Hendrick Motorsports’ star Kyle Larson, nicknamed “Yung Money” as a teen racing in the United States Auto Club, has proven his mastery of driving from midgets to sprint cars to stock cars, achieving victories since age seven. But could there be a “Kyle Larson 2.0” on the horizon? The buzz revolves around a determined 19-year-old who draws a bold comparison from Larson stating: “He’s basically me.” Going ahead, The Larson successor seems poised with his big expectations. 

After a successful debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and now advancing into the Xfinity Series, the talented HMS prodigy has caught the attention, reacting positively to Larson’s praise. 

Corey Day’s confident approach to Kyle Larson compliment

The 2024 proved to be Day’s breakout year. He began pursuing his passion for dirt racing at just 9 and went on to become the youngest driver to win a USAC National Series event. His talent caught the attention of Kyle Larson when both participated in the 2024 Kubota High Limit Sprint Car Series, there the 18-year-old Day won eight races and finished fifth in the point standing. After experiencing and adapting to the new pavement of Truck Series, the California native signed a significant deal with Hendrick Motorsports. As Rick Hendrick expressed confidence in him, “When Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon say someone is the real deal, it certainly gets your attention.”

There’s no doubt Larson and Gordon can be wrong about Day. When he was asked, “Kyle [Larson] sings your praises a lot…Do you ever be like, okay. Don’t put so much pressure on me. You know, maybe just be quiet a little bit,” Corey answered patiently and confidently, “No. I love hearing it, of course. You know, I’ve definitely looked up to Kyle [Larson] for a long time. You know, I’m 19, but I was a young kid still when Kyle was doing Kyle things. So, yeah, it’s super cool to always hear and, you know, I don’t put the pressure on me. I mean, I know that him speaking the phrases he does, all the fans are gonna, you know, hold me to a higher standard. But, you know, at the end of the day, I just gotta go do my job and, you know, that’s what he’s speaking the phrases about.”

Kyle Larson, who himself is active in dirt racing with legends like Brad Sweet from the World of Outlaws, had an eye on the young, rising driver who was also part of the race. He said, “He’s basically me. He’s better than I am, or I was obviously at that age. He is in a lot better rides than I was at that age. His race craft, his maturity on the track, off the track, like all that, he’s really, really good. He can run harder than anybody on the race track and be in control. So, he’s definitely the next kid coming up that probably will make it,” as per Sportsnaut.

Corey Day’s dreams came full circle when he signed with Hendrick Motorsports, sitting next to his idol, Jeff Gordon – a far cry from the days he’d cry when Gordon didn’t win! But the endorsement didn’t stop there. Kyle Larson had already been singing Day’s praises on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio a month earlier, “He’s definitely the best prospect out there” who hasn’t yet hit the big NASCAR series. Larson went on to highlight a striking resemblance: “He’s probably the only one that… I feel like looks like me almost out there…You know, same sort of driving style and all that, very versatile, can hop in anything, and can figure it out.”

Now a bigger role awaits Corey Day, as he is scheduled for 20 NASCAR National Series races and around 10 additional races, but it comes with challenges. 

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Corey Day’s transition in the world of stock car racing

Corey Day, who is scheduled to race in 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races with Hendrick Motorsports for 2025 as per their multi-year agreement (the dates for which are yet to be announced), will also drive 10 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races for Spire Motorsports. Meanwhile, with both team owners having full confidence in his performance, Corey anticipates certain challenges.

When NASCARONFOX asked him of the biggest challenges, “ I gotta imagine restarts are kinda the biggest challenge.” Day expressed honestly, “They are[restarts]…Like a a sprint car, you don’t have to lift really…It’s just way different style. So restart tough for sure, just finding limit on cars is tough for me too, so its always different when your start and then, yeah I’m good. It restarts in dirt car, and I make passes, but, it’s definitely a lot different with the aero factor and everything on pavement. I’ve still yet to get good at them.”

The fun fact is that he doesn’t have to worry about points, that acts as a relief, allowing him to focus more on his performance. Moreover, he will also be competing in the ARCA Menards Series and Trans Am Series. The important thing to note is Day’s positive outlook on his upcoming role and his focus on areas for improvement, “This is a dream scenario,” Day said. “I’m grateful to Mr. Hendrick and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group for providing a platform to grow and compete at this level. There’s still a lot to learn on pavement, but having such incredible support gives me a ton of confidence. I’m ready to work hard and take in as much as I can. It’s going to be a fun year.”

The 2025 season is going to be rewarding for race fans as they will witness the rise of talented drivers like Corey Day, Connor Zilisch and Carson Kvapil.