Matt Johnson
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Corey Day is coming off his first-ever win, racing his way to victory lane at Talladega Superspeedway and proving he’s one of the top prospects in racing. With a seat potentially opening up next season in the Cup Series at Hendrick Motorsports, there’s been some speculation that Day could get the ride at just 21 years old.
Speaking on Day’s win in the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, future Hall of Fame driver Denny Hamlin was asked if he thinks Hendrick’s top prospect could be racing in the Cup Series next season.
“Next year? Oh man that would be quick. I wouldn’t advise that, but you never know.”
Denny Hamlin on if Corey Day could move up to the Cup Series in 2027
Related: Denny Hamlin Eyeing Revenge on Fellow Driver
- Corey Day stats (O’Reilly Series): 399 points, 1 win, nine top-10s, four top-5s, 1 pole, 1 DNF, 191 laps led, 8.09 average starting position, 8.36 average finising position
Day, who doesn’t turn 21 until November, is widely viewed as one of the top NASCAR prospects in 2026. He signed a development contract with Hendrick in 2024 and ran 11 races with the team in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last season.
The young driver of the No. 17 Hendrick car got off to a rough start in his first full-time season in the O’Reilly Series. After qualifying sixth, Day finished 27th at Daytona to open the season. However, he’s finished 12th or better in every race since with a 6.5 average finishing position in the last 10 races.
With Day standing out in OARS and Alex Bowman in the midst of a disastrous contract year, there would at least seem to be a possibility of the young driver taking over the No. 48 car next season. It would be a short-term gamble, but Hendrick could view it as a long-term move to prepare Day for his future with a top team and he’d gain valuable experience racing in the Next Gen car consistently.
However, Connor Zilisch is a perfect example of why HMS might want to play things slowly with Day’s development. The 19-year-old won 10 races and led 1,013 laps last year in the O’Reilly Series with historic dominance. Now in his rookie season driving the No. 88 for Trackhouse Racing, he has the third-worst average finishing position (27.0) and the fourth-worst average starting position (28.3) among full-time Cup Series drivers through 10 races.
The car and support staff that Day would have in the No. 48 car would certainly be superior to what Zilisch is working with this season at Trackhouse. However, that could ultimately be to the young driver’s detriment since expectations would be higher and his early struggles would be much more apparent racing in a top-flight car.
Hamlin’s advice that Day should spend two full seasons in the O’Reilly Series, with perhaps a few Cup starts mixed in, is probably the right approach to take with the up-and-comer. If all goes well and he continues to sharpen his racing from experience in OARS, he’ll be in the Cup Series before long.
