NASCAR News: Kyle Busch criticizes Corey LaJoie after incident at Pocono Raceway – “Liar”

Confrontations are as much a part of NASCAR as the racing itself. Last Sunday’s incident at the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway was a stark reminder of that. Kyle Busch drove the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing and Corey LaJoie drove the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.

Chaos erupted when LaJoie’s car struck Busch, setting off a chain reaction that sent Busch spinning and sliding across the infield, knocking out other competitors, including AJ Allmendinger and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. This incident led to Busch’s early retirement from the race, which was his fifth retirement in the last seven Cup races.

The events after the race were marked by intense emotions. In a candid interview on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show, Kyle Busch didn’t mince his words. He explained, as quoted by NASCAR.com:

“He (LaJoie) texted me and then he called me. I didn’t even get back to him because he changed his story four times. So I was like, you’re just a liar. You ruined me. I get it. It’s okay, whatever. Revenge is coming.”

Meanwhile, Corey LaJoie expressed a somewhat remorseful view on his podcast, Stacking Pennies. After having the opportunity to reflect on the incident, LaJoie expressed his regret and admitted:

“When I tried to replay it, and I wish I had done my interview on replays before I said anything because I didn’t know, I’m probably more remorseful, that’s the right word, but I even feel sorry for Kyle. I don’t want to end his day. Randall Burnett (crew chief No. 8), we’re friends, I don’t want to ruin anyone’s day.”

Looking at the current standings, the path forward is challenging for both drivers. Busch faces a pivotal moment as he currently sits 102 points below the 16-driver elimination line with just five races of the regular season remaining. He offered some insight into his ongoing struggles and efforts to bounce back.

“Our cars haven’t been great right now. We’re working on it. We’ve learned a lot of things and figured them out. Last year we were good. When I came to RCR we won three of the first 12, 15 races or something. It was pretty good and we haven’t won since then, so it’s been kind of a dry spell, so we’re working on it.”

Corey LaJoie is 229 points behind the elimination line and has a tough climb to make amends and regain his competitive spirit.