Corey Day Bio
Corey Eric Day (born November 28, 2005) is an American professional dirt track and stock car racing driver from Clovis, California. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Hendrick Motorsports, and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire Motorsports. Over the past several seasons, Day has built a résumé that blends West Coast sprint car championships with a fast climb through the NASCAR national series ladder.
Early Life and Background
Day grew up in a racing family in Clovis, California, with deep ties to West Coast dirt track competition. He began riding dirt bikes at a young age and competed in motocross before the age of nine, when a crash left him with a broken arm that ended his dirt bike racing career. Following that setback, the Day family shifted his focus toward sprint car racing, a discipline in which his father, Ronnie Day, had become a respected figure on the West Coast short track scene.
Surrounded by a family-owned race team and a father well-versed in open-wheel preparation, Day absorbed the basics of chassis setup, race craft, and race-day discipline from an early age. The combination of family support and a deep regional sprint car tradition set the foundation for what would become a rapid rise through the open-wheel ranks before his transition to stock cars.
Path to NASCAR
Day began driving sprint cars in 2016 at the age of ten, racing in the USAC Restricted Micro Sprints for his family-owned team and finishing as high as third at Keller Auto Raceway. In 2021, he earned his first career USAC National Midget Series win at Circle City Raceway, becoming the youngest driver to win a USAC National Series event.
In 2023, Day added major West Coast hardware, capturing the King of the West Sprint Car Series title and the Make-A-Wish Trophy Cup championship. He followed that with a full-season run in High Limit Racing in 2024 with Jason Meyers Racing, where he scored wins at RPM Speedway, Red Dirt Raceway, Riverside International Speedway, I-70 Motorsports Park, and Lake Ozark Speedway, finishing fifth in points. That same year, he made his stock car debut in a late model for JR Motorsports at Hickory Motor Speedway, leading nearly every lap to win his second career start.
Corey Day Career
Early Career (2016–2022)
Day’s earliest organized racing came in 2016 with USAC Restricted Micro Sprints, running eleven events with a best finish of third at Keller Auto Raceway. The early seasons were about learning race craft, building confidence in open-wheel equipment, and logging laps across California bullrings and dirt ovals.
By 2021, the work had paid off. Day broke through at Circle City Raceway with his first USAC National Midget Series win, setting a record as the youngest driver to win a USAC National Series event. That victory signaled his arrival on the national dirt racing stage.
ARCA and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2024)
Day’s stock car graduation began in 2024. On April 27, 2024, it was announced that he would make his late model debut with JR Motorsports at Hickory Motor Speedway, where he won his second career start after leading nearly every lap. Later that summer, he ran a three-race ARCA Menards Series slate for Pinnacle Racing Group with HendrickCars.com sponsorship, debuting at Salem and adding starts at Bristol and Kansas.
On September 16, 2024, Day was announced as a driver for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, making his Truck debut at Bristol Motor Speedway where he started 22nd and finished 18th. He added three more Truck starts that season at Kansas, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville, posting a best finish of 16th at Homestead.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Breakthrough (2025)
On December 6, 2024, Day signed a multi-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports, beginning with an eleven-race Xfinity Series schedule in 2025 behind the wheel of the No. 17 car. The campaign marked his first sustained run in NASCAR’s second-tier national series and gave him a chance to prove he could transition from dirt tracks and short ovals to larger, faster stock car venues.
Day impressed in 2025, stringing together eight consecutive top-ten finishes and earning Rookie of the Year recognition in the Xfinity Series. On November 7, 2025, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Day would move to a full-time role in the renamed NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for the 2026 season, continuing in the No. 17 entry. He opened 2026 with a 27th-place result at Daytona before rebounding with a string of top tens, then scored his first career national series victory at Talladega in the Ag-Pro 300, followed by a second win at Dover in the BetRivers 200.
