NASCAR: Driver change ahead of Michigan race
By Asher Fair
As a result of COVID-19 protocols, Corey LaJoie will not compete in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
For the second time in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, a Spire Motorsports driver has been sidelined as a result of COVID-19 protocols. This time, the team’s full-time driver, Corey LaJoie, will miss this Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
LaJoie is in a mandatory seven-day quarantine period after somebody who was in the studio on Monday for his weekly podcast “Stacking Pennies” tested positive for the virus.
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The 29-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native has not missed a start since becoming a full-time Cup Series driver in 2019.
His streak of 97 consecutive starts goes back to the 2018 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
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Josh Berry is set to take LaJoie’s place behind the wheel of the #7 Chevrolet for this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.0-mile (3.219-kilometer) oval in Brooklyn, Michigan.
The 30-year-old Hendersonville, Tennessee native made his Cup Series debut earlier this season under the same circumstances, and with the same team. He filled in behind the wheel of the #77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for Justin Haley at Dover International Speedway while Haley was sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols. He finished in 30th place.
Sitting in 29th place in the point standings, LaJoie can only get into the 2021 playoffs by winning the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway next Saturday night. It is assumed that he will be granted a playoff waiver, though that only becomes important for him if he wins this race.
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Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, August 22 for the live broadcast of the FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway, and be sure to start your free trial of FuboTV today if you have not yet done so!