"Every muscle in my body cramped up" - Corey LaJoie on the physical intensity of NASCAR Cup race at COTA

Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie sought medical attention after the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas last Sunday. LaJoie revealed that he was completely exhausted and every muscle in his body cramped up after the 68-lap race.

After completing the race, the #7 Gainbridge Spire Motorsports driver struggled to climb out of his car and lay down on the ground for a long period. This prompted a visit to the on-field medical center, where he was evaluated and released after taking two bags of IV fluids.

Corey LaJoie then elaborated that his body was fully cramped up after the strenuous 68-lap race around the 3.410-mile circuit. The 32-year-old told Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass:

"Every muscle in my body cramped up. I was fine in the car, had a little bit of foot cramp But as soon as I 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, but my feet wouldn’t work my legs wouldn’t work so I just had to lay down, but I got two bags (of IV fluid)," he added.

The Cup Series race featured zero cautions for cause, meaning drivers had to navigate the 20-turn circuit without any breaks in the second half of the race. Corey LaJoie added that the absence of cautions didn't help him as he couldn't rehydrate himself during the latter part of the race.

The American also mentioned that he noticed more salt stains on his suit, as he was sweating profusely during the race. The #7 Spire Motorsports driver added that he is self-conscious about his salt levels, but the outing in Austin, Texas was a valuable lesson.

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Corey LaJoie elaborates on Lap 1 incident with Martin Truex Jr and Bubba Wallace

Corey LaJoie had an impressive qualifying performance, lining up fifth on the grid for the race. However, his efforts were thwarted on the first lap when he was involved in an incident with two Toyota drivers.

The #7 Chevy driver went wide on a tight left-hander and attempted to merge back onto the racing line. Unfortunately, he was collected by Martin Truex Jr., who found himself sandwiched by the rejoining #7 Chevy and Bubba Wallace's #23 Toyota on his left.

"Well, I watched the replay. It wasn’t anybody’s fault." LaJoie told Pockrass. "I thought the #19 was clear bottom, I thought he was going to at least give me a lane to merge and he couldn’t because the #23 was on his door so when I tried to merge he got me in the left rear and kind of turned me into traffic and it was an uphill battle from there."

LaJoie finished in 25th place, while Truex Jr. and Wallace bounced back to secure 10th and 15th places, respectively.