SEAL Team 8 will attend the race on behalf of the Bourgeois family.
Bourgeois, a native of Lake Charles, La., was a 2001 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he majored in economics and played safety for the Midshipmen football team. He proudly served his country for 20 years and was the recipient of multiple military awards including the Bronze Star with Valor, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster, Joint Commendation Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon and a NATO Medal.
Bourgeois was promoted posthumously to the rank of Captain in October 2022 by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
“Capt. Bourgeois was a decorated combat veteran, a Bronze Star Medal with Valor recipient, an incredible commander of the most elite fighting force in the world, and the recipient of the Pat Tillman Leadership Award,” said AeroVanti Founder and CEO Patrick Britton-Harr. “He was also a husband and father of four children, a man of remarkable strength and integrity, whose legacy will be one of steady leadership and impeccable character, having left a tremendous mark on this world. We are honored and humbled to share a car with Capt. Bourgeois and are grateful to Spire Motorsports and Corey LaJoie for joining us in this tribute.”
LaJoie has logged nine previous NCS starts at the legendary 1.5-mile Concord, N.C. oval and earned a venue/race-best 12th-place finish in the 2019 running of NASCAR’s longest race.
“NASCAR’s Memorial Day weekend celebration is a flagship racing experience for our fans and one I always look forward to each season,” stated LaJoie. “It’s a privilege to honor those who have sacrificed everything for our country. I’m thrilled to be representing AeroVanti and to honor Capt. Bourgeois for this marquee event.”
Since launching in July 2021, AeroVanti has experienced 400 percent growth, led by multiple M&A events to support expansion, two historic fundraising rounds of more than $100 million, and exclusive partnerships with the University of Maryland, University of Central Florida, the World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Chicago Cubs. AeroVanti was named a 2023 “startup to watch” by both the Baltimore Business Journal and the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
The Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway will be televised live on FOX Sunday, May 28 beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 14th of 36 races on the 2023 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
About Spire Motorsports:
Spire Motorsports is a full-time, two-car NASCAR Cup Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2023, Spire Motorsports will field the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for driver Corey LaJoie and No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Ty Dillon. The team also fields NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series teams in select events.
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway.
