It was @CoreyLaJoie that was upside down, and crossed the start-finish line in his side in 19th (unofficially).@JoshBerry also had his No. 4 Ford Mustang off the ground for a while in that accident.#NASCAR
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) April 21, 2024
Usually, things get pretty spectacular when a crash happens at the front of the pack on a superspeedway.
The final lap of Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway was no exception, as a violent accident unfolded as the field came through the tri-oval headed to the oddly-placed start-finish line. Michael McDowell, the leader at the time, triggered the accident, which collected at least 15 cars.
McDowell was looking for his third NASCAR Cup Series victory, defending against fellow Ford Performance driver Brad Keselowski when the No. 6 made a move to the outside. However, once Keselowski ducked inside, the Front Row Motorsports driver thought he could block that also.
Even though McDowell was technically clear, he slid across the front bumper of Keselowski, which turned his No. 34 Ford Mustang back up the racetrack into the path of oncoming traffic. After that, mayhem developed behind.
Corey LaJoie, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, was shoved up the racetrack into the path of other vehicles crashing into the outside wall, which sent his Gainbridge Chevrolet Camaro upside down and underneath the rear-end of Josh Berry.
Both LaJoie and Berry had their vehicles stay not planted on the asphalt for a significant portion of time, with the No. 7 sliding across the start-finish line on his side, being credited with an 18th-place result.
McDowell, who initiated the wreck, ended up finishing 31st, as one of the only vehicles involved in the wreck to not cross the start-finish line.
Here is the on-board camera for Corey LaJoie:
Corey LaJoie's onboard pic.twitter.com/f5SzhJwOZJ
— Andrew (@Basso488) April 21, 2024
