NASCAR Rumors: Corey Day Headed for Full-Time Ride in 2026

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2 days ago

Hendrick Motorsports is the best team in NASCAR and has played a key role in the development of some of the top drivers. As the company prepares for its future, it appears there's a chance that Corey Day could land a huge opportunity next season.
On Saturday, nascarumornostalgia shared that they've heard Day will be driving the No. 17 car for Hendrick full-time next season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
HMS signed Day in January to a multiyear deal, giving him a chance to run a few races in Xfinity this season. Driving the No. 17 car, he got his first taste of the level in March at Martinsville Speedway, qualifying eighth. He raced fairly well, working his way back inside the top 10 after dropping to the middle of the pack, before contact damaged his car and he finished 21st.
Day later took home a 16th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in May and then delivered an 11th-place finish two races later at Nashville Superspeedway. He later placed 24th in the road course race at Sonoma Raceway and most recently placed 24th in the NASCAR Xfinity results at Iowa.
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The 19-year-old has had more experience at the Truck Series level (11 races) and the ARCA Menards Series (five races). For now, Day remains a full-time driver at High Limit.
It would be a bit of a gamble for HMS considering Day still has limited experience in the Xfinity Series. He would be just 20 years old for his entire rookie season at the Xfinity level, competing against very experienced drivers (Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, and Jeb Burton) in addition to top NASCAR prospects with significantly more Xfinity experience (Jesse Love, Carson Kvapil, and Nicholas Sanchez).
A better path for Day would seem to be becoming a full-time Truck Series driver in 2026, competing at a lower level where he has more experience and has demonstrated more success. Furthermore, the Truck level has lower stakes than the Xfinity level and there is less pressure to generate money.
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Ultimately, Hendrick has plenty of time to decide where it will deploy Day next season. The 19-year-old has shown flashes this year that demonstrate why he's one of the top prospects in the sport, but he might be better off developing in the Truck Series for a year before moving up to Xfinity.
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