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What is Corey Day’s Route to Hendrick and the Cup Series

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 26: Corey Day, driver of the #91 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26, 2024 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Kauy Ostlien

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Royal T Grafix

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What’s Happening?

Corey Day is Hendrick Motorsports latest signing. While signing with a team as prestigious as Hendrick is a major milestone in his young career, Day still has a long route to the top. What could this route look like?

  • Last season, Day had eight feature wins in the High Limit Sprint Car Series. To back this up, Day also made starts in the ARCA Menards and Craftsman Truck Series last year.
  • His deal with HMS will see Day race in three of the four highest levels of stock car racing. While this is not a full-time schedule, HMS is getting Day valuable seat time at different levels of racing.
  • Right now, Hendrick’s developmental has one known driver in Rajah Caruth. Caruth will race for Spire Motorsports once again this season.

Navigating The Lower Levels

The 2025 season will be a test for Day to show just how skilled he can be behind the wheel of a stock car. In his limited appearance last season, Day had a best finish of fourth in ARCA but a best of 16th in trucks.

How Day performs in trucks this season will be telling of his 2026 plans. If he improves in trucks, he could, much like fellow Chevrolet prospect Connor Zilisch, jump into full-time Truck action and go to the Xfinity Series.

If he does go full-time Truck racing in 2025, Day could take over fellow HMS Prospect Rajah Caruth’s truck at season’s end. That is, of course, if Caruth gets promoted after his second season with Spire.

If Day jumps to Xfinity Series action next season, he could have multiple ride options. While he may be fighting Rajah Caruth for a spot, he could land at JR Motorsports or even have an in-house option with HMS’s Xfinity Series lineup.

If He Makes it to Cup, Then What?

The main problem with looking toward Day’s long-term future with HMS is the inability to see the team’s longterm landscape. While fans have had their opinions of the current HMS lineup. In 2024 the current HMS Cup Series lineup had one of their best statistical seasons in recent history.

For starters, Kyle Larson and William Byron continued their winning ways. Even better for HMS, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott had redemptive seasons after a difficult 2023 campaign. However, this did not stop the rumor mill. Late in the season, fans and even a few insiders have investigated rumors that Alex Bowman could be ousted from his spot at the end of the season.

Bowman is back for 2025. However, when fans debate where an opening at HMS would be, they tend to focus on the No. 48. While some could point point to Bowman as the odd man out, the question remains what if Bowman continues to trend upward?

What About a Fellow Chevrolet team?

While it seems odd, HMS is already closely tying Day to Spire Motorsports. With starts in the No. 7 Truck in 2025, who’s to say HMS is not lining Day up for a spot with the big team through Spire?

Last season there were rumors of a growing relationship between the two teams. Perhaps down this long road Day could slot in at a Hendrick-adjacent team until the time is right for him to go to the big team. Spire seems to be getting better year to year but still has alot to go if they want to contend week in and out.

The truth is no one knows how or when Corey Day will make it to the top. But at just 19 years old, Day is one to watch in 2025.

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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - APRIL 06: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on April 06, 2025 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Lionel Racing Reveals First Wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics Diecast

by Kauy Ostlien

What’s Happening?

Lionel Racing finally confirmed the first wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics 1:64 scale diecast for Monday morning, with the line of retail-exclusive diecast featuring a new look for the new year.

  • This line will include six throwback paint schemes from NASCAR’s 2025 throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. Though they did not release one in 2025, this move restarts an annual tradition of Lionel releasing at least one wave of cars carrying the colors of that prior season’s throwback designs.
  • Included in this wave of cars are Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, William Byron, and Sammy Smith. Alongside these paint schemes’ debuts in the Authentics line is a new design for the packaging of the 2026 line of NASCAR Authentics.
  • Last season was somewhat turbulent for Lionel as, alongside issues with tariffs, the brand only released three waves of NASCAR Autentics, one wave of NASCAR Autentics Winners Circle diecast, and two waves of Haulers.
  • Lionel announcing the first wave of 2026 early on in the new year is perhaps a sign that 2026 could return this line to its regular release schedule. The post from Lionel Racing also confirmed that the brand will announce another wave by the end of the week, further hinting at a recommitment to the Authentics line.

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SPARTA, KY - JUNE 26: Chase Pistone, driver of the #9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet, talks with his crew during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Series UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway on June 26, 2014 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Chase Pistone, NASCAR Trucks and Nationwide Series Driver, Passes Away

by Kauy Ostlien

What’s Happening?

Chase Pistone, a former competitor on the short track racing circuit in addition to NASCAR’s National Series, has passed away. Pistone, now a successful Legends Car owner, was 42.

  • Chase’s brothers Nick and Tom Pistone confirmed the North Carolina natives’ passing to LegendsNation.com. The cause of Pistone’s passing is unknown. The family asked that media share the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, which is 988.
  • Pistone, the grandson of NASCAR legend “Tiger” Tom Pistone, made his way to NASCAR after competing on short tracks in Legends cars and Late Models. He would make his jump to NASCAR via the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2005, racing for Green Light Racing at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Pistone would continue his NASCAR pursuits in 2006, racing in ARCA and the NASCAR Busch Series. Unfortunately, these two starts, at Martinsville with the Busch Series and Iowa with ARCA, would be his last for nearly a decade.
  • Pistone returned to NASCAR in 2014, racing in a combined eight NASCAR Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series races. During this season, his final in NASCAR, the then 30-year-old scored his best National Series finish, ninth place in the Truck Series annual trip to Gateway.

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8 Takeaways From NASCAR At COTA

by Bryan Aguiar

Three races in, the 2026 season is finally starting to show its hand. COTA shifted narratives, exposed weaknesses, and raised new questions about contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.

  • Has Shane van Gisbergen officially been proven mortal after getting outraced late at Circuit of the Americas?
  • Is 19-year-old Connor Zilisch already ahead of schedule after slicing through the field multiple times?
  • With three straight wins, is Tyler Reddick basically a lock for the postseason this early?
  • And how concerned should the 48 team be after a rough weekend for Alex Bowman?

From substitute drivers being forced into action to points gaps growing faster than expected, COTA delivered more than just a road course chess match. There were momentum swings, reputation hits, and at least one young driver stacking up enemies before stacking up results.

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