NASCAR driver Corey Day achieved his first career pole position in the Craftsman Truck Series ahead of the Las Vegas race. Later, during a post-qualifying session, Day discussed having a Hendrick Motorsports teammate for support.
The 19-year-old has been competing in stock car racing for the past two years. He began his career in stock car racing with the ARCA Menards Series, driving for the Pinnacle Racing Group in the #28 and #82 Chevy during the 2024 season. In 2025, Day transitioned to Spire Motorsports, where he drives the #77 Chevy in the ARCA Menards Series and the #7 Chevy truck in the Craftsman Series.
In just his fifth start in the Truck Series, Corey Day secured his first pole position with a top speed of 177.702 mph at the Ecosave 200 race. He has also impressed Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon with his abilities.
Reflecting on this, the interviewer asked Day:
"Earlier in the show, we talked about the words of encouragement and the amount of trust that Kyle Larson, a guy of that magnitude, has in you. What's it like to have him in your corner?" [00:32 onwards]
"Yeah, it's huge. You know, he 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. And they're, you know, winning on the big stage here. So tap one of those two guys, you know, in my corner. And you know, with help too. He's a he's a big help. So, just also man I'm just so so excited," he said in response.
Day signed a multi-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports in the offseason to serve as a development driver for the team. Additionally, the young talent will also drive the #17 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports in the 2025 Xfinity Series.
“It’s an honor to be compared to Kyle Larson”: Corey Day regarding fans drawing parallels between him and the HMS star
After Hendrick Motorsports signed a multi-year deal with Corey Day, fans compared him to the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson. Reflecting on this, Day expressed his gratitude for such comparisons.
Hendrick Motorsports has been monitoring Day's performance since his debut in September 2023. He was one of the few drivers who impressed four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and HMS vice president Jeff Gordon. Also, at just 15, Day became the youngest driver to win the 2021 USAC National Series.
On being likened to Kyle Larson, Corey Day stated:
“It’s an honor to be compared to Kyle Larson. He is, in my opinion, and I’m sure a lot of other people’s, the best race car driver in the world. So to be compared to him and talked about in the same sentence is really cool," Day said via Sportsnaut.
"It doesn’t add too much more pressure on me. I feel like if I added more than I couldn’t do the job I was hired to do. So I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing and if I do that, then I’ll keep getting compared to him,” he added.
The Clovis, California native has competed in four Craftsman Truck Series races, with his best finish coming at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he placed P16. Additionally, he competed in five ARCA Menards Series races, achieving his best finish (P4) at Kansas Speedway last year.