{"id":1571061,"date":"2023-06-07T13:56:46","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T17:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1571061"},"modified":"2023-06-07T13:56:48","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T17:56:48","slug":"corey-lajoie-observation-internet-outage-foreshadow-nascar-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/corey-lajoie-observation-internet-outage-foreshadow-nascar-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Corey LaJoie\u2019s Observation and an Internet Outage Foreshadow NASCAR\u2019s Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Corey LaJoie<\/a> witnessed the future during his brief stint at Hendrick Motorsports. Then, the weekend concluded by the Cup Series reverting to 1998 during the race won by Kyle Busch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What LaJoie saw during preparations to drive the No. 9 Chevy and the problems the technical glitch caused reflect a NASCAR<\/a> future of growing disparity between the top teams and the also-rans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corey LaJoie\u2019s big day was a bust<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Corey
Corey LaJoie looks on during qualifying for the Busch Light Pole at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 15, 2023. | Sean Gardner\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Though some overhyped it as a potential stepping stone<\/a> for a move to a better ride, Corey LaJoie driving for Hendrick Motorsports<\/a> at World Wide Technology Raceway was never anything more than a one-off. HMS needed a fill-in while Chase Elliott served his suspension, and Josh Berry was on the other side of the country for the Xfinity Series race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The premise of the hype was that LaJoie, enjoying a solid year at Spire Motorsports, would finally get to drive a superior car backed by the resources of the most successful organization in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, that didn\u2019t pan out. He accidentally hit the kill switch to start the race and spent the first 90 laps outrun by Carson Hocevar, making his Cup debut in LaJoie\u2019s usual car. LaJoie finished 21st<\/sup> and dropped two spots in the season points standings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The week leading up to the race taught the driver a few things, and a mid-race glitch taught us all something about the future of NASCAR, namely that the sport is likely to return to the pre-Next Gen era in which there was an expanding gulf between haves and the have-nots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corey LaJoie marveled at what he saw at Hendrick Motorsports<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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