Rick Hendrick picked Jeff Gordon up at the age of 22, and now the latter is in search of the future of Hendrick Motorsports. When HMS signed Kyle Larson in 2020, it wasn’t much of a gamble, but rather a calculated move to bring a rising star in while denying direct competition (Tony Stewart) from getting him. Larson responded to the faith shown in him by winning 10 races en route to the Cup Series Championship. Now, he has named his successor.

“He’s basically me,” said Kyle Larson while describing Hendrick Motorsports’ latest signing. Last week, HMS announced that they would be singing sprint car prodigy Corey Day to a multi-year deal. The 19-year-old has garnered praise from NASCAR’s greats such as Kenny Wallace and Jeff Gordon. However, when Gordon, vice chairman of HMS, approached to sign Day, the former was met with suspicion.

When Corey Day didn’t believe who was calling

Corey Day is a sensational talent. He won the 2021 USAC National Series and was the youngest driver to do so at just 15 years of age. Competing in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, he has participated in 46 races between 2022 and 2024, earning two wins, 13 top-five finishes, and 20 top-ten finishes. Gordon had kept an eagle eye on him and did not leave any stones unturned to get him onboard.

This is when he had dropped in a text to Day’s father and asked him whether Day would like to pursue a career in stock car racing. However, funnily enough, Day’s father did not take this seriously and asked for Gordon’s photo as proof of authenticity. Recounting the hilarious incident in a conversation with SiriusXM NASCAR Corey Day said, “I think Jeff had my dad’s number or got it from John [Wise] or something like that. He actually sent my dad a text, this is late 2023… He said he it’s Jeff Gordon and asked if I would be interested in running some stock car stuff. My dad and I were both like, ‘Is this really Jeff Gordon?’ We were unsure so my dad asked him to send a picture of himself to make sure it was the real Jeff Gordon and wasn’t a scam. Sure enough, it was and the rest is history”. 

Corey Day made his entry into the world of NASCAR with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. The 2024 season saw him piloting the No. 81 and No. 91 Chevy truck part-time. During his Truck Series stint, he was able to secure three top-20 finishes spanned across just four races. One of Day’s biggest strengths is his sprint car prowess, which is what led to Larson comparing himself to the kid. The duo raced each other at Kyle Larson’s High Limit Racing, and Day impressed massively. In 54 High Limit Races, Day notched up 8 wins, 19 top-5, and 34 top-10 finishes. His sprint racing achievements don’t end there either.

In the 2023 King of the West-NARC Sprint Car Series, Day was crowned the champion, bagging 9 wins in 21 races. For his career, he has 16 wins, and 30 top-5 finishes in this series in 50 races. With such a glittering resume, it’s no surprise that a team like Hendrick Motorsports snapped him up early. While the Kyle Larson comparisons might be overbearing, Day is confident that he has all the help he needs to succeed at HMS.

Speaking of being compared to Kyle Larson, Day said, “It’s going to be a lot, of course, and I’m trying to be as mentally prepared for it as possible. With the group of people I have around me to be able to ask questions to, really anything I need I don’t have too many concerns. I know I’m probably going to have a lot of questions. There’s going to be some things come up to where I’m confused, but when you’ve got Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson, Josh Wise … all these guys I can ask questions to, I think I’m going to be OK”. 

Kyle Larson is excited to see another dirt racing prospect join HMS.

Larson shows confidence in Day

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Since the 2021 Cup Series Championship, Larson has been on an inspiring run. The HMS driver notched up 6 wins in 2024, the most in the series, but missed out on the Championship 4. Now, as 2025 approaches, Larson has a new kid on the block to inspire. Larson emphasized his confidence in the youngster in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR recently.

Larson said, “He’s definitely, in my opinion, of guys who haven’t made it to (the three series, NASCAR), he’s definitely the best prospect out there. So…yeah, I definitely endorsed him for sure because I’ve gotten a chance to race with him and first hand see how good he is.” They say the eye test is the ultimate determining factor and Day seems to have passed it after racing against Larson in sprint cars.

Speaking of how he resembles Larson himself, he said, “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”. Day’s versatility was on full display in 2024 when he teamed up with JR Motorsports to drive the #88 car at Hickory Motor Speedway. Being primarily a dirt racer, asphalt was a unique challenge for Day, so how did he fare? In the final feature race, Day took the lead in lap 2 and never looked back, clinching the win. Absolute domination. 

After the trade, Day said, “These guys worked really hard. We came and practiced yesterday and practiced all day today to get me comfortable. I appreciate everyone at JR Motorsports working hard to get a dirt guy comfortable on asphalt.” The 19-year-old would be hoping that HMS can also get the best out of him on the asphalt. With the success Rick Hendrick’s team has seen with Kyle Larson, it won’t be a surprise if they mold another one.