Corey Lajoie will not be penalized for his part in a crash that transpired late in the NASCAR Cup Series Race on Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
Busch crashed after blocking Lajoie, arguably twice, with 40 laps to go but it was the aggressive way that Lajoie forged ahead and sent the two-time champion into several other drivers and into the wall that drew ire.
Specifically, it was radio communication from spotter TJ Bell and crew chief Ryan Sparks that generated much of the scrutiny — “He hooked himself,” and “You let him have it the first time, the second time he got what he deserved.”
But NASCAR vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said the league looked into his throttle trace data and reviewed radio communications for evidence of ill intent beyond hard racing and didn’t find anything to penalize.
Sawyer raced in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 1983 to 2002.
“This past weekend, we’re in-race, we’re in competition. You got two guys racing hard. You listen to the in-car audio on the No. 7 [LaJoie] and you don’t hear anything from the driver,” Sawyer said during a Tuesday media availability at the NASCAR Productions facility in North Carolina. “There are some comments by the crew chief and spotter, but neither one of them is driving the car. I’ve had those guys in my ear before, and they’re not driving.”
Sawyer did say they would call Lajoie before the next race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to “make sure he’s in a good place.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.