Hendrick Motorsports has confirmed that the team still has plans for development driver Corey Day.
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Speaking with media members on Tuesday, team owner Rick Hendrick noted that the plans for Day don't change after he signed Connor Zilisch to take over the No. 48 Chevrolet in 2028 and beyond. He still believes in Day, a dirt racer who only began recently learning the art of racing on asphalt.
"First of all, Corey Day is a tremendous talent, and our plan is for him to be in our future for a long time," Hendrick said. "People don't realize he's only been on pavement 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."
Day, a California native, officially landed with Hendrick Motorsports in January 2025. He signed a deal that included starts across multiple racing series, as well as sponsorship from HendrickCars.com.
The dirt ace's 2025 schedule included ARCA, the Trans-Am Series, the Craftsman Truck Series, and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. He then moved full-time into the O'Reilly Series for 2026 as Hendrick Motorsports brought back the No. 17 team.
This season, Day has dealt with growing pains as he has focused on pavement racing. He has also won two races and posted 15 top-10 finishes in 23 starts. He has shown promise and led some fans to view him as the natural successor to Alex Bowman, who retires after the 2027 season.
This will not be the case, however, as Zilisch will take over the No. 48 after one more season at Trackhouse Racing. Day will continue to have a role at Hendrick Motorsports, but the team will have to provide more details about the plans in the future.
"I'm excited to get Connor with you know our current young driver lineup, and I think he's going to fit in very, very well with that," Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon added.
"And I think Rick said it all about about Corey and his future. We know there's a bright future there, but you know right now Connor is prepared and ready to step in and be, in my opinion, when '28 comes around, a championship-caliber driver."
