The Joie of Seating at The CARS Racing Show
In this interview we sat down with Randy LaJoie. Randy is a former NASCAR champion, ESPN broadcaster, and now safety influencer of The Joie of Seating!
Family Ties
Randy gave us the inside scoop on what got him started in racing, and like most racers, it was his dad. He reminisced about the first time he raced in Hickory, NC, LaJoie said he ran 2nd. Randy took the time to highlight his kid’s racing careers, his son Casey Lajoie who is apart of Colleague Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and Corey Lajoie who is moving into a racing team carrying on his dad’s legacy. You can tell by the way he talks about them that Randy is so proud of both of his boys.
The Joie of Seating at The CARS Racing Show
Randy was excited to be apart of the show to be around the racing family, and meet new customers in a hope to spread safety awareness. He made a statement that really makes a lot of sense…”If you don’t go to the racetracks, you don’t plant seeds”. He loves to take the opportunity, in any form, to spread the message of safety. The importance of showing up has became lowered in past years, so he is definitely on to something.
Racecar Systems
Randy brought up a significant wreck that had recently happened in Formula One, where the racer thankfully made in out alive. He drew a couple conclusions from that wreck. One, the good Lord is a race fan, and two, the systems in racecars have gotten so much better. His son was recently in a wreck with Ryan Newman, and he made the same conclusion, the systems in the cars are better. He was proud of the fact that we have not lost a NASCAR driver since Dale Earnhardt.
Russian Roulette
LaJoie pointed out the importance of those racecar systems. He stated that it’s not just a good containment seat that you need, you can have that good seat and still get killed. He brought up several good points, such as your belt could be mounted wrong, you could have your Fire system installed incorrectly, etc. Randy said it is all survivable with the right system, without one you are playing Russian Roulette. He really feels that if these safety systems were in place all along, we wouldn’t have lost the racers we have in the past. In retrospect he feels like those deaths have saved his life and many more racers as well.
2021
Randy is hoping for 2021 there will be certified seats that way it is easier to inspect, and ensure safety, . He doesn’t believe that the new normal will be going back to the old normal. However, he hopes that means more safety.
The Joie of Seating has the most up to date safety products. To find out more about what they have to offer, click here or call 704-795-7474.