It had to be Corey LaJoie. After causing a massive wreck in the opening lap of the 2024 Go Bowling at The Glen, the Spire Motorsports driver was at it again. Only this time, Joey Logano was at the receiving end, spinning off Turn 4 and hitting the inside wall in Stage 2. Apart from a flat tire, Logano’s No. 22 Ford Mustang seemed to be in pretty rough shape after the left rear of his car made contact with LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevy, forcing a caution while the Team Penske driver went into the pit lane.
When the race ended, Logano was forced to settle for a 28th-place finish, his worst playoff result so far. Meanwhile, multiple on-track incidents meant LaJoie retired from the race early, his third of the season so far. However, NASCAR fans were far from sympathetic, taking to social media to express their anger at the Spire Motorsports driver.
Joey Logano settles for lacklustre finish at Bristol
Joey Logano had already qualified for the Round of 12 after winning the opening playoff race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Despite being locked into the next stage, the 34-year-old had plenty to race for at Bristol Motor Speedway. Playoff points were up for grabs and a strong result at the 0.533-mile short track would have left him in a good position going into the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400. However, his weekend didn’t get off to a good start, after a poor result in qualifying forced the Team Penske driver to start the race in 20th place. To make matters worse, the incident with LaJoie severely affected his hopes of finishing in the top 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Corey LaJoie’s DNF sums up his Spire Motorsports season so far. The incident with Joey Logano wasn’t the only crash the 32-year-old was involved in, as he also made contact with Josh Berry in the race, prompting his No. 7 Chevy to take a hard hit on the wall. LaJoie has had a season to forget, securing just one top-five result in the opening race at Daytona International Speedway. Since then, the results haven’t matched the expectations set by Jeff Dickerson’s team, prompting them to part ways with the North Carolina native.
