CONCORD, N.C. - Corey Day is thankful for all of his experiences across multiple racing disciplines, on various track types and sizes and all in an array of different racing vehicles.
And he's also thankful that 2026 will bring with it a steadier, more consistent schedule.
Day, who is just over a week from his 20th birthday, will drive the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet full time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series next season as officially announced by Hendrick Motorsports last week.
In wrapping up this past year, Day is the first to admit that 2025 came with its share of growing pains, primarily stemming from jumping around between the NASCAR Xfinity Series, CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and ARCA Series in addition to Trans-Am TA2 events and his bread and butter, sprint car racing. And yet, even in the face of the steep expectations that come with competing at Hendrick Motorsports, he's glad to have gone through them and believes he made significant progress as the weeks and months passed by.
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"I'd say the first half of the season was tough for sure because I was just making all the stupid mistakes which, unfortunately, you kind of need to make those," Day said. "People can tell you that this is going to happen so don't do that, but until you go do it and feel it and feel why you don't need to do it - I just felt like I needed to make those and go through the growing pains and that's what I did.
"I think it was good to do that and get it all out of the way and now I feel comfortable. And the other thing is I had to do that in four different race cars. I got a maximum of 11 races in one car, so, I had to figure it out four different times. It was tough, for sure, but I know next year my progression will be a lot faster and a lot smoother overall."
There were signs of that progression in the latter parts of 2025 as well.
Maybe none more so than a season-best, fourth-place run in the Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 11. Day was also solidly in the top 10 at Phoenix Raceway in the season finale until pit strategies and caution flags shuffled him back a bit. He finished in the top 15 in four of his last six Xfinity starts with a pair of top 10s.
He also did his best work in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series the later the season went, narrowly missing a win with a second-place run at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July. Day registered three top 10s and two top fives over his final four Truck Series appearances.
Perhaps the biggest part of the learning curve Day discussed was paying off short run speed with endgame finishes. Coming from a dirt track background with short sprints the name of the game, adhering to a change in philosophy and understanding that pit road adjustments and strategy can also lead to finishes was part of the process as well.
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"I'm used to 30-lap sprint car races and I caught myself in the middle of the year getting mad in the car if we weren't good stage one or if I was backing up, I'd do something stupid," Day said. "Telling myself, 'Just hold on until a pit stop.' I'm used to rolling out on the track in a sprint car and whatever you've got is what you've got. You're the only person that controls your fate whereas here, you've got three pit stops, you've got adjustments that can be made, and you can have a good pit stop and gain spots. There's so many other things that can go on and help you or hurt you, so just trying to calm down while I race and slow down, letting it play out, that was a big thing for sure.
"I'd say that and I'd say the comfortability of the car, learning the car, learning its tendencies, all that. It's hard to get eight-to-10 races in something and figure it all out. You go to a bunch of different places in those eight races and the limits of the car are different at a short track than they are at a mile and a half than they are at a road course ... it's all different. And I got to experience all of it, which is good."
At the heart of that philosophy change and that newfound reliance on the No. 17 team was crew chief Adam Wall, who will return in 2026 to sit atop the box for Day full time. That relationship will continue to prove vital in Day's development.
"He wants to win just as bad as I do and he's super level-headed," Day said. "You've got to have a crew chief like that . . . I'm super fortunate for him and the way he goes about everything. I think he does a phenomenal job with the team. I'm really excited to go racing full time every weekend, back-to-back, and get into a routine and rhythm with the team. I think that will be another level where I can find more speed and get more comfortable."
All told, Day said 2025 was a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" in terms of the variety of challenges he faced and lessons he learned while traversing the country and running events in so many different vehicles. And yet, it was capped by an unforgettable experience that came out of the car completely.
As Kyle Larson delivered Hendrick Motorsports its 15th NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway, Day sat atop the No. 48 box alongside team owner Rick Hendrick. And as Hendrick cheered one of his cars to victory, Day was able to celebrate with him with as the company reclaimed its place atop the spot.
The moment was also captured for Hendrick Motorsports' social media accounts and has since gone viral.
"That was really cool. I didn’t really know I was going to be sitting on the box with him until Sunday," Day said. "It was just a super cool experience to have to be next to the boss when you’ve reached the pinnacle of our sport. That’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life and it’s super cool that there’s video of that too."