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Fans Gang Up on Notorious Corey LaJoie, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott Kicked Off Daytona
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 was always set to deliver high-octane drama, and it didn’t disappoint when chaos erupted on Lap 60 at Daytona International Speedway. In a heart-stopping moment, Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro made contact with Noah Gragson’s No. 10 Ford Mustang, triggering a catastrophic chain reaction. The track turned into a battlefield as over 16 cars were caught in the wreck, with an estimated four drivers, who were entangled in the carnage, being forced to retire.
Among the casualties were big names like Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Preece, and Noah Gragson, all forced to bow out early, leaving fans in shock and disbelief.
Fans express fury at Corey LaJoie for causing a multi-car wreck at Daytona
Seeing some of their favorite drivers being forced to retire early because of the multi-car incident on Lap 60 left a sour taste in many fans’ mouths, and they didn’t hesitate to express their frustration towards Corey LaJoie on social media. The 32-year-old is without a Cup Series seat for next season, having been released by Spire Motorsports when results didn’t meet expectations. Taking into account the role LaJoie played in the wreck, a fan highlighted it as the reason why he won’t find a seat for the 2025 season. The fan wrote on X, “Corey Lajoie YOU are NOT getting a ride next season”
Echoing that sentiment, another fan shared his views that LaJoie doesn’t have a future at NASCAR’s highest level. The fan wrote, “Corey Lajoie is A**!! GET OUT OF THE CUP SERIES!” The North Carolina native has already endured two DNFs in 25 races so far, and a fan cynically highlighted LaJoie’s inability to race cleanly without causing a wreck. Writing on X (formerly known as Twitter), the fan said, “Corey Lajoie don’t cause a wreck challenge: Impossible”
The multi-car collision came in the second stage of the race when LaJoie’s Chevy shoved the left rear of Gragson’s Ford. What followed was complete chaos, as Ross Chastain, John Hunter Nemechek, and Noah Gragson were seen flying all over the track, resulting in massive consequences throughout the grid. Points were won and lost because of that incident, changing the way the regular season championship and playoff battle will be approached at Darlington Raceway.
However, Hamlin also left little doubt about who he blamed for the accident at Coke Zero Sugar 400. NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp uploaded a tweet after the collision which read, “Man…. don’t tell me the No. 7 [LaJoie] caused it”, to which the 43-year-old racing veteran responded by saying, “7 caused it”. Denny Hamlin’s frustrations are understandable, after all, he has been docked 75 points this week along with 10 playoff points after Toyota Racing Development dismantled his engine after the race win at Bristol. A DNF in the penultimate race of the season was the last thing that he needed.
In contrast, Chase Elliott refused to point fingers at Corey LaJoie, claiming that he hadn’t seen the incident to be sure about what led to the multi-car collision. His No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro was forced to retire after sustaining heavy damage, which was the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s first DNF of the season so far. Elliott was ranked 2nd heading into the race at Daytona International Speedway, just 10 points behind leader Tyler Reddick. The result will undoubtedly be a major blow in his aspirations to finish as the regular season champion before the playoffs begin at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The build-up to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has been dominated by news off the track this week. Adrian Newey’s confirmed move to Aston Martin has sent shockwaves through F1, with speculation now rife that Max Verstappen could be following him through the door.
However, the Dutchman’s primary focus this week though will be maintaining his grip on the drivers’ championship. He is 62 points clear of Lando Norris, but with eight races to go the gap is closing with McLaren currently superior in pace.
The British team are also now just eight points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ race. And the first indication of who will be superior this weekend will come at 10.30am BST, when FP1 gets underway in Baku.
Lewis Hamilton will be forced to start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the pit lane despite qualifying in seventh place.
After the session, a fifth power unit of the season was installed into Hamilton’s car, exceeding his allocated limit.
An extended DRS zone on the home straight will provide plenty of overtaking opportunities during the race
George Russell has admitted that he is not impressed with Mercedes reverting back to their old floor design in Baku.
“I qualified third last week on the new floor, qualified fourth in Zandvoort on the new floor, and I’ve qualified fifth today,” he said.
“It was a team decision and we were substantially off the pace in the race, but clearly, there was some performance in the car in qualifying the last two races.
“I think [it’s] probably validation that it’s not the floor that’s making the difference.”
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes a rare mistake from Max Verstappen cost him in qualifying.
The Dutchman will start from sixth on the grid and will line up behind team-mate Sergio Perez for the first time in 33 races.
“The positive is that we found speed again, although Max made a rare mistake at Turn 16,” reflected Marko.
“He lost six-tenths as a result, but without that mistake, a second place would have been really possible.”
