The 2024 season has been quite the downward spiral for Corey LaJoie, with his strong form at Daytona and Atlanta quickly losing steam as we headed to the short tracks. So when the Cup Series arrived at the Circuit of the Americas, the Spire Motorsports driver hoped that the road course would change his fortunes. However, Lady Luck doesn’t seem to side with LaJoie this season.

While the 32-year-old was on the road to recovery after his run-in with Bubba Wallace and Martin Truex Jr, all hopes slowly faded as the #7 failed to push past the top 25. At the end of the race, Spire Motorsports fans were met with a gut-wrenching site, as their star driver quickly lay down on the grass after the race was over. Evidently, the race at COTA had taken quite a toll on Corey LaJoie.

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Although Corey LaJoie seemed to have the worst of luck at COTA with his frequent run-ins with other drivers, the race was so intense that it also brought the 32-year-old major exhaustion. After the race, LaJoie was taken to the NASCAR care center and provided with intravenous fluids to help restore his salt composition. Shortly thereafter, the driver was released, but still recovering,

Reflecting on the whole ordeal, LaJoie shared with Bob Pockrass, “Every muscle in my body is cramped up. I was fine in the car, had a little bit of foot cramp but then as soon as I like, tucked my chin to get up out of the car, every muscle from the top of my abs to the bottom of my feet just seized right up, I tried to walk it off.”

The #7 Spire Motorsports driver revealed that his muscles had cramped up so much that he couldn’t move his feet. While the temperature at Austin wasn’t out of the ordinary, LaJoie most likely lost a lot of fluids, as indicated by the IV treatment he got at the care center. And after a race as taxing as COTA, he inevitably had to take a moment to rest on the grass. F

The Spire Motorsports driver concluded by sharing that the intensity also played a role, “I got two bags (of IV), you know. It’s a combination of frustration today, where we threw away that track position early just getting in that little scuff up and then I was just super frustrated the rest of the day and couldn’t quite get it back.” 

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While it’s safe to say Corey LaJoie seems to be well on the way to recovery, the #7 Spire Motorsports driver couldn’t help but feel frustrated for not following through with his preparation.

LaJoie goes over what could have gone wrong under the Austin sun

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After LaJoie was cleared from the care center, reporters quickly took an update on his health. Following this, some were also keen to know what could have prevented such an outcome. Speaking of which, LaJoie wasn’t too sure how he lost track of his fluid levels, feeling confused with the weather in Austin.

Speaking to various reporters such as FrontStretch, LaJoie shared; “I’m usually pretty aware of my body, generally. Yeah, I don’t feel like I was behind on my salt or anything. I looked at my suit and my suit’s got a little bit more salt lines in it than usual, and I think you’re just locked in for, you know, whatever it was, probably 45 minutes or so for the last run.” 

Looking back at how the race had no cautions triggered by incidents and long periods between pitstops, LaJoie was in a sticky situation after the final stop. Channeling his inner endurance racer, the #7 driver still made a stellar recovery, albeit to 25th. Could he have done anything differently? LaJoie felt he had just the right solution.

The 32-year-old concluded, “I didn’t get a chance to drink a lot throughout the course of the race and I sweat a lot, so I just needed to be a little bit more ahead of it. I got those salt stick tablets that I probably should have used this week. I didn’t figure the weather was going to be too bad, sweat a little bit more than I anticipated and seized right up after the race.” 

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While it’s safe to say this weekend at COTA certainly didn’t go Corey LaJoie’s way, do you think the #7 can recreate his Daytona glory a few more times this season?