Denny Hamlin was forced to exit early from Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway. He was one of the several drivers who got collected in a Stage 2 wreck that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver believes was set in motion by Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie.
Advertisement
The incident played out during a point in the race when everything appeared calm and balanced. However, as it turned out, that was just the unpredictable nature of the 2.5-mile-long tri-oval doing its part in tricking the drivers.
IT'S THE BIG ONE AT DAYTONA!#NASCAR | NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/zRqpRLv1L5
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 25, 2024
Soon after the incident, Hamlin got on his phone and pointed the blame at LaJoie. Responding to a post on X by popular NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp, he expressed his thoughts loud and clear. Estepp had written, “Man…. don’t tell me the No. 7 [LaJoie] caused it.” The JGR driver reverted, “7 caused it.” The wreck had massive consequences for the likes of himself and Chase Elliott as they dropped several points.
7 caused it.
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) August 25, 2024
Hamlin also spoke to the press after undergoing evaluation at the infield care center. He explained the field’s racing mindset in Stage 2, “Obviously a little fuel saving going on which causes a little stack up. Just seemed like some guys wanted to go, some guys didn’t and it just caused a little contact there.” Fair or not, his blame on LaJoie has been reciprocated by the fandom.
Fans go after LaJoie following Denny Hamlin’s accusation
One fan responded to Estepp’s tweet, “He should be ejected out of that seat right now. Absolutely embarassing.” LaJoie has drawn upon himself the image of a lower-tier racer with his subpar performances and brash driving nature, especially over the past few weeks. Through moves like the one on Saturday, he is essentially adding fuel to the fire. Another fan stated, “He earned himself a truck ride with that push.”
send lajoie into the sun bruh i swear
— omsportsburner (@omsportsburner) August 25, 2024
The 32-year-old has already been let go from his driving role at Spire Motorsports for 2025. He is yet to find himself a place for next season. Lajoie wanting to finish his final stint with the team on a high note seems less likely as the regular season draws to a close. “I’m sure he’ll blame it on the push he was getting. Never his fault,” one follower wrote. Another vented out rather extremely, “Casual LaJoie Terrorism.”
Daytona was LaJoie’s third big stumble this season. He suffered a similar fate in Talladega and Michigan earlier during the year as well. He has a single top-10 finish this season, which came at the season-opening Daytona 500. The two big questions right now are if he will be able to find a seat for 2025 and if he can stop causing wrecks on the track. Not many fans think he will be able to do either.