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NASCAR is heading to its second race in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs. The next challenge for the 16 drivers is Watkins Glen International. In its first time hosting the playoffs, ‘The Glen’ will be more challenging this year. As NASCAR is introducing a new tire compound in the race. These new tires have a 3-second wear-off rate and are bound to make tire management a challenge for the drivers.
However, the tire wear will also make passing the cars easier on track. Hence, the race results won’t be heavily dependent on the qualifying position. This has Chase Elliott take a sigh of relief as he’s trying to forget his 2023 run on the track. According to the Hendrick Motorsports driver, the new tire compound will play a crucial role in the upcoming Watkins Glen race.
At the 2023 Watkins race, Elliot qualified 15th and only managed to climb up to 13th before his first pit stop. The early pit stop initially played a decent role in upping his track position as he progressed to 7th. However, the team tried to stretch their run by staying out. Eventually, Elliott was out of fuel and he finished in the 32nd position. And because it was tough to pass, he ended his run a lap down. This was Elliott’s worst career finish on the track. This is surprising because Elliott has been a dominant force in Watkins Glen. In the past five races, he’s won twice (2018,2019) and finished in the top 5 in the other two (2021, 2022).
Elliott, in the current qualifying, will be starting from 14th position, but that according to him won’t be a problem thanks to the new Goodyear tires. In the pre-race interview, he said, “I mean it was like you know if you didn’t qualify well you were just totally setting yourself up to fail and I think that has really been the case all the way up until all the way through last year. You know truthfully, and I think the only thing that could potentially change that would just be whether or not the tire falls off. You know if a tire actually has some fall of to it, then you know potentially you could. You can not have to qualify on the front row to have a shot to win.”
Well, Elliott’s hopes of passing everyone to victory are based on ifs and buts. However, Goodyear is certain of its claims. Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing, had previously said, “Based on our test and a subsequent WFT (wheelforce test) with the manufacturers, we should see around three seconds of fall-off per lap over a run. That, of course, can mean more passing throughout the race. It’s always tricky on road courses as drivers take advantage of a limited number of ‘passing zones’, so the increased fall-off should lead to more comers and goers as some drivers manage their tires and gain on the field as the runs go on.”
To test the new tire compound, teams were given two practice sessions this time, rather than a single one. After the two 20-minute sessions, the tire wear-off data came in. Most cars experienced at least two seconds of fall-off during a 10-lap run. This means that the race is going to get interesting. A high wear rate also means the car would be tricky to handle. Adding to the uncertainties, NASCAR has also made several changes to the track. Recently, NASCAR drivers voiced their concerns about the changes made.
After retiring from the Cup Series in 2017, Dale Earnhardt Jr has engaged in several ventures. One of them includes participating in the Xfinity Series in a limited capacity every year. For this year, Junior decided to compete at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. However, with strong rumors circulating that this might be his last Xfinity race participation, it has disappointed the fans.
It is no secret how the fans still adore Dale Earnhardt Jr. Despite his presence mainly seen in the broadcast booths and his podcast, the former Hendrick Motorsports driver remains a popular face in NASCAR. Last year, he raced at Bristol and was on course for an impressive finish. However, a fire on his #88 car spoiled everything.
Ever since his retirement, Dale Earnhardt Jr preferred to compete in select races in the Xfinity Series. Normally, he tends to race at short tracks like Martinsville Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Darlington Raceway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway. While he ran two races last year, this year it will be only at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Last year, while driving his #88 Chevrolet Camaro, Dale Jr looked in a good position to win the race. Having led 47 laps, he could have gone all the way had smoke not filled his cockpit. Unfortunately, despite being close to an impressive finish, he finished P30 because the shifter tunnel column caught fire and burned the bottom of his uniform.
That said, he will be back at Bristol this year to make amends. Having competed in at least one race in the Xfinity Series since 2001, Dale Earnhardt Jr will race the same car as last year. While he confirmed it through a social media post, he clarified that the car is totally stripped and rebuilt. It is worth noting that the car will be sponsored by longtime partner Hellmann’s.
There is no doubt that Dale Jr loves racing but considering his comments in June earlier this year, it feels this might be his last race in the Xfinity Series. Back then, he said, “I don’t really share this publicly — but every year, I pretty much feel like it could be my last. I’m going into this race at Bristol this year knowing that it might be the last one I run. There’s nothing that really makes that decision. It’s just last year was a lot of fun, led some laps. But it is a big commitment.”
Interestingly, Dale Earnhardt Jr competing at Bristol next weekend will be his 147th Xfinity Series start. While he has enjoyed a victory both in the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series at the half-mile track, he would love to secure his 25th Xfinity win next week. A win or not, Junior’s fans would be delighted to see him back on the track. However, they seem to be disheartened knowing that this could be the last they could see him on a NASCAR track.
