Corey Day

Corey Day — Driver Profile

2026 Season

Corey Day has been the most surprising performer of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season. The 20-year-old Hendrick Motorsports rookie won his first career O'Reilly Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, passing Sheldon Creed on the final lap to deliver Hendrick its first-ever O'Reilly Series win at Talladega. He sits fourth in points through 12 races and held that position despite ending the very next weekend on Lap 1 at Texas — a hard wreck off Turn 2 that took the No. 17 out of the Andy's Frozen Custard 340 before the race had really begun. The cushion he built from a season of top-10 consistency before Talladega — and the win itself — kept him in title contention.

2026 Stats (through 12 races): 4th in points (400 pts, -198) | 2 wins (Talladega April 25; Dover May 16) | 4 top 5s | 9 top 10s | 1 pole

Career

Day is part of Hendrick Motorsports' first full O'Reilly Series program since 2006 — a significant organizational commitment. He came up through the Hendrick pipeline and enters 2026 as the clearest test case of what a fully supported HMS O'Reilly program can produce at the national level.

The Story

Day is leading laps, qualifying near the front, and finishing in the top 10 at a high rate — but hasn't converted that pace into a win. For a 20-year-old rookie with 164 laps led and a Martinsville runner-up already on the résumé, that's a story of remarkable promise. The win is coming. The question is when, and whether it arrives in time to matter in the playoff picture.

Recent Race — Dover, May 16, 2026 (BetRivers 200)

Day won his second career O'Reilly Series race in his first Dover start, passing Justin Allgaier with four laps left by running up against the outside wall and splitting Blake Lothian's lapped car. Margin: 0.461 sec. "This one feels really, really good. The Talladega one was unexpected at a superspeedway, but we earned this one." Read the recap.

Coverage (6 articles)

Connor Zilisch Stayed Out on Old Tires With 28 Laps Left. Rodney Childers Knew Exactly What He Was Doing.

John Speedway·April 12, 2026

Rodney Childers made the call to stay out on old tires with 28 laps left. Connor Zilisch made him look like a genius, holding off Kyle Larson to win the Suburban Propane 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

William Sawalich Wins His First at The Rock: The No. 18 Is Back

John Speedway·April 5, 2026

William Sawalich wins his first O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Rockingham, ending a three-year drought for the JGR No. 18. Corey Day led 118 laps but finished tenth.

Taylor Gray Short-Pits Kansas — and Jason Ratcliff Wins the Ballgame From the Box

John Speedway·April 19, 2026

Taylor Gray won the Kansas Lottery 300 on a Jason Ratcliff short-pit call at Lap 143. Sheldon Creed pocketed the $100K Dash 4 Cash. Corey Day's top-10 streak ended at eight. Joe Gibbs Racing takes down the Chevy juggernaut for the second time all year.

Corey Day Beat Allgaier at Dover. The Pass Came With Four Laps Left, Up Against the Outside Wall.

John Speedway·May 18, 2026

Corey Day, 20, made his first Dover start a winning one. The Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 split lapped traffic against the outside wall with four laps left to pass Justin Allgaier and take the BetRivers 200 by .461 seconds — his second career NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series victory. Allgaier still leads the championship by 155 over Sheldon Creed.

The Hungry Gator Got to Larson's Bumper. He Just Couldn't Get Around Him.

John Speedway·May 3, 2026

Kyle Larson held the bottom for 17 green-flag laps and beat his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier to the line by 0.293 seconds at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday. Allgaier — the points leader, three-time winner this year, sitting on the pole — got to Larson's bumper. He just couldn't get around him without contact, and he wasn't going to make contact. JR Motorsports went one-two. Allgaier extended his championship lead to 121 points anyway.

Allgaier Has the Championship Lead. Zilisch Has the Last Win. They Both Run at Dover Saturday.

John Speedway·May 12, 2026

Justin Allgaier brings the championship lead to Saturday's Dover BetRivers 200 (640 points, +155 over Sheldon Creed). Connor Zilisch brings the last win, having passed Jesse Love in the final corner of the Mission 200 at Watkins Glen by 0.262 seconds for his third straight O'Reilly Series win at The Glen. The brand-new Goodyear right-side tire designed for the Monster Mile's concrete decides the rest.

2026 Season — NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series