Bob Pockrass comments on ‘paid promotion’ remark about HMS-backed Corey Day

Veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass defended Hendrick Motorsports-backed Corey Day against criticisms of the driver's uninspiring race results. Pockrass said Day had impressive runs on dirt and needs time to adjust behind a NASCAR car.

Corey Day is a 19-year-old dirt track racer currently making a name for himself in NASCAR. However, the Californian has been struggling to post good race results while driving a part-time Craftsman Truck Series ride with Spire Motorsports. His latest Truck race at Martinsville Speedway saw him end with a DNF on lap 158.

When an X user asked Bob Pockrass why Corey Day is one of his top prospects, while speculating that the support came from "promotion and hype", the NASCAR reporter responded by saying:

"Day has been impressive on dirt in head-to-head battles with Larson in sprint cars and he appears to have support of Hendrick to be given time to develop and learn asphalt. I never judge a driver until the driver goes to a track for second time and knows how vehicle should feel."

Corey Day kicked off his 2025 Truck Series campaign with a 15th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Spire Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson emerged victorious. He finished 27th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after showing promise with a pole position start.

Additionally, Day competes in High Limit Racing, a 410 winged sprint car series that Kyle Larson co-owns.

Corey Day driving the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro at Martinsville Speedway - Source: Imagn

The young driver is set to return to the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado for five more races at Bristol, Rockingham, Nashville, Indianapolis, and Darlington. Additionally, he is scheduled to run 10 races in HMS's No. 17 Chevy in the Xfinity Series, including the Martinsville Speedway race this weekend.

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"It's huge": Corey Day on Kyle Larson's support in his racing career

Corey Day recently shared his thoughts on the support Kyle Larson is giving him. The 19-year-old driver said that the support from the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion was "huge", helping him in his climb up the NASCAR ranks.

In a post-qualifying interview after securing the pole position at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Day acknowledged the influence of fellow dirt track racers Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.

"Yeah, it's huge. You know, he's probably one of the few guys that's super successful. You know, him and Bell, I guess are the only two that are from the world I am," Day said via NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on X. [0:29]

He added:

"And they're winning on the big stage here. So tap one of those two guys, in my corner, and you know, with help too. He's a big help. So just also, man, I'm just so excited."

In addition to his NASCAR duties, Day is a part-timer in the ARCA Menards Series. Driving the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, the youngster secured a season-high 10th place finish at Phoenix Raceway. His previous start at Daytona International Speedway saw him finish 22nd.

He will return to the No. 77 Chevy at Sonoma Raceway in July and Kansas Speedway in September.