What’s Happening?

Hendrick Motorsports has another young driver in its ecosystem. Hendrick Automotive Group announced on Wednesday that it will sponsor ARCA Menards Series driver Corey Day in three races later this season. Here is everything you need to know about Day.

• Corey Day is set to make his ARCA Menards Series debut this weekend at Salem Speedway in Indiana, his first of three races in the series this season. However, his racing upbringing is interesting, primarily racing on dirt.
• Hendrick Automotive Group is a conglomerate of car dealerships owned by legendary NASCAR team owner Rich Hendrick. Through HendrickCars.com branding, the company sponsors HMS Cup Series driver Kyle Larson and Spire Motorsports Truck Series driver Rajah Caruth.
• Hendrick Motorsports is typically very picky about which drivers it supports. When it sponsors someone, it usually means HMS sees a significant upside in that driver.

Dirt Racing Stardom

Eighteen-year-old Corey Day from Clovis, California, has already made a name for himself in dirt track racing. He’s raced in multiple different series throughout the decades.

In 2021, he won a USAC National Midget Series race, becoming the youngest winner in the series. As the years passed, he continued to win in multiple other sprint car series, including King of the West, Sprint Car Challenge Tour, and the Western Sprint Tour.

In 2023, he moved up to the top level of sprint car racing, the World of Outlaws. He took home his first career WOO win in the Gold Cup Race of Champions.

In 2024, I entered the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He won a Wednesday night Prelim and finished third in the main event. Kyle Larson also praised Day highly in an appearance on the Kenny Wallace Show during the pre-season, saying there is no young driver “even close to [Day’s] level.”

Soon afterward, Day moved to Larson’s Kubota High Limit Racing Series. As of this writing, he sits fifth in series points with five wins, a series that includes drivers like Kasey Kahne, Brad Sweet, and Rico Abreu.

Asphalt Breakout

Day’s prowess to this point has primarily been on road courses. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave Day a chance in the No. 88 late model. Well, in his first race on pavement, Day did what he does best and won.

That performance proved that Day can get it done on asphalt. He has a three-race deal in the ARCA Menards Series with Pinnacle Racing Group, Chevy’s top ARCA team. We will see how Day does at Salem, Bristol, and Kansas.

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