NASCAR official clarifies penalty decision for Corey LaJoie's race-ending move on Kyle Busch at Pocono

Spire Motorsports' #7 driver, Corey LaJoie, made contact with Kyle Busch after a stage three restart at the Great American Getaway at Pocono Raceway, resulting in Busch's early retirement from the race. The incident was under investigation and NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer, has recently clarified the decision on imposing a penalty.

After a stage three restart, Corey LaJoie and Richard Childress Racing's #8 driver Kyle Busch were at the bottom of the racetrack. With 40 laps to go, Busch blocked LaJoie's first attempt to get ahead of him. As the #7 Chevrolet driver tried to come back on the racetrack, he made contact with Busch's left rear, causing him to spin off into the field and resulting in a multi-car wreck at Pocono.

Here's a look at the incident:

TobyChristie's NASCAR reporter Taylor Kitchen has shared Vice President Sawyer's decision on the incident involving Corey LaJoie and Kyle Busch at Pocono. In a post on X, Kitchen wrote:

"NO PENALTY. Elton Sawyer says there will be no penalty from the Corey LaJoie / Kyle Busch incident at Pocono. However, NASCAR does plan to speak to LaJoie before this weekend."

Here's what NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran had to say (via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's X handle):

"Don't believe it was intentional, but we'll certainly go through and do our dilligence to make sure that is correct."

Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has faced a string of bad luck this season. The RCR driver has been at the receiving end of multiple mechanical issues and on-track incidents, preventing him from being among the frontrunners. Currently winless and without a seat in the playoffs, Busch sits at P18 in the driver standings, with only two top-five finishes and five DNFs. In contrast, Corey LaJoie is positioned at P30 in the standings, with 301 regular season points.

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"I don't want to wreck anybody's day" - Corey LaJoie reacts to the incident involving Kyle Busch at Pocono

Corey LaJoie and Kyle Busch made contact after a stage three restart at Pocono on Sunday. The incident happened at turn one, eventually leading to an 8-car wreck and Busch's early exit from the race.

The incident has sparked controversy among the NASCAR fraternity, raising questions about LaJoie's intentions as he tried to get ahead of Busch. In a post-race interview with NASCAR, LaJoie shared his thoughts on the incident. He said:

"I do feel bad for... Even for Kyle. Like I wouldn't. Randall Burnett, like, we're buddies, like... I don't. I don't want to wreck anybody's day. [...] I was planning on trying to kind of blend back behind him, but at the same time I was committed to kind of fill and get behind him is when he was in the chip."

"So the amount that he was in the chip, I didn't anticipate his car. Losing that momentum relative to mine. I spun them out took out several good cars behind me which I do feel bad about on Monday," he added.

The incident between LaJoie and Busch led to the latter officially finishing in P32 in the Great American Getaway 400, while LaJoie secured a 19th-place finish.