NASCAR has seen its share of racing dynasties, but few have cast a shadow as long and storied as Richard Petty’s. In Level Cross, North Carolina, the Petty name lives on not just through Richard Petty Racing, but in the Richard Petty Museum, a shrine where fans can walk the red-floored shop where “The King” built 268 winning racecars. The museum blends gleaming trophies, weathered helmets, and fire suits with the family’s original home and the legendary “Reaper Shed” where Lee Petty’s empire began. It isn’t just a monument; it’s living proof that a family’s racing heritage can be preserved, celebrated, and shared for generations. And now, this heritage has inspired another royal family in the motorsports world to engrave their own legacy.
Now, up in Norwalk, Connecticut, the LaJoie family is gearing up to follow that blueprint in their own East Coast style. For nearly a century, their property at 40 Meadow Street has been home to LaJoie’s Auto Wrecking Co., an almost century-old business started by Francis LaJoie that evolved from recycling rags and paper to processing scrap metal for major industries. Until last month, their vision for a recycling center with a first-floor racing museum existed only on paper. But the LaJoies — led by patriarch Don, NASCAR Xfinity champion Randy, and current drivers Corey and Casey — are one step closer to turning a working scrapyard into a landmark worthy of the sport’s royalty.
A scrapyard with a century of racing will preserve the LaJoies’ legacy
LaJoie’s Auto Wrecking Co., a Connecticut salvage yard steeped in NASCAR history, has officially secured unanimous approval to construct a 36,000-square-foot, two-story recycling center on its 3.58-acre property at 40 Meadow Street in Norwalk. The plan, as confirmed by Adam Stern on X, includes industrial processing space on the first floor alongside a dedicated museum to showcase the LaJoie family’s racing memorabilia. “It’s a work in progress,” said company treasurer Jim Murphy, noting it’s too early to set a construction start date. The second floor will feature offices, a conference room, and restrooms, while existing structures, including a 5,800-square-foot building and a metal shed along the southern boundary, are set to be demolished to make way for the new facility.
“A Connecticut salvage yard with a connection to Nascar racing [LaJoie’s Auto Wrecking Co] has received approval to build a two-story recycling center on its property…It will also include a ‘museum’ space to display the LaJoie family’s racing collection.”https://t.co/lgKkVHbykF
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) August 8, 2025
The LaJoie name carries weight far beyond Meadow Street. Founded over a century ago by Francis LaJoie as a humble rags-and-paper recycling business, the company evolved alongside the American industrial landscape. Today, it operates under D&R Inc. of Norwalk and DLJ Associates, selling aluminum to industry leaders like Pennex, Alcoa, and Novelis, copper to Revere Copper and Cambridge-Lee Industries, and steel to Commercial Metals and Sims Metal Management. On the track, the family boasts a legacy just as enduring. Randy LaJoie is a two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, and his sons, Corey and Casey LaJoie, have continued the family tradition in top-level stock car racing. The new museum space is poised to immortalize that legacy for fans and preserve the memorabilia that tells their story.
Norwalk’s position along the I-95 corridor, within easy reach of New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, gives the project a geographic advantage few motorsport-related attractions in the Northeast can match. This isn’t an overnight idea; the LaJoies have been working toward this vision for months, refining the proposal until it earned unanimous city approval. Corey LaJoie has been particularly invested in shaping the museum’s purpose, describing it simply: “It’s about telling our story.” By combining a fully operational recycling center with a racing museum, the family hopes to create a destination that appeals to both industry clients and NASCAR enthusiasts. If realized as planned, Meadow Street could soon become a must-stop for racing fans traveling the East Coast, Connecticut’s own answer to the Richard Petty Museum, but with the LaJoie grit and heart.
Corey evolves into analyst as Randy LaJoie eyes NASCAR hall of fame
Corey LaJoie isn’t just racing in 2025; he’s also bringing his insight to your screen. Alongside competing part-time in the Cup Series for Rick Ware Racing, he joined Prime Video’s broadcast team as an on-air analyst for five key races, an opportunity he embraced as a path forward in his career. Reflecting on the shift, Corey shared: “Driving the race car can be a really lonely place… When those guys were pursuing me… I felt like there were things… doors… opening… to allow me to see that there are other things that I can do outside of being a full-time Cup driver.”
Meanwhile, his father, Randy LaJoie, accelerates toward NASCAR immortality. Though a Modern Era nominee for the 2026 NASCAR Hall of Fame, he didn’t make the final cut this year amidst drivers such as candidates such as Kurt Busch, Harry Gant, etc. Randy boasts two back-to-back Xfinity Series championships (1996–1997), 15 career wins, and a legacy that blends success with innovation, having launched a seat safety business that’s left a mark on motorsports safety.
With approval secured, the LaJoie family is shifting gears toward a future that blends their 100-year-old business roots with a tribute to their racing heritage, much like the way Richard Petty’s own legacy is preserved in his hometown. From Francis LaJoie’s early recycling work to Randy’s NASCAR championships and Corey’s growing presence both behind the wheel and in the media, the family is carving its own path in the sport’s history books. Soon, Norwalk will have its own destination where industry meets motorsport tradition, echoing the dynastic pride that defines NASCAR royalty.
The post Another Racing Family to Follow in Richard Petty’s Footsteps as NASCAR Royalty Confirms Big Plans appeared first on EssentiallySports.
