Corey Day has come under plenty of criticism lately. The 18-year-old rookie was involved in not one but two on-track incidents on Friday at Kansas Speedway. Touted as the next Kyle Larson, the California native faced the wrath of NASCAR fans after first colliding with Andy Jankowiak in the final lap of his third and final ARCA Menards Series start this season. The drama continued in his second race of the day, Kubota Tractor 200, where a Lap-77 collision with Matt Mills ended his run early.

It was a weekend of highs and lows for Corey Day. He secured his best ARCA Menards Series finish, albeit a fourth place. Going three-wide behind the eventual winner Tanner Grey, HendrickCars No. 82 rubbed for a good four or five seconds sideways on KLAS Motorsports’ No. 73 Toyota Camry on Turn 2. Andy’s car did give Corey enough room by going tangential toward the outside wall as much as possible, trying to avoid a clash.

While it might seem like the entire NASCAR community is against him, Corey Day has at least one supporter, Kyle Larson. Drawing parallels with his career, the Hendrick Motorsports driver said to Frontstretch’s Stephen Stumpf,

“I think you can look at my first few Truck starts and really like Homestead, I think like I wreck the field. You know, pulling a similar move. I think though when you’re young and don’t come from a stock car background, you know, you got to learn a lot and I think that was really his first time being in different aero situations.”

Larson also highlighted that on-track incidents in Kansas will be a valuable learning experience for Corey Day as he looks to secure a long-term future in NASCAR. The 2021 Cup Series winner went on to say, “I’m sure he took a lot away from the day yesterday and you have a better understanding of kind of how to position your car and how to take runs or not, take every run, stuff like that. He’s obviously got an extreme amount of talent and you know, I think he’s got a lot of hype but at the same time, he’s so new to stock cars that he’s really learning and having to learn quickly.”

Larson’s take on the situation comes from a place of maturity. However, it doesn’t take away the fact that Corey seemed less than sorry about it. In what was a post-race 10-second confrontation initiated by the P7 finisher, Andy Jankowiak was visibly helpless at how the race ended. Here’s how Andy did put it:

“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… We are a really smaller team [than HendrickCars], and we fight really hard… If we get a top-5 day there, we feel like we’re all gonna come home with a pretty good finish. A little frustrated but we limped her around, so we got a seven [P7]… I probably had a chance where I could have really tried to force the nose in there but… I’d get it if we are coming to the line but we are gonna be second, third, fourth, somewhere in there, it’s just three-wide, you know. Make it a show for the fans! Like what are we doing!”

When asked about what the post-race exchange with Day was about, Andy revealed, “We’re the little guys. We’re just trying to fight for our stake and we’re trying to be fair with everybody. So, I don’t know. He just got into me and he he kept into me and he just stayed into me. So, I don’t know what else to say about that. He said, ‘I didn’t give enough room.’ I said, ‘I was in the wall.’ We’ll live and learn.”

The HendrickCars driver too was given the chance to say his piece. So, when Frontstretch’s Stephen Stumpf reached out to him as well, Day agreed that he “kinda put myself in that spot, could have lifted but, you know, it was the last lap.” About the disagreement, he said, “He just came up and said, ‘We can both run top-5.’ But I’m not here to settle for a top-5. I’m here to win. So, I wasn’t gonna lift. He wasn’t gonna lift.”

Corey Day, coming from a sprint racing background, is rapidly adjusting to NASCAR. At just 18, he’s bound to make mistakes early on, but Hendrick Motorsports‘ decision to sign him as a development driver shows their confidence in his potential. Jeff Gordon has also backed him to succeed at the highest level of stock car racing. However, can he meet these high expectations, or will he crumble under pressure?

Frequently compared to Kyle Larson, even dubbed “basically me” by Larson himself, Day needs to avoid being overwhelmed by the weight of those comparisons. Instead, the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver must focus on steady growth, taking his career step-by-step, instead of succumbing to media and fan pressure. A long-term perspective will be crucial if he aims to reach the Cup Series.

Larson has faith in Corey Day’s talent

After a topsy-turvy race weekend for Corey Day, all he needed was to hear words of encouragement from Kyle Larson. That’s exactly what happened as the Hendrick Motorsports driver publicly expressed faith in the 18-year-old’s abilities, despite the youngster facing criticism from fans. It was exactly the type of boost Day needed and will be a good motivator for the rookie ahead of Truck Series races at Homestead-Miami and Martinsville Speedway later this year.

Highlighting Corey Day’s best attributes that make him one of the brightest motorsports prospects, Kyle Larson said, “I think he’s got a good feel for grip and the tire and you know, he can live kind of on the limit. A lot like me. So yeah, I think he’s just, whether that being a sprint car or just in a short amount of starts of having a stock car, he’s young and he learns quickly so he’ll be good.”

Patience will be key for Corey Day if he aims to fulfill his potential in stock car racing. With age on his side and plenty of prominent figures in NASCAR backing him, the youngster has plenty to look forward to in his career. His immediate aim should be to get good results in his remaining two Truck Series races and hope to secure a full-time seat with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.

By doing so, not only will he be able to adapt to the demands of stock car racing, but he can then progress into the Xfinity and Cup Series in the future.