It’s been a long couple of weeks for Corey Day in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. After getting the call up to run the full season for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 17 car late last year, expectations were high for the young Northern California driver.
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson has delivered immense praise for Day’s racing ability, a huge vote of confidence as Rick Hendrick made his choice for the driver in the second division Chevrolet.
Through three races, Day has made an ever-growing list of enemies on track.
This week, Thomas Dunn and Christopher Hansen assess Day’s aggressiveness as a whole, and just how much of the ire he’s received is warranted.
Corey Day Needs to Settle Down Before He Gets a Taste of His Own Medicine
We’re only three race weekends into the 2026 NASCAR season and Tyler Reddick’s historic start in the Cup Series with three wins in as many races isn’t the only story garnering a lot of attention.
Corey Day, the protege of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, is in his first full-time season driving for Hendrick Motorsports in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. However, Day has already caused an uproar with his aggressive driving style, much to the ire of his fellow NOAPS competitors.
While he hasn’t yet garnered a nickname like “Hurricane Hocevar,” plenty of evidence suggests he could very well have one with more on-track mishaps.
In the second race of the season at EchoPark Speedway, the rookie found himself at the forefront of a multi-car pileup just five laps into the race, taking out Ryan Sieg, Kyle Sieg, Harrison Burton and several others.
In the late stages of that same race, Day was involved in another caution when his car went straight up the track as the pack entered turn 3. This ended the days of JR Motorsports drivers Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier, both of whom were running inside the top five at the time.
Fast forward to last weekend’s race at Circuit of the Americas, and once again Day found himself involved in another run-in, this time taking out road course ace Connor Zilisch, while fighting for a top-five spot in the closing laps. Day went on to finish fifth, while a fuming Zilisch fell to 21st at the checkered flag.
In a post-race interview with Frontstretch after COTA, Zilisch stated if Day “wants to come talk to me, he can come talk to me.” Three races complete and Day has been involved in at least one accident in two of the three races.
There’s a certain standard to racing your competitors with respect on track, especially when your boss is Rick Hendrick, one of the most respected team owners in the NASCAR garage.
Remember the aftermath of Larson and Ross Chastain’s on-track beef at Darlington Raceway a few seasons ago after which Hendrick called out Chastain’s aggressive driving? This time around, Hendrick is on the other side, with a young, up-and-coming driver being the center of multiple incidents.
While Day is still learning and adapting to racing an entire NOAPS schedule, it’s inexcusable to have already been involved in this many mishaps only three races into the season. This will only hurt Day’s potential as the season progresses, as we all know racecar drivers have long memories and never forget when they were on the wrong end of getting spun or crashed, intentional or not.
Additionally, Day is going to learn real quick that drivers won’t take too kindly to him ruffling feathers on the track every week. The first crash at Atlanta, where Day was trying to force the issue on lap five of a 163-lap race, wasn’t the smartest move to make, period.
His run-in at COTA with Zilisch was another great example of a rookie needing to pick and choose his battles without making contact with another driver on track. Until that happens, Day will continue to make headlines, just not the
way you’d think. – Christopher Hansen
Day Needs to Learn Just Like Anyone Else
Corey Day is making no friends right now, no doubt about it. He’s dumped drivers in back-to-back races and offered little remorse and justification for his actions.
But he’s still a young driver. In acknowledging the reality that he’s driving in pristine Hendrick equipment, there’s still a learning curve that comes with that.
Can you argue that he needs to take more accountability? 1,000%. Do we need to crucify him as if he’s the only young driver in the sport looking like a fish out of water at times? No we don’t.
Carson Hocevar was in this spot, especially so after his Craftsman Truck Series championship fiasco. Joey Logano has been in this spot. We’d be remiss if we didn’t look back at a young Kyle Busch and the brash nature he brought week in and week out when back at HMS.
The NASCAR garage is all about accountability. If you make a mistake regardless of your racing background and either own up to it or accept your punishment, whether its verbal or physical, things simmer down. Day continues to put a target on his back from a lack of regret, not only riling up his competitors but also the fanbases that root for them.
These learning curves are not just about physical driving ability. You have to know how to achieve the right sense of mental and emotional maturity to survive this sport or it will eat you up. That’s where Day needs to learn the most.
Especially as you view the Connor Zilisch incident. Day needs to learn how to live to fight another … day, even if the splitter issue was the main cause of the accident.
However as I stated previously, he’s not the first young guy to get caught up in wrecks like this and won’t be the last.
Atlanta and COTA were mistakes that leave you frowning, either losing it on his own accord or being far too aggressive/nonchalant. Atlanta was one where you could argue that the margins were slim albeit plausible to get something accomplished, even that early in the race.
Day needs to clean it up but I’m not to going to say he’s too aggressive just yet. Like many others, he’s learning.
But if this pattern continues for the next month, you’ll see me singing a different tune. – Thomas Dunn
Thomas is in his second year covering NASCAR at Frontstretch. A Bay Area NASCAR fan for over 15+ years, he found his love for the sport through Jeff Gordon. He helps manage the 2-Headed Monster Column.
Thomas has enjoyed several trips to Sonoma Raceway in his time and currently covers college athletics in the Bay Area, writing about the California Golden Bears and doing play by play broadcasting.
The bigger concern I see with Day is he hasn’t shown much speed. I think Hocevar is too aggressive, but he consistently outperforms his equipment, which buys a lot of patience. Rather have the race horse you have to rein in than the race horse who is simply slow.
Most of Day’s accidents seem to be due to a lack of car control, which is likely due to pushing to the ragged edge of his current skill level.
From a speed perspective, when other drivers hop in Hendrick equipment in the O’Reilly series, they consistently challenge for wins. Yet Day is rarely in the conversation for a victory. I get many who jump in are known hot shoes, but the difference in performance is stark.
A lack of speed, tearing up equipment, and pissing off the garage is a great way to find yourself seeking a new career. I haven’t seen anything to indicate Day is a bad guy, he just seems to be in a series above his skill level. Possibly he will figure it all out and put together a good career, but most drivers who stick around tend to be showing more at this point, whether that’s raw speed or superior racecraft.
Two weeks ago, it was Carson Hocevar who was the one who was the most dangerous person on the track. This week, it’s Corey Day. If they want to run open-wheel cars, then they’re in the wrong series.
Until NASCAR starts penalizing drivers for crossing the line, why drive any different? I don’t know what constitutes “crossing the line”.
Meanwhile, enjoy the show.