While William Byron and Alex Bowman secured a 1-2 sweep for Hendrick Motorsports, Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie emerged as a surprising contender at the 2024 Daytona 500, narrowly missing his first career win in the Cup Series and finishing a strong fourth at the end of the 200-lap superspectacle.

LaJoie, behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chili’s sponsored Chevrolet, delivered a remarkable performance. Dodging a massive 23-car pileup in the early stages. And learning from a key move by Kyle Busch, LaJoie capped off a thrilling race with a career-best Daytona performance.

The story that we have has got the heat of a post-race spat, the wisdom of a two-time champion driver, and the sweet taste of redemption (almost a win!). So settle in and let’s dissect LaJoie’s wild ride at the Great American Race!

How Kyle Busch mentored the Spire driver to avoid Daytona doom

​Early in the race, the North Carolina native was already showcasing his prowess, drafting alongside two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. As per a report by kickinthetires, reflecting on the race, LaJoie acknowledged the learning curve and said, “Kyle Busch pulled about 140 race and IQ-move on me out of Turn 2 and jumped to the top. He was kind of baiting me to the top and filled the middle. So, I learned something there.”

In another post-race interview with a representative from SiriusXM’s NASCAR radio, LaJoie shared insights into his Daytona journey while emphasizing veteran Busch and the impact of his experienced maneuvering in the #8 Camaro ZL1 for RCR, revealing, “I got shuffled, learned some stuff from Kyle Busch there, he stuck his nose and shoved me, but it might have missed us from the big wreck. We could have been right in the middle of it. Right? But it all worked out…”

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He continued to elaborate on his growing confidence and determination to excel, declaring, “There’s nothing I feel like I can’t do, you know. I got to learn, I got to put myself in different scenarios and I gotta have those guys gain confidence in my abilities to do it. So I think we did a lot of things tonight and we keep chipping away and we’re getting better each and every year.”

Watch This Story: 5 Months After Kyle Busch’s Shocking Decision, He Painfully Admits He Misses His Old Team

The wild ride that the #7 Camaro driver had at the 500! ️

Starting from the 29th position, LaJoie steadily carved his way through the field. Finishing 14th in stage one and securing 11th in the second stage, he positioned himself for a final push. The climactic moments saw LaJoie narrowly avoiding an 18-car pileup and restarting in fifth with four laps to go. The final dash, marked by a last-lap clash with Austin Cindric, left LaJoie just shy of victory.

As the race progressed, LaJoie found himself embroiled in the intricate dance of drafting and strategy, navigating the chaos that characterizes the high banks of the Daytona International Speedway. Despite his best efforts, a late-race incident involving Austin Cindric and Ross Chastain altered the course of the event. While LaJoie narrowly dodged disaster, the ensuing caution sealed his fate – a hard-fought P4 finish.

The drama didn’t end with the checkered flag as Penske’s #2 driver Austin Cindric expressed frustration publically with LaJoie’s aggressive driving, claiming it led to the climactic last-lap crash. In response, LaJoie defended his moves to Bob Pockrass of FOX, emphasizing the intense competition at the highest level of NASCAR. As he sits 10th in the driver points standings, the upcoming AmBetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway holds the promise of further success.

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