Breaking It Down: LaJoie may not have won at Atlanta, but he still emerged a winner

The odds were against him, but he made his play and almost pulled it off, still earning respect and admiration for his efforts.

Late Sunday afternoon during the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Corey LaJoie put himself in a position to contend for his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory.

At that moment, he was living every stock car driver’s dream. This very situation was the chance to seize everything he has yearned and worked tirelessly for ever since he first sat behind the wheel of a race car.

As he sailed into Turn 1 for the final time, LaJoie could almost taste the triumph. But, knowing it would take precise execution to secure the lead, LaJoie hung back, set up a run, made a move for the lead, and … then it all vanished. A moment that once seemed so promising quickly turned into a gut-wrenching heartbreak as he crashed hard into the Turn 2 wall and limped home to a 22nd-place finish.

Upon realizing the run that LaJoie carried, leader Chase Elliott threw a late block in hopes of staggering LaJoie’s momentum. Unfortunately, the move left LaJoie nearly no space or time to react and ultimately sent him out of control before running back up the track to face the cruel punishments of the outside wall.

Meanwhile, Elliott, the hometown hero, cruised to his series-leading third win of the season under the caution caused by LaJoie’s wreck.

As elated as fans were to see the sport’s most popular driver take a statement win at his home track, a widespread feeling of sympathy permeated through the confines of the track as fans and drivers recognized just how close LaJoie was to his first career win.

First wins are always a career-altering milestone, but for LaJoie, it would have been one of the most remarkable Cinderella stories in the recent history of the sport. The 30-year-old journeyman has never had the luxury of top-of-the-line equipment or elaborate development programs to help him find his way to the sport’s highest level.

Instead, he’s had to make due, forced to play with scraps, making the best out of each opportunity in hopes of moving one rung up the ladder each time.

He’s finally found a home with Spire Motorsports, a mid-tier team that earns respect but never competes for wins. That is until LaJoie came within one lap of turning the playoff picture upside down with his inspiring run on Sunday.

Corey LaJoie almost pulled off the win at Atlanta. Photo: USA Today Sports / Adam Hagy

LaJoie led 19 laps throughout the race and consistently ran at the front of the field throughout the final stage. Even when LaJoie’s crew chief, Ryan Sparks, elected to pit for fuel only and gain track position, LaJoie managed to hold his own on old tires and regain the lead against some of NASCAR’s biggest names.

The tenacity paid off as LaJoie found himself leading the field back to green for the race's final restart with three laps to go. At that moment, it seemed like destiny. Throughout the day, he proved he had a fast car and the ability to wheel it to the front.

Now, it was just a matter of hanging on for three more laps.

Unfortunately, Elliott passed him shortly after the restart, forcing LaJoie to revert to attack mode. LaJoie used every ounce of superspeedway knowledge he’s accumulated over the years to choreograph a pass, and for a moment, it looked like it might work.

Entering Turn 1, he had a hard run and swiftly darted to the outside line. Yet, when Elliott took evasive action in response, LaJaoie had nowhere to hide and instantly lost control of his car. The wreck collected multiple drivers and left LaJoie limping a totaled car to the finish line well behind the rest of the field.

Objectively, it was a bad move. Even if LaJoie achieved the overlap necessary to prevent a block from Elliott, the chances that the rest of the field followed him was a long shot. LaJoie did have the momentum over Elliott to attract the support of the cars on the high lane, but with the race win on the line, he still would have run the high risk of getting hung out to dry by the field going into Turn 3.

So why didn’t LaJoie go inside? Well, it’s not that simple, either.

While there was a small opening for him to thread the needle between Ross Chastain on the bottom and Elliott on the high line, the move also came with many risks. For one, the tight squeeze in such a high-stakes scenario likely would not have bode well for LaJoie.

He would have been at the mercy of both cars on either side of him while also having no control over whether or not the field would support him in the draft. Beyond that, Elliott expected this move. Entering the corner, Elliott came in low solely to negate any attempts at a pass from LaJoie and was late to blocking the outside due to his anticipation of a move to the inside.

At the end of the day, it’s hard to say there was anything that Lajoie could have done. Elliott knew he had to block any challenge for the lead, or else he could kiss his first hometown win goodbye. As great of a feel-good story as LaJoie’s win would have been, Elliott still owes it to himself, his team, and his sponsors to win at all costs.

Perhaps LaJoie could have waited until the straightaway, but you can’t fault him for taking his chances with such an advantageous run going into the corner.

After the race, LaJoie maintained one of the most classy displays of sportsmanship the sport has seen in a long time. He didn’t throw a fit over the late block or pout about his good day gone wrong.

In fact, he didn’t even seem phased by the immense disappointment that loomed over him and his team. Instead, he kept his head high and accepted the situation at face value.

“Everything’s fair. You’ve got to win the race, especially (with) how much weight is on it," he said. "How much money is involved in it. The paycheck I got for finishing fifth (in the March 20 race at Atlanta) was one reason I wasn’t content to run fifth. It doesn’t pay enough to run fifth. You’ve got to win the race. So you’ve got to block. You’ve got to dump. You’ve got to send it in there. And if you’re in position and don’t make a move, then it’s your fault because the next guy is going to do it.”

Lajoie even went out of his way to congratulate Elliott in victory lane before interacting with fans on the way back to his hauler.

Everyone loves a good underdog story. If LaJoie’s driving did not prove he’s one of the utmost deserving underdogs in the Cup Series field, his sportsmanship after the race definitely did.

LaJoie watched everything he ever worked for drive away from him at nearly 200 MPH on Sunday and still managed to muster up a smile. While he may not have gone home with a trophy or a series-rattling playoff appearance secured, LaJoie’s graciousness and performance still made him a winner.

He won over the hearts of NASCAR fans and proved to even more that he belongs in this series. Although competitive runs come few and far between for Spire Motorsports, it's clear that the team is working hard and producing quality cars when it counts most.

So rest assured, fans should keep an eye out for LaJoie and his No. 7 team at Daytona next month. There’s a good chance they’ll be back with a fast car, a talented driver, and most of all, a chip on their shoulder.