Corey LaJoie drew the ire of NASCAR commentator Jeff Burton for triggering a pile-up in the Cup Series’ latest visit to Pocono Raceway.
LaJoie made contact with Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch on a race restart that sent the #8 into a spin.
On the restart, the field fanned out on approach to turn one. Deep in the field, LaJoie dived to the inside of Busch who blocked in response.
Busch appeared to maintain his line before LaJoie shot back up the track and tagged the left rear corner of Busch’s car.
That sent the two-time NASCAR Cup Series winner spinning and into the path of the field.
“Kyle Busch blocked him and LaJoie just ran into him, to be honest with you,” said Burton on Fox Sports’ commentary.
KYLE BUSCH GETS TURNED AND SLIDES IN FRONT OF THE FIELD!
📺 : USA Network | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Dru1HtmnLl
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 14, 2024
Burton said it could have been unintentional or a misjudgement but his tune soon changed when one of LaJoie’s crew made remarks over the radio that suggested otherwise.
“You let him have it the first time, the second time he got what he deserved,” said the unidentified Spire Motorsports member.
In response, Burton said: “To be honest with you, if I’m not only Kyle Busch but all the other guys that got in the wreck, I am really unhappy with that.
“He hooked himself? Well yes, right here, that big block. That’s a big block, that’s an aggressive block, but this? Kyle Busch didn’t hook himself there. He got hooked there.
“If LaJoie thinks he deserved that then LaJoie has the prerogative to do that.”
Steve Letarte added: “But he has to go and explain it to the #21 and the #41 and the #16 and #47.”
Burton said drivers have to stand their ground but that the risk of retaliation is high at Pocono, in particular.
However, he added a caveat that LaJoie might not have intended to hook Busch.
“This is the margin drivers stand on every time they get in a race car — how aggressive am I willing to be? What is the cost I’m willing to pay?
“I want to say this too, there have been many times that it looked like I intentionally wrecked somebody and I’m telling you I didn’t. I made a mistake, so I’m very careful in judging intention – but when I hear the radio ‘He got what he deserved’ that leads me to [believe] that wasn’t an accident.”
Speaking after the incident, Busch refrained from commenting on the incident and thanked his sponsors. Asked whether he would talk to LaJoie about the incident, Busch replied, “No.”
LaJoie told reporters he thought Busch blocked a second time and made no suggestion that the incident was intentional and didn’t think it was a “bonehead” move.
“I got a big push from the #16. When you’re 20th back there you’re in the hornet’s nest and you’re seven-wide into one,” said LaJoie.
“If you’re not the guy on the bottom someone else behind you is going to jam it in there and put you freaking middle.
“I had a bit of a run, #16 gave me a shot, I got to the left rear of the #8 and he blocked it once and I kind of held the wheel straight.
“I was almost anticipating our bumpers lining up and giving him a little bit of a shove but when he blocked a second time it just turned him across my nose.”
RYAN BLANEY WINS!
Seven years after getting his first career NASCAR win at Pocono, he gets it done again. pic.twitter.com/jWqbjFgePC
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 14, 2024
Monday’s race was ultimately won by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney after several late race restarts.
Blaney was among a group of drivers who pitted between stage two and stage three, which put him close on fuel.
He came out of the pit lane in second but inherited the lead when Kyle Larson was pinged for speeding.
Three caution periods inside the final 40 laps aided Blaney in his quest to save fuel
Denny Hamlin was second for Joe Gibbs Racing after he passed Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman late.
Bowman’s teammate William Byron was fourth while Joey Logano complete the top five for Team Penske.
NASCAR The Great American Getaway 400, Pocono Raceway:
| Pos | Driver | No. | Laps | Diff | Int |
| 1 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | 160 | ||
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 160 | +1.312 | +1.312 |
| 3 | Alex Bowman | 48 | 160 | +4.057 | +2.745 |
| 4 | William Byron | 24 | 160 | +6.160 | +2.103 |
| 5 | Joey Logano | 22 | 160 | +6.559 | +0.399 |
| 6 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 160 | +6.865 | +0.306 |
| 7 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | 160 | +7.604 | +0.739 |
| 8 | Martin Truex Jr | 19 | 160 | +8.512 | +0.908 |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | 9 | 160 | +9.144 | +0.632 |
| 10 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 160 | +12.089 | +2.945 |
| 11 | Chris Buescher | 17 | 160 | +12.591 | +0.502 |
| 12 | Christopher Bell | 20 | 160 | +12.967 | +0.376 |
| 13 | Kyle Larson | 5 | 160 | +15.901 | +2.934 |
| 14 | Erik Jones | 43 | 160 | +16.636 | +0.735 |
| 15 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | 160 | +17.621 | +0.985 |
| 16 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | 160 | +18.095 | +0.474 |
| 17 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | 160 | +19.701 | +1.606 |
| 18 | Austin Cindric | 2 | 160 | +20.368 | +0.667 |
| 19 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | 160 | +21.110 | +0.742 |
| 20 | Josh Berry | 4 | 160 | +21.415 | +0.305 |
| 21 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | 160 | +23.784 | +2.369 |
| 22 | Justin Haley | 51 | 160 | +23.987 | +0.203 |
| 23 | Austin Dillon | 3 | 160 | +26.992 | +3.005 |
| 24 | Michael McDowell | 34 | 158 | +2 Laps | +2 Laps |
| 25 | Daniel Hemric | 31 | 153 | +7 laps | +5 Laps |
| 26 | Cody Ware | 15 | 134 | +26 laps | +19 Laps |
| 27 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | 132 | +28 laps | +2 Laps |
| 28 | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | 126 | +34 laps | +6 Laps |
| 29 | Zane Smith | 71 | 126 | +34 laps | +0.101 |
| 30 | Ryan Preece | 41 | 121 | +39 laps | +5 Laps |
| 31 | Harrison Burton | 21 | 121 | +39 laps | +1’09.118 |
| 32 | Kyle Busch | 8 | 120 | +40 laps | +1 lap |
| 33 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 47 | 120 | +40 laps | +0.327 |
| 34 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | 115 | +45 laps | +5 laps |
| 35 | JJ Yeley | 44 | 112 | +38 laps | +3 laps |
| 36 | Ross Chastain | 1 | 53 | +107 laps | +59 laps |
| 37 | Noah Gragson | 10 | 13 | +147 laps | +40 laps |
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