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“I Don’t Like Losing Them”: Spire Motorsports Ace on Losing Pit Crew Regulars to Kyle Larson’s Team

Published 04/23/2024, 3:26 AM EDT

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Kyle Larson showcased a notable performance at the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 race at the Texas Motor Speedway. However, despite starting from the pole position and leading a significant number of laps, Larson suffered a major setback. During the race, the HMS driver suffered from losing a wheel. This cost the driver a 2-lap penalty, and two of his crew members were suspended. Now, to replace his suspended crew, Larson has been substituted with two from Corey LaJoie‘s crew. While LaJoie’s crew joins the HMS team, the Spire Motorsports driver seems disheartened about losing them. Here’s what he has to say.

Corey LaJoie appreciates his crew

Following the suspension of HMS No. 5 Chevrolet crew members Calvin Teague and Brandon Johnson in Texas, their replacements from Spire Motorsports have sparked conversations in the NASCAR community. In a recent interview with Bob Pockrass, Corey LaJoie opened up about his crew being passed on to Kyle Larson.

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On being asked about how he feels about letting go of his crew, LaJoie expressed grief while also being glad about them making more money and gaining better experiences. He said, “I like seeing my guys go to the house car, because those guys are making more money. And my guys have shown, they are very good. They’ve had a lot of great stops. I don’t like losing them, but I’m glad they’re going and have a chance to win races, and on a championship car.” LaJoie seems to see this as an opportunity for his crew to win races on a championship car.

Further, when asked if he has ever worked with his new crew before, Corey LaJoie couldn’t recall as he said, “Have not, might have, I don’t know. I don’t really see the picker depth charts until I get there, and start changing the trailer.” Following this change in pit crew, Kyle Larson also expressed his views on the same.

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Kyle Larson’s take on his crew replacement

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Having his crew being replaced by Corey LaJoie’s, Kyle Larson feels bad about the Spire Motorsports driver. He expressed how he felt LaJoie was having to lose most of his team only because of him, as he said, “When I was reading the whole roster stuff I was like, ‘Man, I feel bad for Corey (LaJoie) because he’s basically losing most of his team for me,'”

However, speaking of the required changes to adjust to the new crew, Larson feels it is mostly his consistency that should matter. He said. “ just try to be consistent, hitting my marks and all that. I don’t think I need to change up anything. And I don’t really think they should change anything either,”

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Kyle Larson is also confident with his new crew on board, as he added, “I know they’ll be good because Corey’s pit crew has been extremely fast all year. I think Hendrick’s got a lot of depth with this group.” Kyle Larson, although satisfied with the new crew, feels bad for the Spire Motorsports driver.

Let’s see how things turn out with the new crew adjustments between the drivers.

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Written by:

Mamata Mukherjee

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Mamata Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. Combining her love for writing and motorsports she has created some interesting and in-depth stories on drivers like Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Joining ES with 3 years of experience in the field of writing, Mamata feels right at home in her role as a NASCAR Journalist.
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Edited by:

Tushhita Barua