The checkered flag at the 2024 Daytona 500 was waved with caution, not celebration, leaving a fiery trail of accusations and unresolved blame. Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, the 2022 Daytona 500 winner, is pointing fingers at Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie for the last-lap fiasco that ended the race. However, LaJoie has a different perspective on the chaos, passing the credit for the crash onto another driver.

The checkered flag was waiting at the end of the dreaded final lap, and the anticipation was palpable as Cindric, running in third, and LaJoie, trailing closely behind, approached the decisive moment. As the pack thundered off turn four, LaJoie aimed for a gap on the bottom lane, prompting Cindric to block, resulting in a chaotic chain reaction. Ross Chastain entered the mix, attempting a move ahead of eventual 500-winner William Byron but instead colliding with Cindric, culminating in a race-ending wreck. for the #2 and the #1 cars. Looking for who did who dirty? Let’s find out.

Corey LaJoie Counters Austin Cindric’s Post-Race Sentiments to FOX

Cindric, visibly frustrated, did not mince his words, accusing LaJoie of aggressive pushing that wrecked his chances for another Daytona 500 victory. In a post-race interview with FOX Sports, Cindric vented, “He tried to fit a car where there wasn’t a car and just continued to push through my left rear until I wrecked.” The blame game further intensified as Austin Cindric dismissed LaJoie’s P4 finish with a sarcastic ‘congratulations.’

The ever-outspoken LaJoie did not shy away from addressing the incident on his ‘Stacking Pennies’ podcast with co-host Parker Kilgerman. While acknowledging his move, he blamed the Melon Man, Ross Chastain, not himself, for the race-altering situation.

Referring to Cindric’s ‘choice words’ with Bob Pockrass, he said, “I’m breezing through Fox News… of what the race was…. And it wasn’t William Byron and it wasn’t ‘Hendrick finishes 1-2,’ it was Austin Cindric has ‘choice words’ for his competitor. I said huh? Let me see what this reads. And sure enough, it goes back to his quote with Bob Pockrass in the video he made congratulating me for a top-4, which I really appreciate because he should I worked hard for that.”

It didn’t stop here. Next, Corey LaJoie pulled up the footage for the Daytona debacle and continued, “So if we rewind a little bit, this is the moment in which he had some choice words for… Here we go. I get a big run. Ross Chastain is in my right rear corner at the time, so I can’t go. So he (Cindric) leaves an entire car width, kind of throws a lazy block, and he said that I wrecked him. You can clearly see the melon man hung a left off of his right front tire and drug them down into the grass…”

Looking ahead to Atlanta

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Placing all the blame on the ‘new Anheuser-Busch guy,’ Corey LaJoie concluded with his sarcastic tirade. Taking indirect shots, he said, “Now I understand, I understand that in the moment, it’s just hectic and you feel like you’re getting pushed too hard and this and that, and you probably haven’t even seen the tape. But clearly, his race was ended and his finish was impeded by the #1 trying to make the bold move down to the bottom to go under the #24.”

Ross Chastain, however, a close contender for his first Harvey Earl trophy in much of the final stages, remained unfazed by the accusations. “I can sleep soundly knowing I went for the win,” he declared in a post-race interview, acknowledging aggression but standing by his own larger-than-life decisions.

Now, here’s the twist: this incident has ignited a rivalry between Cindric and LaJoie, two drivers who haven’t typically crossed paths. With another superspeedway race in Atlanta this weekend, the potential for further fireworks is high. Imagine the drafting strategies, the close calls, and the simmering tension—all ingredients for another unpredictable and dramatic race.

This Daytona drama goes beyond just blame games and budding rivalries. It highlights the complexities of ‘plate track’ racing: manufacturers pulling the strings, rivalries simmering beneath the surface, and the ever-present possibility of unpredictable incidents on superspeedways.

Read More: Conceited Ross Chastain Refuses to Apologise, Deems Last Lap Wreckout a Massive Daytona Breakthrough

Whether it’s Cindric seeking redemption, LaJoie proving his point, or Chastain carrying his aggressive spirit to the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway, one thing’s for sure, the storylines for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season have only just begun.