Corey Day had quite a time at Bristol Motor Speedway, didn’t he? The 18-year-old racing driver competed in back-to-back races on the 0.533-mile concrete oval, finishing seventh in the ARCA Menards Series and making his Truck Series debut, ending up in 18th place. The California native recently signed a four-race deal, which will see him behind the wheel for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Chevrolet Silverados at Bristol, Kansas Speedway, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville.

Despite having made his name on dirt tracks, the youngster highlighted the challenges he faced at ‘The Last Great Colosseum’, particularly in the ARCA Menards Series, despite securing an impressive result in only his second appearance in the competition.

Corey Day recounts enjoyable Truck Series debut

Corey Day’s rise in the motorsport world has been nothing short of mercurial. He recently secured the biggest win of his career, winning the $100,000-to-win Trophy Cup at California’s Silver Dollar Speedway. The result was his seventh victory in 46 races of the competition, and he currently occupies fifth place in the championship standings as of now. He was also the youngest USAC National Midget Feature winner and secured a victory in the World of Outlaws as well. So it should come as no surprise that the 18-year-old has now got a well-deserved opportunity in the Truck Series, which could potentially signal a full-time NASCAR career in the future.

While his performances at Bristol Motor Speedway were impressive, the youngster compared his experiences between the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Truck Series. Speaking to Sportsnaut’s Matt Weaver, Corey Day said, “ARCA racing is a lot more fast-paced than this, just a lot more going on for sure. Overall, I thought it was a good day. Finished all 400-500 laps, whatever it was. That’s a big plus.” Highlighting the challenges that he faced in ARCA while driving the No. 82 Chevy for Pinnacle Racing Group, Day said, “I think that on a half-mile for a sprint car, dirty air is still five times what dirty air is in a Truck, for sure.”

Why is dirty air a significant factor when it comes to racing? For racing drivers, overtaking opportunities become much more difficult in dirty air because cars experience a reduction in downforce and grip, making it harder to make passes on the track. The fast-paced nature of ARCA racing means that driving through dirty air makes it difficult to gain track positions, which is why it’s not surprising that Corey Day managed to finish just one spot higher than his qualifying position at Bristol Motor Speedway. However, given his age, his seventh-place result at the 2024 Bush’s Beans 200 is quite impressive, given the circumstances that he found himself in.

Earlier this year, Day made his ARCA Menards Series debut at Salem Speedway while driving the No. 28 Chevy for Pinnacle Racing Group. Despite qualifying for the race in fifth place, the rookie crashed out and was forced to finish 15th. In comparison, the result at Bristol is a significant performance improvement, one that he will look to build upon in both ARCA and Truck Series going forward. Could a performance improvement see him secure a full-time NASCAR position in the foreseeable future? Time will tell, but he certainly has the talent to make his mark in the highest levels of stock car racing.

Kyle Larson has great faith in Day’s talent

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There was a lot of hype surrounding Corey Day before his Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway. Why wouldn’t there be? The 18-year-old is widely considered to be one of the brightest prospects in the motorsports world, which has prompted NASCAR’s most successful team Hendrick Motorsports to sign him on a development contract. Teams are always looking to find the next best thing and in this case, they may have truly found a gem.

To be considered ‘the next Kyle Larson’ would be a big compliment for any up-and-coming racing driver, but to be praised by the driver himself will give Corey Day a different sense of self-confidence. Speaking about the youngster, Kyle Larson 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.”

To say that Larson’s words will be a source of motivation for Corey Day would be an understatement. The 18-year-old has previously said that he studies the Hendrick Motorsports driver closely, and is eager to follow in the footsteps of the former Cup Series champion. However, at the age of 18, Day has a long way to go in his development as a racing driver before being considered anywhere close to Larson. For his sake, the youngster’s immediate aim should be to secure a full-time seat in the NASCAR Truck Series and build his way from there.