After many years of research and millions of dollars spent trying to keep NASCAR Cup cars from going airborne, Corey LaJoie had a “hold my beer” moment at Michigan Monday.
LaJoie, who it must be pointed out was uninjured, was running 17th on lap 136 when he made what seemed like an innocent tap to the rear bumper of the Ford of Noah Gragson on the backstretch. On the next lap when the pair came to the same spot LaJoie appeared to try to dive under Gragson. There appeared to be no contact yet the LaJoie Chevrolet suddenly, and inexplicably went airborne. The car slid on its roof on the pavement until hitting a grassy area near Turn 3 where it launched into a series of barrel rolls before coming to rest right side up.
It was the second time LaJoie found himself upside down. At the end of the spring race at Talladega but that came after contact in the course of the normal chaos that is race to the checkered flag at Talladega.
“That’s just about how the year has gone,” LaJoie said. “We have a good car and I find a way to flip it upside down. Twice this year, we’ve been upside down and I hadn’t been upside down my whole career. That’s just unfortunately how the year for the No. 7 team has been all year. We’ve had speed, just haven’t been able to put it together.”
It was the second flip of the weekend. During Saturday’s Xfinity race Kyle Seig’s car also went airborne. Like LaJoie he was uninjured.
“The No. 10 (Noah Gragson) chopped me a couple of times, especially off (turn) two when I’d have a run,” LaJoie said. “… if he pulled it off the wall when I was trying to get to his left rear to slow him down. But it was a ride, buddy. There were sparks, dirt and all sorts of stuff coming in.”
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.