Corey LaJoie has reflected on his Michigan flip and outlined Noah Gragson's involvement. The Spire Motorsports driver was battling for the 16th place against the Stewart-Haas Racing rival when a contact to the latter's left rear made the former's #7 Chevy airborne.
LaJoie started his FireKeepers Casino 400 run from 31st place and climbed to a 17th-place finish in Stage 1. On the other hand, Gragson kicked off his race from P25 and gained five track positions for a P20 finish in the first stage.
On lap 136, however, the #7 Chevy driver tried to take the top lane, but the #10 Ford driver blocked his pursuit. LaJoie then aimed to overtake Gragson from the left side, but the SHR driver blocked the move again by slightly steering inside. Nonetheless, the Spire Motorsports driver attempted to make a pass again, but this time, Gragson's "real late" closing in contributed to LaJoie going airborne.
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The 32-year-old outlined that he tried to capitalize on the room available and gunned for the lead but Gragson's persistent blocking obstructed his pursuit. LaJoie said (via "Stacking Pennies" on Youtube):
"He [Noah Gragson] didn’t really use me up necessarily but I had got the top burned in and I was making hay and he just closed it a couple times real late. When someone’s coming with that amount of speed you usually leave a lane," LaJoie said (at 0:33).
While Corey LaJoie succumbed to his second DNF of the season, Gragson posted a 12th-place finish on the 2-mile track.
"Oh sh** I'm flying": When Corey LaJoie went airborne after making contact with Gragson
The NASCAR cars have roof flaps installed to prevent the ride from going airborne after wrecking. Moreover, the NextGen cars are more aerodynamically sound than the older version, and thus, flying after contact, and that too on a non-superspeedway, is not common.
However, the former NASCAR driver, Kenny Wallace, outlined the turtle shell bottom design as the reason. The smooth surface underneath the high-octane ride prevents air from escaping and pushes the car further into the air.
While trying to make the pass, Corey Lajoie might've foreseen a contact spinning him out, but, his reaction to going airborne doesn't indicate he anticipated such a major turnaround of events.
"So I hit him and I started spinning out, I’m like damnit, just lock it down, try to keep this thing going. I’ll drive around with flats on and we’ll put tires on it and we’ll still try. I was thinking about that all in the span of it getting sideways, then it picked up and I’m like, ‘Oh s***, I’m flying through the air,’" LaJoie said during the same podcast (2:31).
Until further developments, Corey LaJoie will not return to the 2025 Cup Series as he's running his last year with Spire Motorsports, with his future team yet to be decided.
