It wasn’t the result Andy Jankowiak deserved, but it was one he was forced to settle for. The KLAS Motorsports driver finished seventh in the penultimate Reese’s 150 at Kansas Speedway, the joint-highest finish of his season so far. However, the outcome of the race could have been so much better, had on-track incidents with Corey Day and eventual winner Tanner Grey not occurred during the race.

Visibly frustrated in the post-race interview, Andy Jankowiak didn’t hesitate to pin the blame on the Pinnacle Racing Group driver Corey Day, who was only making his third ARCA appearance of his career.

Andy Jankowiak believes Kansas’ result was a missed opportunity

With the stakes high at Kansas Speedway, the 2024 Reese’s 150 delivered an action-packed finish. Starting in sixth, Jankowiak aimed for a top-five result, but the closing laps derailed his plans. While he lacked the pace to compete with winner Tanner Gray, Jankowiak fought until the end, making contact with Gray in Turn 1 of the final lap. Corey Day was also caught up in the incident with the No. 73 Toyota driver.

Speaking to Frontstretch’s Stephen Stumpf after the race, Andy Jankowiak said, “I guess I got to stop being so nice to everybody because I’m trying to give guys room out there. It’s not coming back the other way where we’re getting run over by Hendrick Motorsports cars. I don’t know. We’re a smaller team, we’re fighting really hard for good finishes this year and we had a top-five day there. We felt like we were all going to come home with a pretty good finish there that didn’t need to finish the way it did. Frustrated but we got seventh so I guess it probably could be worse.”

Touted as one of the brightest motorsports prospects in the country, Corey Day had an impressive run at the Kansas Speedway. After qualifying just inside the top 10, the 18-year-old, backed by HendrickCars.com, clinched the best finish of his ARCA Menards Series career with a strong fourth place. With a bit more luck, he could have challenged Tanner Gray for the victory, but a miscalculated strategy kept him from climbing even higher. Keep an eye on Day—he’s a rising star to watch!

The two drivers made contact while competing for the lead during the closing stages of the race, prompting Corey Day to get into the pits while Gray’s crew chief Matt Ross decided to keep the Joe Gibbs Racing driver on the track. The gamble paid off, as the 25-year-old soldiered on despite having a puncture in his left tire and survived a dramatic final restart to take home the victory.

Even though Day fell short, the youngster, who is hailed as Kyle Larson’s successor, can take plenty of positives from this performance going into the final race of the season at Toledo Speedway.

Corey Day shares his views after a confrontation with Jankowiak

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Tempers were flaring at Kansas Speedway by the time the checkered flag was waved at the 1.5-mile track. While drivers were busy hydrating themselves after the race, Andy Kankowiak was seen briskly walking toward Corey Day to confront the Pinnacle Racing Group driver for the incident in the closing laps.

The pair were seen exchanging words with the KLAS Motorsports driver looking for some answers from his rookie rival, which cost him a top-five finish at the 2024 Reese’s 150. Speaking to Frontstretch’s Stephen Stumpf after the race, Corey Day shared his point of view after the confrontation.

Day said, “He just came up and said, ‘We could both run top-five’. But I’m not here to settle for a top-five, I’m here to win. I wasn’t gonna lift, I knew he wasn’t gonna lift. Him coming over and saying we can both be top-five, he should have lifted and given me air then. It is what it is. There is always going to be disagreements with other races. I guess we’ll find another day.”

With no love lost between the two drivers, it will be interesting to see how both of them compete against each other in future races. Corey Day has plenty to look forward to, as the 18-year-old will also be competing in the Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway as part of his four-race deal with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.

Could he go on to emulate his idol Kyle Larson and eventually progress into the Cup Series?

While it’s too early to say, Corey Day certainly has the talent to make it to NASCAR’s highest level. However, he will need to develop his skills with patience and hard work if he aims to become a Hendrick Motorsports driver in the future.