It was in 2022 that second-generation driver Corey Day began to gain traction with his win at the  Silver Dollar Speedway. Aged just 16, Day won his third career NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car victory in just his 15th series start, leading all  35 laps. Two years and a $100,000 Trophy Cup later, he is set for a stint in the NASCAR Truck Series. Praise has come from many quarters with Kyle Larson declaring Day to be better than him

The Silver Dollar Speedway was once again the stage for Day to shine and he delivered big time. With this came a four NASCAR Truck Series opportunity, where he will be eager to make an impact. Many teams will be keeping an eye on the 18-year-old’s exploits, but a NASCAR insider has urged Hendrick Motorsports to make the first move for Day.

Corey Day wins hearts in NASCAR before his Truck Series debut

Day registered his career’s biggest win at the High Limit Racing Sprint Car Series at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. Winning the $100,000-to-win Trophy Cup will put a driver on the radar and the same has happened with him.

NASCAR legend Kenny Wallace met Corey Day when Larson called the former NASCAR driver down to watch a Dirt race. That’s where Wallace had a chance to interview Day. The learnings from the interview were brought back home and revealed on Kenny Wallace’s YouTube channel.

What’s surprising is that after speaking about the young talent, Wallace compared him to Jeff Gordon and how Gordon got his break after his performances in ESPN’s Thursday Night Thunder, where he raced USAC midgets. Gordon turned out to be the breakthrough driver of the series and it led to his Xfinity debut with Hugh Connerty Racing in the #67 Pontiac.

Wallace feels Day will have a similar trajectory. After mentioning the 18-year-old will be making his debut in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series at Bristol, Wallace shared how he should definitely be an HMS driver.

Wallace explained, “Kyle Larson tells Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, ‘Hey you better get Corey Day before someone else gets him.’ So, he’s here, quicker than I thought, and he’s going to make it.”

Wallace then dove into a story of how Dale Earnhardt Sr. had Rob Moroso on his radar before he passed away in an accident. Moroso took time to get good, but “This is where Corey Day is already good—he’s already great he’s already won big races. But Hendrick Motorsports is going to make him a great NASCAR driver,” added Wallace.

The former NASCAR driver believes that HMS will take Corey Day all the way through with a chance of fans seeing him “in some of Dale Jr.’s late model stocks. But Corey Day’s got to get all the asphalt experience he can get.” As it turns out his venture into the Truck Series will be backed by primary sponsor HendrickCars.com.

Moreover, HMS driver Kyle Larson has also been an advocate of Day’s abilities for some time now. “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,” Larson said during an appearance on Kenny Wallace’s Conversations with Kenny podcast back in February. Well, the HMS driver isn’t the only one who feels Day has a similar racing style to him.

Talking to Bob Pockrass from Fox Sports, JTG Daughtery Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. stated the quality he admires most about Day is his calmness.

“One thing I think is really good about Corey is he’s super calm! It kind of reminds me of Kyle, he’s calm. You know, super polite outside the race car when he gets in you can tell he kind of switches modes and I feel like he kind of really hangs it out but in a smart way.”

The Kyle Larson comparisons don’t end here. Seeing how Day is following in the footsteps of Larson when it comes to his career trajectory, the host of the BrakeHard podcast raised the same question, “Is Corey Day the next Kyle Larson?” Well, we 

On September 16, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced that Day would be joining them for four races in the Truck Series. He will be driving both the No. 91 Chevrolet Silverado and a new No. 81 MHR Chevrolet Silverado.

After his Truck Series that takes place at the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway, Day will also race at Martinsville Speedway, Kansas Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway. This wide range of tracks and cars will be good preparation for his eventual NASCAR stint.

Speaking on the opportunity during the HMR press release, Day said, “I’m excited to make my start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. I haven’t made many non-dirt racing starts, but I’m ready to begin learning more about this type of racing. I know I will face some challenges, but I feel confident in my ability to learn and I know that I have great support behind me with HendrickCars.com and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. I just hope to represent them well.”

The Clovis, California native has seven wins in 46 starts this year and ranks inside the top five of the High Limit Racing Series championship standings. With him set to gain experience in the Truck Series, the 18-year is on the right track for success.

While his ability is there for everyone to see, there is another reason Wallace advocating for HMS to sign the promising talent.

So what makes Hendrick Motorsport the right place for the emerging talent?

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This POV of Kenny Wallace comes from a time when he was playing blackjack at a casino with Larson. During the No. 5 driver’s early days in NASCAR, he was more inclined towards dirt racing. After taking Wallace’s advice, Larson went all in on asphalt racing to be able to financially sustain himself.

Now that Larson has won the 2021 championship, he has been able to branch out into other series of racing. Wallace believes that Corey Day should follow the same path and get settled before following his core passion. However, Wallace revealed, “I think that’s what Corey Day needs to do. But the only way that happens is if Hendrick starts paying him well.”

Speaking of how worthy Day is, Wallace  mentioned how, as an 18-year-old, the driver won a $100,000 race. Even if he only got 30%-40% of the winnings, Wallace asked, “What 18-year-old makes $30-40,000?” Considering that Day has proved himself, the 61-year-old stated, “I’m sure Mr. H, Jeff Gordon, and all of them are going to make sure Corey makes a living. It’s not often you see generational talent come along.”

It seems like Corey Day already has some influential figures backing him up. Now all he needs to do is land a full-time deal after the 4 races starting at Bristol and prove it in NASCAR that he is more than a one-hit wonder. With that said, do you think that Corey Day has what it takes to climb the NASCAR ladder to be the Cup Series champion one day? Share your thoughts in the comments below.