Corey Day Eyes First Darlington Victory in NASCAR O’Reilly Series
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Darlington Raceway, renowned for its challenging track conditions, will host the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this Saturday, with Corey Day set to make his first series start at the historic venue. The 20-year-old driver will start 12th after qualifying with a lap time of 30.447 seconds.
Day’s Qualifying Performance and Current Standings
Driving the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, Day secured a 12th-place starting position. Kyle Larson, substituting for Alex Bowman who is recovering from vertigo, claimed the pole position with a lap of 29.994 seconds in the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Hendrick Motorsports confirmed the qualifying results.
Day enters the Darlington race with a strong track record, boasting four consecutive top-10 finishes, including an eighth-place result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He currently holds seventh place in the NOAPS points standings after five events in his debut full-time season. He likewise has experience at Darlington, finishing ninth in a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race last year.
Recent Achievements and Career Highlights
Corey Day, born November 28, 2005, in Clovis, California, has quickly established himself as a rising star in motorsports. According to his Wikipedia profile, his accomplishments include the 2023 King of the West Sprint Car Series Championship, back-to-back Trophy Cup Championships in 2023 and 2024, and the 2024 Turkey Night Grand Prix win. He also secured victories at the 2017 Tulsa Shootout Restricted A-Class and the 2023, 2024, and 2025 Gold Cup Sprint Car Championships.
NASCAR Career Overview (as of March 14, 2026)
- NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: 15 races run over 2 years with Hendrick Motorsports, best finish of 32nd (2025).
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: 13 races run over 2 years, best finish of 40th (2024).
- ARCA Menards Series: 6 races run over 2 years, best finish of 41st (2024).
- ARCA Menards Series East: 1 race run over 1 year, best finish of 43rd (2024).
- ARCA Menards Series West: 2 races run over 1 year, best finish of 32nd (2025).
Race Details and Broadcast Information
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Darlington Raceway is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The race will be broadcast on The CW. NASCAR.com provides additional information about the event and driver profiles.
NASCAR O’Reilly Series Starting Lineup:
- Kyle Larson, No. 88, 29.994
- Christopher Bell, No. 19, 30.041
- Carson Kvapil, No. 1, 30.18
- Justin Allgaier, No. 7, 30.22
- Parker Retzlaff, No. 99, 30.299
- Sam Mayer, No. 41, 30.307
- William Sawalich, No. 18, 30.338
- Brandon Jones, No. 20, 30.355
- Ross Chastain, No. 9, 30.4
- Jesse Love, No. 2, 30.411
- Austin Hill, No. 21, 30.436
- Corey Day, No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 30.447
- Sheldon Creed, No. 00, 30.467
- Harrison Burton, No. 24, 30.481
- Taylor Gray, No. 54, 30.507
- Kyle Sieg, No. 28, 30.513
- Josh Williams, No. 92, 30.621
- Sammy Smith, No. 8, 30.644
- Rajah Caruth, No. 32, 30.683
- JJ Yeley, No. 5, 30.707
- Anthony Alfredo, No. 96, 30.736
- Ryan Sieg, No. 39, 30.761
- Brennan Poole, No. 44, 30.769
- Garrett Smithley, No. 0, 30.809
- Jeb Burton, No. 27, 30.841
- Blaine Perkins, No. 31, 30.873
- Nick Sanchez, No. 25, 30.874
- Patrick Staropoli, No. 48, 30.91
- Lavar Scott, No. 45, 30.924
- Jeremy Clements, No. 51, 30.955
- Austin Green, No. 87, 30.966
- Josh Bilicki, No. 07, 31.008
- Dean Thompson, No. 26, 31.14
- Alex Labbe, No. 91, 31.225
- Myatt Snider, No. 30, 31.254
- Ryan Ellis, No. 02, 31.297
- Joey Gase, No. 55, 31.507
- Nathan Byrd, No. 42 (did not run qualifying lap)
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