Corey Lajoie is known for occasional self-inflicted misadventures. His track record includes spinning Reed Sorenson out of a Daytona 500 qualifying spot in 2017, an episode he later described as a misjudgment under heavy pressure. More recently, in August 2024 at Michigan International Speedway, he flipped his No. 7 Chevrolet after contact on Lap 135, marking his second flip of that weekend and underscoring a season of highs and wrecks.
LaJoie is aware of his reputation, and recently, while working as an analyst on Amazon Prime Video, he was brought face-to-face with another embarrassing memory from 2024. However, Corey LaJoie took it in great spirit.
Corey LaJoie’s misery revisited
Last year at Pocono’s Great American Getaway 400, a dramatic multi-car incident involving Corey LaJoie resurfaced in conversation when Danielle Trotta, Carl Edwards, and LaJoie himself laughed about it on a recent broadcast. On a restart with 40 laps remaining saw LaJoie’s No. 7 made contact with Kyle Busch’s No. 8, which ignited chaos, leading to multiple cars being wiped out of the field!
On the pre-race broadcast on Amazon Prime Video, Danielle Trotta set the stage. “In fact, there were only 24 cars running at the end of this race one year ago, Corey?” LaJoie responded with mock exasperation, “Why’d you kick it over to me?” When Trotta jokingly suggested, “Maybe you had something to do with that?” he quipped, “Yeah, well, they ran the clip in the pre-race, too. Man, I wiped out about 12 of them here. I misjudged the back bumper of the eighth car. Happened to wipe out about 12 cars.”
Corey Lajoie sent Kyle Busch through the infield grass and collected A.J. Allmendinger, Harrison Burton, Ryan Preece, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Each of those drivers finished poorly. Busch 32nd, Preece 30th, Burton 31st, Stenhouse 33rd, and Allmendinger 21st. Corey salvaged a 19th-place finish despite a speeding penalty on Lap 96. Although he joked about “wiping out about 12 cars,” the official count of directly involved cars was five, but that crash was certainly the highlight of the day, as it’s not often we see the ‘Big One’ occur at the Tricky Triangle.
Prime desk mentions that there were only 24 cars running at the end of last year’s Pocono race before tossing to Corey LaJoie.
“Why’d you kick it over to me!?”
“Maybe you had something to do with that.”
LaJoie then talked about the Turn 1 wreck he caught a lot of heat for. pic.twitter.com/Ss8hMypY2X
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) June 22, 2025
A normally fiery Kyle Busch acknowledged that it wasn’t an incident out of spite, just a mistake that resulted in a bad day for a lot of drivers. “That’s just racing these days. It’s what happens,” he said, post-crash. All involved acknowledged Pocono’s tricky nature. Even Carl Edwards pointed that out while talking to Lajoie on Prime, saying, “This track is so difficult to pass on.” The three unique corners at Pocono each provide a different challenge, and everyone who has raced there knows that making it unscathed is not easy.
In the aftermath, none of the affected drivers publicly demanded penalties, and NASCAR took no action against LaJoie. However, this incident cemented LaJoie’s reputation for chaotic moments and also highlighted a collective understanding among competitors that tight pack racing at Pocono often produces such outcomes.
Just take a look at Carson Hocevar at this year’s Pocono race. The sophomore driver was driving just his second ever Cup race at Pocono, and spun sideways while exiting a Turn and hit the wall! Luckily, the #77 was able to hold it straight and keep driving through, avoiding what could have been a big wreck or a DNF after a strong start to the day.
Meanwhile, Corey LaJoie owns his mistake, teammates and analysts laugh it off, and veterans like Edwards acknowledge the track’s difficulty. Sometimes, one driver’s misery becomes shared lore, fodder for lighthearted banter yet rooted in real consequences, lost points, shattered equipment, and shaken playoff prospects.
Beyond the wreck: LaJoie’s season and broadcasting role
While past incidents draw attention, Corey LaJoie’s 2025 season shows evolution. Driving part-time for Rick Ware Racing in the No. 01 Ford and filling in on analysis for Prime Video alongside Carl Edwards and Danielle Trotta, he balances on-track duties with broadcasting insights. Despite creating controversy by berating the Truck Series after declining a full-time seat ahead of the 2025 season, Lajoie eventually accepted a limited schedule in Trucks for Spire Motorsports and regrets his earlier comments.
Lajoie said recently, “I’ve said a lot of dumb things on camera, so that was just another one… I said something about not going out of truck series and racing in front of 12 fans. So, just a clear context for everybody. I said that on the morning of a five-day fast.” Lajoie’s comments reflected maturity and growth, something that NASCAR fans were quite pleased to see.
Additionally, LaJoie’s rapport with analysts like Edwards adds depth to broadcasts. Their lighthearted revisiting of the Pocono crash is one of many reasons why Lajoie became a fan favorite on the Amazon Prime broadcast. From his enthusiastic burnout rankings to drinking beers with drivers after a win, Lajoie brought life to the post-race show, and Amazon Prime Video leaves NASCAR after Pocono. Lajoie’s analysis and passion will truly be missed.
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