CONCORD, N.C. — Hendrick Motorsports signed NASCAR development driver Corey Day to a long-term contract extension, the organization announced Thursday.
Day signed a deal Wednesday afternoon to compete full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series again in 2027. He’ll race the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet he currently races in the series.
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As part of the deal, Day will also make his NASCAR Cup Series debut as part of a limited schedule in the series in 2027. It’s unclear which team he will race for to get those starts. Due to NASCAR rules, Hendrick Motorsports will have to get another Chevrolet team – likely Spire Motorsports, Haas Factory Team or Trackhouse Racing – to field Day’s Cup car.
More details will be announced at a later date, according to Hendrick Motorsports.
“When I joined Hendrick Motorsports, I knew I had a lot to learn. And I still do,” Day said. “But the people here have really embraced me and invested a lot of time in helping me grow, both as a driver and a person. Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick give us all the resources we could possibly need. I’m so grateful to them, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Andrews and the 500 teammates who put so much into our success. I’m focused on winning a championship together this year and bringing many more trophies home to Hendrick Motorsports in the future.”
Day rose to prominence and the attention of HMS with his dirt track endeavors. He started racing on pavement full-time in 2024, a year before Hendrick threw him into NASCAR’s No. 2 division part-time before bringing him on full-time this year. In total, he has competed in “fewer than 70 pavement races in full-bodied cars” in his career, according to the organization.
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Day’s first full-time year on pavement has had its highs and lows. The year started off at the center of controversy, even from Dale Earnhardt Jr., who called out Day after he was involved in an incident at Circuit of the Americas that took his driver, Connor Zilisch, out of a good finish.
Day cleaned up his act and went on a run of two wins, six top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes in the first 18 races of the season that saw him climb all the way to third in the points standings.
In the last seven races, however, Day has had just three top-10 finishes and four finishes of 19th or worse. He fell down the standings to seventh for the reset. He is now fifth in the standings after the reset and the first Chase race at Darlington where he finished second following a bad start to the race and run-in with William Sawalich.
“What Corey has accomplished in such a short time is remarkable,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “He came to us with generational talent but almost no experience racing on pavement. The fact that he’s already competing for a championship at this level is extraordinary and he’s just beginning to scratch the surface. We love Corey’s character and how he fits our organization and we’re proud to have him with us for many years to come.”
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Day’s name was thrown around as a possibility for the No. 48 car. However, Hendrick ultimately went with Connor Zilisch, saying they had other plans for Day for “years to come.” That led to Thursday’s announcement of Wednesday’s deal.
Day’s next race is Saturday, Sept. 12, at World Wide Technology Raceway Gateway. Last year, he earned his first NASCAR top-10 finish – ninth – in this race.
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