Meet Hendrick Motorsports’ New Top Prospect
What’s Happening? Hendrick Motorsports made a signing for its long-term future on Thursday morning. Chevrolet’s top NASCAR team signed standout 19-year-old…
Lionel has released a mock-up of Corey Day’s No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet. This clears up any confusion about whether Hendrick’s latest signing will race part-time for Hendrick Motorsports in the Xfinity Series or its sister team, JR Motorsports. Day also tested at Rockingham in the No. 17 last week.
Aside from the test at Rockingham, rumors, and speculation, this is the first formal confirmation that this will be his Xfinity ride in 2025.
When HMS announced Day’s signing on Jan. 9, they also announced that he would race in four stock-car series in 2025. Fans expected this to be a combined schedule with multiple teams, as Hendrick has a part-time Xfinity program but not a Truck Series or ARCA program.
Fellow Chevrolet outfit Spire Motorsports confirmed this shortly after announcing Day would race their No. 7 truck and the team’s No. 77 ARCA entry part-time in 2025. However, there was no word on where he would be for his limited Xfinity Series schedule.
The Xfinity Series team at JR Motorsports has a deep connection with HMS, as Rick Hendrick is a part-owner of the team. JRM is fielding four full-time cars in 2025 and a part-time car, the No. 9. Fans expected Day to race either in the No. 9, alongside Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen; however, most expected him to be in the No. 17 car.
In the past, HMS has utilized JRM as a route for their developmental and Cup Series drivers. HMS drivers Chase Elliott and William Byron drove the No. 9 to two Xfinity Series titles. Furthermore, three of the four current HMS drivers have won a race for JRM in the past.
The No. 17 is typically an all-star car used by HMS Cup Drivers. However, non-Cup Series drivers have driven the car in the past, such as Rajah Caruth in 2023 and Boris Said in 2024. It seemed as if Day would follow suit on Jan. 29, as he tested in the No. 17 at Rockingham. However, that same test saw several drivers in cars and trucks that were not their planned rides for 2025.
What’s Happening? Hendrick Motorsports made a signing for its long-term future on Thursday morning. Chevrolet’s top NASCAR team signed standout 19-year-old…
The confirmation that he will drive in-house for HMS in 2025 further shows the team’s commitment to developing Day for the long term. As previously stated, only two other non-Cup Series drivers have driven the No. 17 since its introduction in 2022.
The 19-year-old made his NASCAR debut last year in the Truck Series with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. In his four starts, he struggled in a truck; however, Day quickly adjusted to the ARCA Menards series, where he made three starts.
His roughly 30 scheduled starts for 2025 will be the dirt racing prodigy’s first true introduction to consistent asphalt racing. Prior to his signing, Day made his name known at the top levels of sprint car racing. He had a combined ten wins in major series in 2024.
His window for Cup Series competition is clouded as fellow prodigies like Ty Gibbs and Connor Zillisch have found themselves shotted through the NASCAR developmental system. With his non-asphalt background, HMS could give Day some more time.
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