By Cole Cusumano

Following the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, many of NASCAR’s most physically fit athletes were visibly taken back after a long and humid race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bubba Wallace fainted numerous times before being taken to the infield care center, while Ryan Newman was shown resting upon a wall for an extended period of time and others were left breathless. Point being, the event at the 1.5-mile track was tremendously demanding.

In what began as a harmless sponsor plug and exclusive insight, Corey LaJoie took to Twitter in sharing a photo of his heart rate activity throughout the three and a half hour contest. Two-time Daytona 500 Champion, Denny Hamlin, chimed in offering a look at his own health data. He noted the 28-year-old’s significantly higher average heart rate and this prompted him to say, “No wonder we could never count on you in the 4th quarter.”

Here is where things start to heat up.

LaJoie responded in a seemingly joking manner, “Can we trade cars?” Hamlin countered with some harsh criticism, essentially saying even if they did swap rides, he would not get what he was looking for. 

After exchanging a few words pertaining to fitness, money and equipment, the driver of the No. 11 said, “The real pressure begins when you have all that and still don’t win… it ain’t all about having a fast car buddy.” LaJoie shared agreement with the statement and said he would be ready, should he be given the chance.

In one final attempt to smooth things over, Hamlin told the GoFas Racing driver he would be pulling for him, but he’d have to work on his dieting and hydration in order to succeed. The driver of the No. 32 fired back saying, “I’ve got enough people rooting for me. Save it. Enjoy that flight back.”

To add insult to injury, Hamlin tweeted a laughing emoji in response to a fan who said LaJoie could outperform him should they swap equipment.

It’s pretty crazy to think all of this formed due to a simple fitness photo. Regardless, this is not a confrontation that either driver should have sought out heading into Martinsville Speedway in a few days. The short track is notorious for causing flared tempers and sparking numerous rivalries, as drivers are continuously racing door-to-door and bumper-to-bumper for 500 laps.

While there may not have been any malicious intent in Hamlin’s advice, it’s safe to say social media wasn’t the best place to give his fellow competitor a pep talk. Sure a large part of performing well is raw talent, but there’s no denying the competitive gap between bigger budget teams like Joe Gibbs Racing and lesser funded organizations like GoFas Racing.

As for LaJoie, this may not have been a great look for a driver who was campaigning to be in the No. 48 at Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. In NASCAR it’s all about maximizing your opportunities in the equipment you’ve got. There’s no room for pity parties. Not to mention, it may rub his car owner, Archie St. Hilaire, the wrong way. This smaller budget team put their faith in LaJoie and these comments could come across as him being ungrateful.

But who knows? It’s very possible that GoFas Racing and fans want to see this fire and personality from someone like LaJoie. 

Nonetheless, this will be an intriguing storyline to follow along with as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the half-mile track in Virginia this Wednesday. It should also be noted that Hamlin has developed quite a reputation for ruffling some feathers at short tracks (refer to his run-ins with Chase Elliott and Joey Logano at the same venue).

LaJoie’s highest finish of 18th at Martinsville came last year in the Fall. Hamlin has the second most wins among active drivers at the Virginia-based track with five. We’ll have to wait and see if this feud translates to race day; but one thing is certain, intensity is sure to be at an all-time high in the inaugural primetime event.