Hendrick Motorsports Era (2025–Present)
Day’s partnership with Hendrick Motorsports represents his first full-time ride in a NASCAR national series. After his 2025 rookie campaign, the team promoted him to a full-time seat in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for 2026, pairing him with the resources and infrastructure of one of the sport’s flagship organizations.
Through the early portion of 2026, Day has shown both speed and consistency, with multiple top-ten finishes and two wins already on his résumé at Talladega and Dover. The combination of superspeedway success and a steady mid-pack baseline has positioned him as one of the breakout rookies of the season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Day is widely regarded as a versatile talent comfortable on a wide range of tracks, from tight dirt bullrings to high-speed superspeedways. His sprint car background translates into aggressive restarts, a willingness to run multiple grooves, and strong race craft in traffic, while his Hendrick Motorsports seat gives him access to elite engineering and race strategy support.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among Day’s signature moments are his first career USAC National Midget Series win at Circle City Raceway, his King of the West Sprint Car Series title in 2023, and his back-to-back ARCA and Truck Series debuts in 2024. His first two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victories at Talladega and Dover in 2026 mark the clearest statement yet of his arrival on stock car’s biggest stages.
Corey Day Career Wins
Corey Eric Day has compiled a balanced collection of wins across dirt open-wheel competition and NASCAR’s national series ladder. His victories span USAC national events, West Coast sprint car championships, and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where he is a two-time winner early in the 2026 season.
Sprint Car and Open-Wheel Highlights
Day is a multi-time champion in premier West Coast sprint car competition. He captured the 2023 King of the West Sprint Car Series title and won the Make-A-Wish Trophy Cup championship the same year. He added Gold Cup Sprint Car championships in 2023, 2024, and 2025, along with the 2017 Tulsa Shootout Restricted A-Class win and the 2024 Turkey Night Grand Prix victory. He also scored multiple High Limit Racing wins in 2024 with Jason Meyers Racing, including victories at RPM Speedway, Red Dirt Raceway, Riverside International Speedway, I-70 Motorsports Park, and Lake Ozark Speedway.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Highlights
In NASCAR’s second-tier national series, Day has recorded two wins to date. His first came at Talladega Superspeedway in the Ag-Pro 300, followed by a second victory at Dover Motor Speedway in the BetRivers 200, both during the 2026 season. Across his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career, he has tallied two wins, fifteen top-ten finishes, and one pole.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Day has posted three top-ten finishes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, including one pole, along with three top-ten ARCA Menards Series starts. He has also added two top-ten finishes in the ARCA Menards Series West, two top-ten results in the ARCA Menards Series East, and a late model victory in his second start with JR Motorsports at Hickory Motor Speedway.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | 2 | 15 | 1 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series West | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Corey Day Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Day comes from a Clovis, California racing family long associated with West Coast dirt track competition. His father, Ronnie Day, is described as a West Coast racing legend who helped introduce Corey to sprint car racing and supports the family-owned team that launched his early career.
Personal Life
Despite sharing a surname, Corey Day is not related to fellow racing driver Alon Day. He maintains an active presence on social media, where fans can follow his racing activity throughout the season.
2025 Season Performance
Day’s 2025 campaign marked his first sustained run in a NASCAR national series and his first year as a Hendrick Motorsports driver. Running eleven races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series No. 17 entry, he produced a string of eight consecutive top-ten finishes and was named Rookie of the Year in the series. The season served as both a learning year and a showcase for his superspeedway and intermediate-track potential.
Behind the wheel of the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro SS, Day adapted quickly to the demands of stock car racing, leaning on his dirt track instincts for restarts and traffic management. His consistency throughout 2025 gave Hendrick Motorsports the data and confidence needed to promote him to a full-time seat in the renamed NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for 2026.
Looking ahead, Day enters 2026 as a full-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver with two early wins at Talladega and Dover already on his ledger, immediate playoff implications within reach, and a multi-year Hendrick Motorsports contract providing long-term stability. The combination of youth, momentum, and one of NASCAR’s premier organizations positions him as one of the most closely watched rising talents in the sport.
