Corey Day Showcases Resilience with Strong Performance at Merced Speedway
Merced, CA – After a harrowing accident at Placerville Speedway, Corey Day returned to racing at Merced Speedway on Saturday, demonstrating not only his resilience but also his growing prowess in both dirt and NASCAR competitions.
The 19-year-old from Clovis, California, had previously suffered a series of violent flips while competing in the Hangtown 100, prompting him to skip a race the following Friday due to poor track conditions. However, Day was back in action for the Chase Johnson Classic, where he competed in both a winged sprint car and a midget.
Day, who recently signed a contract to drive Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 17 Chevrolet in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, acknowledged a shift in his racing approach. “At this stage of my dirt career, I’m more of a fair-weather racer… I’m not really that interested in running the rough and cooked-up stuff, especially without a wing over my head,” he stated.
Having secured his place with Hendrick—marking the first full-time driver in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series since Kyle Busch in 2004—Day is preparing for the upcoming season with focused attention on NASCAR.
In his inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, Day showcased impressive skill, achieving two top-five finishes and three top-10s in nine races, with a notable second-place finish at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. His performance in the Xfinity Series included a fourth-place finish at Las Vegas and a ninth-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway after starting from 16th.
Day emphasized the importance of experience, saying, “You’ve got to get seat time… until you go get the real-world experience, it’s hard to progress.”
His goals for the upcoming season are ambitious. “I want to go win. I want to be the best and win a championship… you have to have that mind-set that you can do it,” he asserted.
Day’s drive and determination were evident as he clinched victory in Saturday’s sprint car race at Merced, finishing third in the USAC national midget feature that followed.
