Fire on Fridays: Corey Day’s Clouded Cup Path

It was a good news day for the Corey Day group on Thursday, Sept. 10, as the public learned that the current Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver will race part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027 as part of a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports. His future with the team is now secured for an undisclosed number of years.

That is, despite his Cup debut, it will be a Hendrick future in O’Reilly alone.

Part of the contract agreement for Day is reported to include a limited Cup Series schedule next season. While that’s exciting for the 20-year-old, his Cup rides next year won’t be with HMS.

Hendrick already fields four cars full time in the Cup Series, and NASCAR rules prohibit a team from fielding five cars, even if one is a non-chartered entry.

No … if you have three chartered cars, can run a fourth as an "open" but for everything I understand, you can't have four charter cars and run a fifth as an "open" https://t.co/NsVMekiQhb

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 10, 2026

So, while one question for Day is what team he will be making his Cup debut with in 2027, another is what team he will be with in 2028 and beyond?

His contract extension isn’t like your typical agreement that sees one driver in the same car for a year or more. This one spans multiple series, seeing as how it’s promising a limited Cup season, and seems more developmental. It’s akin to when Connor Zilisch and Zane Smith were both under contract with Trackhouse Racing even while racing with other teams. It’s like an agreement that says, “We don’t have anything for you right now, but we’ll keep your resume on the desk for when something comes up.”

The thing is, there isn’t much coming up in terms of a Cup future with HMS. Day was a talked-about candidate for the No. 48 after Alex Bowman retires at the end of the 2027 season. However, Zilisch, currently full-time at Trackhouse, has since been named Bowman’s replacement.

As for the other HMS entries, Kyle Larson and William Byron are under contract through 2031 and 2029, respectively. Chase Elliott‘s contract ends at the end of 2027, but it’s unlikely he will move to another team.

So, what does that leave Day regarding a future in Cup? It isn’t very clear.

There are the Hendrick affiliate teams. For 2027, it won’t be hard to put Day in an open fourth car at Spire Motorsports, which has a partnership with Hendrick, for a number of races. In fact, that’s likely the plan.

But for 2028, his future seems a little murkier. Day likely doesn’t want to stay at the NOAPS level for the next two years, and you can’t blame him. It’s been a roller coaster O’Reilly campaign thus far in 2026 for the young driver. It didn’t start off pretty in his part-time role last season, but this year has seen major improvement, including two wins and a spot in the series’ Chase, where he’s currently fifth.

However, by 2028, he’ll be wrapping up his third year of competition in the second-tier series. Most developmental drivers, especially those who race for Cup teams in O’Reilly, don’t want to wait around very long at that level and may become more inclined to take a Cup offer from a different team. Please see Jesse Love and Wood Brothers Racing or Josh Berry and Stewart-Haas Racing.

Luckily for him, a spot may open up at Spire. Michael McDowell is expected to return for another year with the team in 2027, but 2028 is more uncertain. Day could certainly take on that No. 71 by then, but under this multi-year contract, it will likely have to be under the Hendrick affiliation. Day may want that, but will Spire owner Jeff Dickerson?

And, well, is that what NASCAR wants?

We’re starting to enter an age where big power teams like Hendrick, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske are creating and operating fifth – and even sixth – car teams under the banners of satellite organizations. Penske and Wood Brothers, JGR and 23XI Racing, Hendrick and JR Motorsports, and so on and so forth. One day, the whole Cup field will comprise those big teams and their affiliates.

Unchecked, it is the future of the Cup Series, and it will include Day, to be sure.

It just won’t have him in a Hendrick car anytime soon.