Corey Day apologizes after controversial NASCAR incidents in Atlanta. [Image Source: CATCHFENCE]
HAMPTON, Ga. — On Saturday night, February 21, Corey Day secured a fourth-place finish in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at EchoPark Speedway, but his performance was overshadowed by two separate collisions that involved him and caused several cars to exit the race early. The No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was involved in incidents spaced more than 100 laps apart, directly impacting multiple competitors and stirring controversy. The race highlighted some of the challenges Day faces as a newcomer to this track and series.
Although some events may have been just hard racing or outside Day’s direct fault, several drivers openly held him responsible for the disruptions, fueling tension throughout the field. Kyle Sieg said with biting sarcasm,
“That’s all I gotta say. 17 [Day], he’s great. We watched him last week, he was all over the place in the wall.”
Initial Crash on Lap 5 Sets the Tone for a Rocky Night
Early in the race, on lap 5, contact between Day and Ryan Sieg sparked a major pileup that eliminated six cars. Day was running in the middle lane while Ryan Sieg pushed on the outside, and when they made contact, it sent Ryan and Kyle Sieg, along with Blaine Perkins and Harrison Burton, spinning out of contention. This first caution delayed the race and angered several drivers.
The CW Sports captured the moment, reporting,
“The first caution comes early as Ryan Sieg and Corey Day make contact, causing multiple cars to take damage.”
Ryan Sieg explained his perspective on the collision:
Image of: Corey Day
“Everybody was kind of free, and I was just trying to give the people on the inside room, … And then he sticks it in there. … I didn’t hear anything. Just kind of just riding, trying to get our lane going on lap 4. It’s just lap 4.”
Corey Day admitted the mistake and credited lack of experience at EchoPark Speedway during a national series event. Saturday was his first time racing at this track under such conditions. He said,
“[It was a] mistake … I thought he [Ryan Sieg] was getting really free, and he slowed way up. I was off the gas out of [turn] 4. It seemed to me like there was a hole, and I had to run. [It was] early in the race to take that, but he seemed to be bleeding pretty hard, so I didn’t want to be stuck behind him early in that race and just get shipped to the back.”
Day revealed he misjudged how quickly the lane would close off after turn 4, saying the limited number of laps he had completed around the track prevented a better assessment. He explained,
“I just misjudged the fact that he was going to meet the wall and the lane was going to close off. By the time I knew it was going to, you’re in the draft and you’re going too fast to really get off of him. I just clipped him enough to get him upset, so I apologize for that.”
Mixed Reactions From Drivers Involved in Early Collision
Harrison Burton, who was involved in the crash but less vocally upset than the Siegs, also criticized Day’s actions during the incident. He commented cautiously,
“Yeah, I mean I would tend to agree with them [the Siegs] off my first glance. I’m not sure I’ve watched it enough to be confident to go say something about what somebody did. But yeah, he’s wrecked me a few times, and he didn’t directly wreck me, but he seemed to have. I don’t want to, like I said, make a dumb statement without knowing the full facts. [He] seemed to kind of wreck the 39 and put us in it.”
Ryan Sieg expressed frustration that the wreck took place so early in the race rather than during the fight for the lead. He said,
“He definitely needs to learn, like you know what I mean, a lot of them do. You must finish before you can have a chance to win it. Unfortunately, we are part of a frustrating situation where he put himself in a hole that he really didn’t need to on lap 4.”
Kyle Sieg echoed these sentiments, adding,
“I don’t know, he’s trying to go somewhere, I guess. I don’t know. It’s what, lap 4. He’s trying to get to the front, P1.”
Day acknowledged that his background in dirt track racing, where aggressive moves early in shorter races are common, has influenced his style. He said,
“I think I got to get better early in these races just letting those moves come later. I’m still used to taking them every chance a hole opens. I hate that. I didn’t want to do that to them, so I apologize for that.”
In addition to addressing the media, Day planned to personally reach out and apologize to the Sieg brothers after the race.
Second Wreck Involving Day Triggers Further Fallout
Later in the race, another crash also connected back to Corey Day, though it may have been less a matter of driving intent and more due to equipment failure. While racing inside Carson Kvapil, Day’s No. 17 car drifted upward and made contact with Kvapil’s JR Motorsports No. 1, sparking a crash that also took out Justin Allgaier, who was trailing immediately behind them.
Rubbin is Racing’s social media highlighted the moment, reporting,
“Corey Day turns Kvapil and it creates chaos!”
Justin Allgaier described the incident as unusual, suggesting mechanical problems might have been involved:
“That one just seemed odd. I don’t know if he had a flat or something beforehand, because he just went straight up the hill into the left ear of the 1 [Kvapil].”
Following the crash, Allgaier questioned his team about whether Day had intentionally caused the wreck. Meanwhile, Kvapil, who had not yet seen the replay, believed he had provided enough space for Day, suggesting Day’s car might have gotten loose leading to the collision.
Day confirmed on the radio during the race and again to reporters post-event that a right-front tire blowout caused him to lose control. He also relayed this directly to JRM co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. after the incident occurred.
Day said,
“I think he [Earnhardt] was curious what happened and if I cleaned those guys out or what, and I just told him, man, I blew a right front. Hopefully, they can go back and find some pictures and videos that prove that I did. But I know 100% I did.”
Because Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports maintain a close alliance, the crash’s timing made the situation even more difficult. Day expressed regret over the incident:
“That’s worst timing possible, worst guys to be outside of me, Just terrible situations. So flat right front or not, I apologize for that.”
Recovery and Reflection Following a Challenging Race
Despite going a lap down after the second crash, Corey Day managed to regain his position and rally to a solid fourth-place finish. This marked an important rebound after his disappointing DNF in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, and the result moved him up to 24th in the season points standings.
However, Day admitted mixed feelings about the day’s performance. While thankful for the team’s effort to repair and maintain a competitive car, he said,
“I definitely don’t feel as good about it as if it was a super clean day, but fourth place is a fourth place, I owe it to my [No.] 17 guys for getting this thing fixed on pit stops and still having a competitive car even after all that.”
Corey Day’s experience at Atlanta highlighted both the promise and pitfalls of his rookie campaign in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. With apologies extended to fellow drivers and lessons learned through hard racing, Day’s challenge will be to translate his aggressive style into cleaner finishes as his experience grows on unfamiliar tracks.
The first caution comes early as Ryan Sieg and Corey Day make contact, causing multiple cars to take damage. pic.twitter.com/r8EIiAemmq
