Connor Zilisch doesn't mean Hendrick still isn't big on Corey Day

Just because Connor Zilisch has been hired to drive the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet in 2028, that doesn’t mean Hendrick Motorsports doesn’t have a plan for Corey Day.

That was part of what was revealed during a press conference on Tuesday in which Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon introduced Zilisch as their next generation driver following his two-year rookie contract stint at Trackhouse Racing.

Day, a 20-year-old dirt Sprint Car prodigy, is still just in his first full-time pavement season with two wins in the O’Reilly Series but also sits fifth in the championship standings with just a single race remaining in the regular season.

He has the full support of Hendrick Motorsports, which is single-handedly funding his development program.

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As a point of comparison, Christopher Bell with his similar dirt background did not reach the Cup Series until his age 25 season and was not in a Joe Gibbs Racing car until his age 26 season. All of this is to say that Hendrick is preaching patience to everyone invested in Day’s future prospects.

“Well, you know, first of all, Corey Day is a tremendous talent, and our plan is for him to be in our future for a long time,” said Hendrick during the press conference. “People don’t realize he’s only been on pavement (full-time for) about half a year, and so it’s going to be good to watch him grow.

“And we have plans for him that go well beyond the next couple of years. So when the timing’s right, he’ll move up. But for right now, Corey’s learning. We want to run for the championship in the O’Reilly car next year, and so we’re excited about him. I love the youth. I love the enthusiasm. I love the energy and the talent.”

To that point, Hendrick wants to see Day master pavement racing at the second-tier level before even considering what could come next. Hendrick Motorsports could always wait to see what the landscape looks like within the next four years or could pursue leveraging a partnership with one of the other Chevrolet teams similar to what Gibbs did with Leavine Family Racing and Bell.

Gordon echoed what Hendrick said.

“We know there is a bright future there,” Gordon said of Day. “But right now, Connor is prepared and ready to step in and be a championship caliber driver when 2028 rolls around.”