Got goosebumps at the Michigan race? That was probably because of the bone-rattling wreck you saw. Right at the cusp of the finish line, Corey LaJoie seemed to knock on death’s door. The No. 7 Spire Chevrolet spiraled out of control in the 25-30 mph gusts of wind and went for a ride through space. The incident shocked most people in the Cup garage, who right after inquired about LaJoie’s health.

Yet what can be better than to hear about the chilling story from the man himself? The Spire Motorsports driver left the accident unscathed with no great injury to bear. But what he did have was some thrilling content for his podcast that he shared recently.

Corey LaJoie delves into the icky details

This year has not been very favorable for the third-generation NASCAR racer. Corey LaJoie has never attained a single Cup victory in four years, achieving only four top-five finishes overall. And his team is letting go of him after his fourth season. So, it is obvious that the No. 7 Chevrolet driver was desperately trying to piece together a decent end to his year, which led to some questionable wrecks like hooking Kyle Busch in Pocono. At Michigan International Speedway, however, the tables turned against him.

The aerodynamic challenges of the two-mile oval are well-renowned anyway, to which even Denny Hamlin fell prey on Sunday. Later, NBC also shared a video explaining the aerodynamic pull. But Monday held a much scarier fate for Corey LaJoie. On lap 136 of the FireKeepers Casino 400, he tried to overtake Noah Gragson in vain, as he recalled on the Stacking Pennies episode. “Then it picked up and I was like, ‘Oh s**t, I’m flying through the air.’ There’s like rocks and dust and dirt…My eyes are closed ’cause of the stuff, sparks, and stuff hitting me in the face. I’m like, ‘Why am I getting stuff in my eye here? Oh, my visor’s open.’ So I shut my visor.”

But protecting his eyes did not end the story, as LaJoie had more encounters with the elements of the racetrack. He dramatically recounted his tale of survival: “Holding my visor like this, I hit the wall upside down and the wheel rips out of my hand. I’m like, ‘Oh, shoot. I’m still going pretty fast, let me grab my seatbelts.’ Then I got to the grass…Then a freaking…bigger than a softball-sized clump of grass landed right on my lap…I picked it up. I had dirt in my eyes and stuff all over, and I just like flipped it to the right side of the car.”

Sometimes after these intense wrecks, drivers can feel the impact days after the incident. But thankfully, Corey LaJoie was okay, as he noted, “I’m doing fine.”

He further added, praising the NextGen car, “Safe cars, kudos to NASCAR. I would jump back in if they’d let me.” LaJoie’s Michigan crash resonated with another bone-chilling wreck we witnessed in Daytona last year, and that driver also escaped unhurt.

At least safety is assured

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Remember the turn of the 21st century?

That was a period when numerous wrecks marred NASCAR, most notably Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death in 2001. However, the sport has come a long way since then, ensuring driver safety under the highest priority. So when the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford took a dozen-time flip in Daytona last year, Ryan Preece could breathe properly later. When the car eventually stopped on its wheels, it appeared to catch fire as well. But Preece escaped, much like Corey LaJoie.

Ryan Preece recounted the blood-curdling mishap that made the motorsport headlines last August. He revealed, “I’ve seen other interviews from drivers in the past that as you get sideways and as you go in the air, it’s gets real quiet,” he said. “After experiencing that, that’s 100% true. Beyond that, everything’s happening so fast, you’re just flipping through the air. Until that ride stops, all you’re thinking about is just trying to contain yourself. You tense up and you hope you’re going to be OK, which obviously I am.” But just hours after the crash, he had reassured his fans, “I’m coming back.”

Although Corey LaJoie may not come back racing in the Cup Series next season, he still holds a thrilling NASCAR story to tell for ages to come.