“Why are Spire drivers getting into everyone?” quipped a NASCAR fan after the Indianapolis weekend. While Hendrick Motorsports is in the spotlight for reigning this season, Spire Motorsports is garnering attention for all the bad things. Although two rookie drivers are wheeling Cup cars for the first time, they have just managed to stamp themselves in their peers’ bad books. And the onus is likely on teammate Corey LaJoie for not guiding them right.

At the Brickyard 400 race, Carson Hocevar caused a ruckus on lap 110. That was expected, as the young driver already has a penchant for the wild side. Yet the involvement of another Spire rookie in a final-lap dash at Chris Buescher was unprecedented. Clearly, Corey LaJoie’s guidance to the youngsters is taking the wrong direction.

Chris Buescher bashes Spire driver

NASCAR returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval with a literal bang. Several caution flags littered the race, and some were due to rowdy drivers. For instance, Carson Hocevar clipped Ryan Blaney, who got into Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano, taking out the two in a smoking wreck. Hocevar is already drumming up a bad reputation among peers who are getting fed up with him. However, his teammate also caused a similar ruckus at the end, which did not receive much spotlight until now.

With two laps to go at the Brickyard 400, RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher was running for a top-20 finish. But then No. 71 Spire driver Zane Smith appeared before his windshield. The rookie threw an aggressive block that drove Buescher’s No. 17 car into the grass. He lost balance for a while but then steered back up to secure a 22nd-place finish. His spotter Mike Herman suspected Corey LaJoie’s hand in this: “Did you get Corey LaJoie’d on the last lap there?” But Buescher corrected him, even disregarding Smith’s name: “No. Whoever the dipshit is, the 71 is.” Then Mike equated LaJoie with his team: “Same thing. Zane Smith.”

Indeed, Corey LaJoie does come to mind when watching these Spire rookies create a mess. Having driven the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports since 2021, LaJoie owns authority in the team. And naturally, as the veteran driver, he is supposed to be the guiding light for Hocevar and Smith. Yet that does not seem to be going so well. In Pocono, we saw LaJoie’s aggressive push that wrecked Kyle Busch and took out several others. His teammates seem to be mirroring that attitude.

Yet this is the first time that Zane Smith has ventured into the rowdy bandwagon. Pushing Chris Buescher is also significant, as Smith drove the No. 17 car in his stead in 2022 when Buescher was afflicted with COVID-19. Despite being his Cup debut, the Gateway race saw Smith turning all 240 laps and wheeling the car to a respectable 17th-place finish.

However, at the moment, Smith also seemed to have joined in chipping the respect off the Spire Motorsports team. And NASCAR fans react with gaping mouths at the ensuing drama, calling out Corey LaJoie.

NASCAR community points fingers at LaJoie

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Zane Smith’s last-lap actions in Indianapolis mark the umpteenth time a Spire driver has gotten under the critical radar this season. Carson Hocevar bore the brunt of it, as NASCAR heavily penalized him after intentionally wrecking Harrison Burton under yellow in Nashville. However, their continued ruckus is drawing concern from fans. One fan drew up a savage reason: “Youve got to make headlines some how. Maybe pissing off the entire field is their key to success? Edit: I say this as a Spire/LaJoie fan lmao.” 

The spotlight fell on Corey LaJoie, given his years of experience in the garage. One fan strongly stressed his responsibility as a senior driver, which he is failing at. “Poor veteran leadership as well. Lajoie should be helping these rookies learn to drive cleaner and safer. Instead hes teaching them the exact opposite, if hes even helping them at all.” Others poked fun at the No. 17 spotter’s radio line: “Lajoie is literally doing the same thing, if not worst, just ahead…lol. Spotter probably got confused.” Another fan chimed in: “LaJoie” is now a verb.”

Yet Zane Smith’s action surprised people, given he mostly has a clean record in racing. One fan seemed sad at this development. “TBF, this is the first time Zane has done anything like this. He does not belong in the same aura as LaJoie and Hocevar, even if he is a rookie. That said this was still bad.” Another fan pointed out the hilarious element in Buescher forgetting Smith’s name. “Whoever the dipshit in the 71″ extra savage when a guy doesn’t even know who you are.”

Evidently, NASCAR is battering the Spire Motorsports team for their homogeneous wrecking attitude. Hopefully, they will improve their behavior as a collective team.