The next big thing: Day is embracing his new 'job' in NASCAR

Corey Day has yet recovered the league country and is little than 3 minutes into this interrogation erstwhile his telephone rings. He picks it up, looks astatine the surface and rapidly shows it to everyone else.

"Chad Knaus," reads the screen, arsenic in, seven-time champion and present vice president of contention astatine Hendrick Motorsports. Day hands the telephone to his PR rep, Ashly Ennis, who takes the telephone and laughs erstwhile Knaus asks wherefore Day walked into his bureau lone to crook astir and locomotion out.

Well, that goes backmost to the infinitesimal mentioned supra erstwhile Day was looking for the league room. Day is the youngest (19) and newest operator successful the Hendrick Motorsports lineup. He was signed successful December and is inactive learning the organization's campus, and NASCAR.

"It is food retired of water, for sure," Day told ESPN. "I inactive consciousness similar I'm a small retired of place, but I don't deliberation it's a atrocious thing. I cognize what goes on, but not to the grade that I bash successful the sprint car world, which is what I'm utilized to and did for the past 8 years of my life. So, this is decidedly a change, and determination are galore differences."

The modulation from ungraded to pavement is challenging for galore reasons. Day is learning his mode astir the Hendrick campus, NASCAR garages, antithetic contention cars and a calendar. He ne'er had that past 1 before, claiming helium didn't request 1 with his erstwhile beingness truthful simple, but helium has recovered 1 is portion of being a NASCAR operator with real-world responsibilities.

"This does consciousness similar a job," Day said. "Before, I was racing connected the weekends, and if I won and made immoderate money, cool. If I didn't, ohio well. I look backmost to each the sprint car races I did past year, and I recognize that now, not that I'm stressed retired oregon overstimulated, but I'm reasoning astir this mode more. Last year, immoderate happened, happened. With this, I privation to win, and it's a batch harder to triumph here."

On Day's calendar are astir 30 pavement races. He volition vie successful NASCAR nationalist bid events successful the Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series, arsenic good arsenic the ARCA Menards Series and Trans Am Series. And, yes, he's inactive moving connected dirt.

Day volition get his capable of learning NASCAR portion NASCAR and its fans larn astir him. Hendrick Motorsports signed the California native, considered a rising prima oregon apical prospect, conscionable aft his 18th day and with lone 4 banal car and 4 Truck Series starts to his name.

The organization, however, doesn't person a improvement program. That means that if Hendrick Motorsports believes successful someone's talent, that idiosyncratic is signed to a operator declaration and fixed an opportunity.

"I don't consciousness similar there's unit successful the consciousness that I person to bash everything close oregon I'm going to get fired," Day said. "I bash consciousness similar determination is unit to perform. I've ne'er been successful this presumption earlier with the praise of Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson."

Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion, and Larson, the 2021 champion, led to Day's signing. Both drivers person ungraded backgrounds, and Larson, who inactive races connected dirt, regularly competes against Day.

"When Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon accidental idiosyncratic is the existent deal, it surely gets your attention," said Rick Hendrick erstwhile Day was signed.

And for Day, "When Jeff Gordon asks you if you privation to travel thrust a banal car, you're not truly going to accidental no."

NASCAR had been a tube imagination for Day. As idiosyncratic without a pavement inheritance and from a household that races sprint cars, determination was nary realistic way -- that Day saw -- starring to competing connected Sundays. His imagination was to go a World of Outlaws champion.

"That was arsenic precocious arsenic it went," Day said. "I watched NASCAR and kept up, and thought it would beryllium chill to bash 1 day, but it was a fantasy. ... I guess, luckily, Jeff Gordon paid attention, and [Hendrick Motorsports wide manager] Jeff Andrews, being from Fresno [California] ... paid attraction to me, and truthful did Kyle [Larson] due to the fact that I was racing with him. The stars aligned."

Day is afloat immersed arsenic a Hendrick Motorsports driver. In summation to his operator responsibilities, helium besides observes the Cup Series teams and drivers, attending signifier and debriefs astatine the racetrack.

At Las Vegas Motor Speedway from March 13 to 16, Day was entered successful the Truck Series contention and 2 High Limit sprint car events. On the Thursday night, helium acceptable the speedy clip for the ungraded event. On Friday, the program was to tally the Truck Series contention and past the ungraded race, which had been postponed from the erstwhile night.

He went retired and won the rod for the Truck Series race. On the grid earlier the contention was Larson, offering proposal until the infinitesimal Day climbed down the wheel. At 1 point, Larson adjacent prodded Day's parents, asking, "Are you nervous?"

Day finished 27th, and the ungraded contention coiled up canceled owed to unfavorable upwind conditions. The play wasn't over, though; Day spent Saturday with the Cup teams and past won the ungraded contention that night.

Las Vegas gave mode to mentation for the March 28-29 events astatine Martinsville Speedway successful Virginia. Once again entered successful the Craftsman Truck Series race, Day besides made his Xfinity Series debut. An on-track incidental successful the Truck Series contention near him successful 32nd. He qualified eighth for his Xfinity Series debut, was met by 3 Chevrolet executives connected the starting grid, and past finished 21st aft rebounding from a spin.

"There is simply a batch -- connected and disconnected the track," Day said of his pavement experiences. "The races are mode longer. There is the adaptable of pit road. There is truthful overmuch [more] that goes into a contention -- earlier the race, during the week and astatine the racetrack -- than what I've been utilized to. Off the track, determination is simply a batch that goes connected preparing with the team, interviews and going to the gym.

"In racing dirt, I would bent retired during the week, possibly bent retired with the squad erstwhile oregon twice, and spell race. It was mode much low-key than this. It's not a atrocious happening that this isn't low-key due to the fact that I consciousness mode much connected with what I'm doing due to the fact that I'm truthful overmuch much involved."

By the extremity of a engaged year, Day has a elemental hope.

"I privation to consciousness that I am, not expected to beryllium here, but that I cognize what I'm doing and tin bash it with my eyes closed," helium said. "I privation to win. Bottom line, I privation to win. I tin tally 2nd and I'll beryllium conscionable arsenic huffy if I ran 30th. What drives maine successful this athletics is to win, truthful I'm going to bash immoderate I tin bash to marque that happen."

It would not beryllium astonishing if Day accomplished his goal. After all, he's got the enactment and sits nether the learning histrion of the winningest enactment successful NASCAR Cup Series history.