BROOKLYN, MI – A simple spin turned into a barrel-rolling nightmare for Corey LaJoie at Michigan International Speedway earlier this week – and now, NASCAR is making a change in hopes of preventing more cars from going airborne.

NASCAR is mandating teams add a right side rear-window air deflector, starting this week at Daytona International Speedway. After wind-tunnel testing, NASCAR determined this will help aerodynamics so a car is less likely to lift off the ground during a spin.

It comes at a pivotal time, too, as Daytona is a common track for cars to flip. Saturday night’s Cup Series race at Daytona starts at 7:30 p.m. on NBC

LaJoie went upside-down on Lap 136 of 200 Monday at MIS, after he spun on the backstretch while battling Noah Gragson. The car slid on its roof on the pavement, but then rolled twice after hitting the grass.

LaJoie held onto his seat belts as the car slid.

“My visor opened up, so I was getting stuff in my face,” LaJoie said. “The grass ones were the hard ones, when it’s pow, pow, pow.”

The videos below show the flip from the TV cameras, and then a view from inside LaJoie’s cockpit.

LaJoie was evaluated and released from the MIS infield care center after the crash – dirt still covering his shoulders. He wasn’t sure if the gusty winds on Monday contributed to his flip – as there was a heavy headwind on the backstretch.

“Something (lifted me),” LaJoie said. “I don’t know if it was the arms of an angel or what it was. But that thing was up quick.”

Flipping in a race car is “no fun,” LaJoie said, noting it’s the second time this has happened to him this year. An Xfinity Series car also went airborne on the last lap of Saturday’s race at MIS last weekend.

“I just feel like that’s how the year’s went for us,” LaJoie said. “We had a good car and it turned on its head.”

Ratings down with rain delay

Sunday’s rain delay didn’t help the TV ratings, as the race averaged a 1.2 rating with 2.11 million viewers during the 51 laps of green flag action Sunday, according to Sports Media Watch.

That’s the lowest mark since 2020. Last year’s 2.6 million TV viewers was the most at MIS since 2019.

Sunday’s start and Monday’s completion were both televised on USA Network. Monday’s finish – which started at 11 a.m. — had a 0.6 rating with 1.11 million viewers.

The race was pleasing to fans, however.

In the weekly “Was it a good race” poll from The Athletic reporter Jeff Gluck, the MIS race earned an 80.2% approval rating – good for the sixth-best race of the year.

Among the last 14 MIS races polled, the 2024 edition ranked third-best – trailing only 2022 (90.7%) and 2023 (85.7%).

NASCAR will return to MIS in 2025, track officials confirmed, although the date of the race hasn’t been announced yet.