Corey Day gets full-time Hendrick ride for 2026 NASCAR season
CONCORD, N.C. – Dirt track phenom Corey Day will rise to full-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competition with Hendrick Motorsports in 2026.
Corey Day will race the full 2026 NOAPS schedule in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet he raced 12 times in 2025. Day made a variety of starts with Hendrick, from NOAPS to Trucks to ARCA, after signing with Hendrick in December 2024. His best Truck finish was second at Indianapolis Raceway Park while his best NOAPS finish was fourth at Las Vegas.
“Corey impressed us with how quickly he adapted this year,” Rick Hendrick said. “He’ll go into 2026 with less pavement experience than anyone in the field but you’d never know it by watching him drive. The instincts and raw talent are off the charts and he’s going to keep getting better with more seat time. Corey has a tremendous future, and we’re proud to have him represent HendrickCars.com.”
Day will have crew chief Adam Wall. While working with Day and a variety of drivers in 2025, Wall’s No. 17 car led the third-most laps in the series (577) despite missing 12 races. The car won two races and scored nine top-five finishes in 21 races with Day racing 11 times.
Day will turn 20 on Nov. 28. He came to NASCAR with an impressive dirt-track résumé that included 10 victories, 25 top-fives and 44 top 10s through 73 starts in 2024 alone. That year, he won the 83rd Turkey Night Grand Prix, becoming the youngest winner in the event’s history.
His 2025 dirt season featured marquee victories across multiple series, including a High Limit Racing win in Las Vegas, a World of Outlaws triumph at Knoxville and a third straight Gold Cup Race of Champions title. He also won in the High Limit victory at his home track of Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway.
Day also earned Chili Bowl Rookie of the Year honors in 2022. He also won the 2023 King of the West 410 NARC Championship and a World of Outlaws Gold Cup victory – adding his name to a list that includes his father, Ronnie Day.
“The opportunity to race full time for Mr. Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports is something I’ve been working toward and feel I’m ready for,” Day said. “I’ve learned so much from everyone here this past year, and I’m grateful for the chance to represent HendrickCars.com every week in 2026. Adam and the No. 17 team have shown the ability to win races, and I can’t wait to build on that foundation and compete for a championship.”
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com