Corey LaJoie had a heart-stopping moment during Monday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich.
The Spire Motorsports driver was angling to overtake Stewart–Haas Racing’s Noah Gragson on lap 136 of the Firekeepers Casino 400. As LaJoie tried to make a move, his No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro touched the left rear of Gragson’s No. 10 Ford Mustang.
What initially appeared to be minor contact led to a major crash for LaJoie. His Chevy went airborne and landed roof-first on the inside apron of the track. LaJoie’s overturned car slid for several yards, reached the grass, and flipped three more times before landing on its wheels.
COREY LAJOIE FLIPS AND SLIDES UPSIDE DOWN!#NASCAR | USA Network pic.twitter.com/Iyd3frqX5C
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 19, 2024
LaJoie was able to exit the vehicle safely and was immediately brought to the infield care center.
NASCAR later uploaded LaJoie’s terrifying on-board view of the crash before his camera was eventually broken.
Ride on board with Corey LaJoie as he flips at Michigan.#NASCAR | USA Network pic.twitter.com/kKTx0ugf72
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 19, 2024
“That’s just the way the year’s gone,” LaJoie said after the crash, via Austin Chastain of the Tennessean. “We have a good car and I find a way to get the car upside down. I’ve never been upside down before. The No. 10 car chopped me a few times. It was a ride, buddy. There’s sparks and all sorts of stuff coming in. I think we had a top-10 car today and I ended up on my roof.
“Safe cars, kudos to NASCAR. I would jump back in if they’d let me.”
LaJoie was one of six drivers who weren’t able to finish the race. He was marked 32nd out of 36 drivers.
The 32-year-old also wasn’t the only driver who was sent spinning into the grass at Michigan.
