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:

1. Kyle Larson, No. 88, 29.994
2. Christopher Bell, No. 19, 30.041
3. Carson Kvapil, No. 1, 30.18
4. Justin Allgaier, No. 7, 30.22
5. Parker Retzlaff, No. 99, 30.299
6. Sam Mayer, No. 41, 30.307
7. William Sawalich, No. 18, 30.338
8. Brandon Jones, No. 20, 30.355
9. Ross Chastain, No. 9, 30.4
10. Jesse Love, No. 2, 30.411
11. Austin Hill, No. 21, 30.436
12. Corey Day, No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 30.447
13. Sheldon Creed, No. 00, 30.467
14. Harrison Burton, No. 24, 30.481
15. Taylor Gray, No. 54, 30.507
16. Kyle Sieg, No. 28, 30.513
17. Josh Williams, No. 92, 30.621
18. Sammy Smith, No. 8, 30.644
19. Rajah Caruth, No. 32, 30.683
20. JJ Yeley, No. 5, 30.707
21. Anthony Alfredo, No. 96, 30.736
22. Ryan Sieg, No. 39, 30.761
23. Brennan Poole, No. 44, 30.769
24. Garrett Smithley, No. 0, 30.809
25. Jeb Burton, No. 27, 30.841
26. Blaine Perkins, No. 31, 30.873
27. Nick Sanchez, No. 25, 30.874
28. Patrick Staropoli, No. 48, 30.91
29. Lavar Scott, No. 45, 30.924
30. Jeremy Clements, No. 51, 30.955
31. Austin Green, No. 87, 30.966
32. Josh Bilicki, No. 07, 31.008
33. Dean Thompson, No. 26, 31.14
34. Alex Labbe, No. 91, 31.225
35. Myatt Snider, No. 30, 31.254
36. Ryan Ellis, No. 02, 31.297
37. Joey Gase, No. 55, 31.507
38. Nathan Byrd, No. 42 (did not run qualifying lap)