Next season, Hendrick Motorsports is putting Corey Day in the No. 17 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series car full-time. Crew chief Adam Wall will lead the ship as the 20-year-old embarks on his rookie season in the series.
Corey Day packed his racing schedule with a variety of series in 2025. He raced sprint cars, of course, but also added Trans Am TA2 races, Truck and Xfinity Series races, and select ARCA starts as well.
For Hendrick, Day is the next big experiment. They took a chance on Kyle Larson when he was at a low point in his career, and in five seasons, they have won two championships together. Day is perhaps more talented at his age than when Larson was that age, and the hype behind him is very real.
The 2026 season is something that Day has worked towards for years. Now, he’s about to take on that challenge and see where he stacks up against these stock car regulars.
“He wants to win just as bad as I do, and he’s super level-headed,” Day said of his crew chief. “You’ve got to have a crew chief like that … I’m super fortunate for him and the way he goes about everything. I think he does a phenomenal job with the team. I’m really excited to go racing full-time every weekend, back-to-back, and get into a routine and rhythm with the team. I think that will be another level where I can find more speed and get more comfortable.”
Day and Wall got to know each other in select races this season. Next year, they chase a championship together.
Corey Day heading to Australia for High Limit Racing
A group of 11 High Limit Racing drivers is going to Australia for the richest sprint car race in the country’s history. Corey Day and Kyle Larson are among the competitors heading Down Under. $110,000 AUD is up for grabs.
Last year, Larson won the big event. This time around, Day is going to be looking for the win over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and mentor of sorts. Just two California kids who grew up racing dirt going to another country to flex their talents.
It feels like Day’s success is almost inevitable, but you can’t get too far ahead of yourself with young prospects. Even in the Hendrick pipeline, things don’t always work out. That goes for seemingly the most talented of drivers.
Hendrick Motorsports believes in Corey Day because Kyle Larson does. That’s a heck of an endorsement to have. If Trackhouse Racing has Connor Zilisch for the future, is Hendrick prepping Day as the answer to the talented phenom?
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