Rising star Corey Day had a big setback in the USAC Nationals midget race at Bakersfield. Day made his debut competing in the Craftsman Truck Series with the backing of HendrickCars.com. HMS star Kyle Larson, who himself is a dirt racing maestro, hailed Corey Day as the best racer he’s seen.

Well, that was evident when Day got better of Larson at the Merced Speedway last week, but he wasn’t able to replicate the same in the November classic at Bakersfield Speedway.
Meanwhile, NASCAR star Kyle Busch wasn’t even able to compete for the race win after a mechanical failure derailed his solid start to the event.

Corey Day had a tough outing at Bakersfield Speedway

Corey Day had expanded his dirt race season after announcing that he would join the USAC National Midget Series for the remaining seven races. 2024 has been a breakthrough season for the young driver, scoring eight victories in his rookie national sprint car season with Kubota High Limit Racing. This team is co-owned by Kyle Larson and his brother-in-law, Brad Sweet, so now you know why Larson speaks so highly of this young driver.

Gold Cup Race of supports trophy, a $485,714 payday at Skagit Nationals, and recognition by Hendrick Motorsports are some of the highlights of Day’s 2024 season. He continued on his winning run after clinching a win at Merced Speedway last weekend. It was a doubleheader, with Day winning the first feature and Larson following suit in the second one. Corey Day is one of the biggest prospects in stock-car racing. Having beaten Kyle Larson at the Merced Speedway, his claim to fame came when Yung Money spoke extensively about how the young driver had the potential to surpass him. But the November classic race at Bakersfield Speedway was a disappointment for both the drivers.

From winning the race at Merced Speedway to finishing dead last at Bakersfield is indeed a tough pill to swallow for Corey Day. He finished the race 24th with no time, whereas Kyle Larson, who was running 17th in the race, headed to the pits with a red flag and wasn’t able to continue thereafter. The HMS driver finished the race 23rd, just a position above his favorite young racer, Day. On the other hand, Tanner Thomas scripted history by winning the race feature and became only the 14th driver to have amassed 30 or more victories in the USAC Nationals Midget Series.

The other Kyle, Kyle Busch, was also struck by bad luck as his run at the Bakersfield Speedway came to a screeching halt with mechanical issues.

Rowdy wasn’t able to showcase his skills on the dirt track

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NASCAR fans are used to seeing Kyle Busch ruffle some feathers and win races driving the stock car. However, the veteran driver is now following his fellow drivers in making the most of the off-season. He will be competing at the historic midget race Chili Bowl Nationals in January, and the USAC Nationals race was seen as his learning stage before the mega event.

This was Rowdy’s debut run at the USAC Nationals, and it looked to be a promising night as he qualified 18th out of the 36 entries. He fired off strong in the heat race as well and took charge of the race, but after 2 laps his midget car lost power. As it turns out, the batteries on his race car had connection issues that forced him out of the race. He had a chance to bounce back in the 12-lap semi-final feature, but despite working his way up to fifth spot, he wasn’t able to make the transfer.

Busch will return to the USAC Nationals midget race at Ventura Speedway, which is scheduled for November 30. This will be followed by his appearance alongside his son Brexton at the Tulsa Shootout late in December.