Yahoo Autos Watch NASCAR Driver Corey LaJoie's Car Slide on Its Roof for 9 Long Seconds
It's safe to say driver Corey LaJoie experienced a unique crash during Monday's delayed NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan. The driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports entry spun on a straightaway, causing a single-car crash that lasted for a full quarter of a minute — including a roof slide that seemed to last for ages.
The incident started when LaJoie darted out to the inside of Noah Gragson, which suddenly caused the car to veer hard toward the inside wall. The Camaro stock car began to spin onto the apron, then the floor of the car suddenly caught air while sliding. In an instant, the car flew onto its roof — without losing its forward momentum.
LaJoie's car then slid the entire length of the back straight for more than nine entire seconds, before finally reaching the grass inside turn 3. Hitting the turf caused the car to flip again and then barrel roll before eventually falling to a stop, ending a crash a full 15 seconds after it began.
A few factors were at play in the crash, but the biggest were the wind and the high speeds involved. Since LaJoie spun on a straightaway, he lost control at nearly a stock car's top speed, potentially pushing 200 miles per hour. Strong cross-winds that gusted throughout the day amplified the effect of the spin further, pushing extra air under the car's smooth floor. One of the car's roof flaps designed to prevent these sorts of "blowover" crashes deployed in the crash, but it wasn't enough to stop the car from rolling.
LaJoie's rollover is the second at the track this weekend, repeating a feat that Kyle Sieg accomplished during the supporting Xfinity Series race on Saturday. Although the mostly-flat floor on the Next Generation car may have contributed to LaJoie's rollover, the older car that Sieg rolled has a more traditional uncovered floor design.
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