Lionel Racing, the official die-cast producer of NASCAR, recently unveiled its top-10 cars of 2024. The list featured notable entries like Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Budweiser Late Model and Chase Elliott’s Hooters-schemed car with which he won at Texas. But an astonishing presence was that of the former Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie’s car from the season-opening Daytona 500.
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The No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro was sponsored by Chili’s Grill and Bar and had splashes of the famous Presidente Margarita on both sides. It was called ‘Catch a Rita’ and featured nine QR codes that fans could scan to get special benefits such as a $10 gift card at the restaurant. The scheme was placed sixth on Lionel Racing’s ranking system and shocked fans on X (formerly Twitter).
One follower asked, “Did Chili’s do a mass buy of those diecasts to give out to customers or something?” Die-casts are mostly bought by fans of drivers with a large following or as a memorandum to remember a noteworthy performance.
Considering that LaJoie lacked in both these categories this year, Chili’s buying the die-casts in bulk is only a fair assumption to make.
The annual top 10 die-cast cars list was just announced by @Lionel_Racing. For the first time ever, a non-NASCAR car topped the list (but no shocker who it was).
What else jumps out to you on this list? pic.twitter.com/C7nvywhXmj
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) December 19, 2024
Another fan added, “Did Chili’s corporate make a bulk order?” One more asked, “How is a random Lajoie car 6th??” Interestingly, the scheme celebrated the National Margarita Day which fell on 22 February.
LaJoie finished the Daytona 500 in fourth place and gave the car a worthy result. Regardless, one comment read, “If you purchased a Corey Lajoie die-cast check yourself.”
The Chili’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro does little to secure LaJoie’s future
The scheme features the names of 1,126 Chili’s General managers to acknowledge and respect their contributions to the business’s development.
LaJoie said about it, “I’ve had some really interesting paint schemes in Daytona, but this one takes the cake – or margarita glass – by giving fans a little token of our appreciation for following our battle on the track.”
Jon Marshall and Daughters designed the scheme. Other cars on Lionel Racing’s list are Kyle Larson’s HendrickCars.com throwback and Brad Keselowski’s Castrol throwback in Darlington. Despite this burst in popularity, LaJoie remains without a confirmed ride for the 2025 Cup Series season.
He was let go by Spire Motorsports in the middle of the year following the signing of Michael McDowell and others. It is unsure if he will even continue driving in the premier tier or if he will be forced to take a step back to one of the lower leagues.
