Kyle Larson Sends Strong Message to His Protege Corey Day Amidst NASCAR Criticism

Kyle Larson has motivated Corey Day to help him perform much better in NASCAR as the two look forward to racing in Las Vegas.

Kyle Larson Sends Strong Message to His Protege Corey Day Amidst NASCAR Criticism

Corey Day and Kyle Larson (images via Imagn)

In Short
  • Kyle Larson will race alongside his mentee Corey Day in the upcoming Las Vegas NASCAR event.
  • Corey Day has faced criticism due to multiple collisions in his rookie season, but remains a strong candidate in the Hendrick Motorsports program.
  • Larson expressed confidence in Day's ability to overcome challenges and improve his performance as he adjusts to stock racing.

Kyle Larson is all set to participate in the upcoming Las Vegas race in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The HMS star will team up with his mentee, Corey Day. Day is participating in his debut full-time season in the NOAPS series, as he will have to go up against Larson to prove his racing mettle. Now, the reigning Cup champion sends a strong message to the youngster ahead of the race.

Corey Day has achieved a rocky start to the 2026 season. Despite promising results on track, his relationship with other drivers seems to be tarnished. Day’s collision with multiple drivers has drawn quite some criticism towards the 20-year-old. Regardless, he is one of the stronger candidates in the Hendrick Motorsports program and is looking forward to the challenge.

Ahead of racing against Corey Day in Las Vegas, Kyle Larson has motivated the former. Larson accepted that everyone had gone through rough patches in their racing career. As such, Corey Day’s struggles in his rookie season were not surprising. The two-time Cup champion pointed out that Day would surely get through the rough patch and learn the ropes of the sport very quickly.

Further, Kyle Larson accepted that Corey Day faced a steep learning curve coming into stock racing, especially after racing on dirt tracks for the majority of his life. Larson reassured his and Hendrick Motorsport’s trust in Day to achieve a turnaround in his results and start performing much better in the upcoming races.

We’ve all had to go through moments like this in our career, so it’s nothing new. He’s gonna be fine. He’ll get through this rough stretch and learn the sport more, learn the cars more, learn how to handle you more and be good. It’s a lot to take in as a 20-year-old coming from dirt racing. I trust him, the team trusts him, and I look forward to seeing his continued progression.

Kyle Larson told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports.

Corey Day reveals ‘growing pains’ in his NASCAR NOAPS debut

In the first three races of the 2026 season, Corey Day underwent multiple accidents with a couple of drivers. In the recent race at COTA, Day wiped out JRM star Connor Zilisch and received a mouthful from the latter. Subsequently, the 20-year-old was able to achieve a top-ten finish in Phoenix following a private meeting with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick.

Corey Day
Corey Day (Via nascar.com)

Now, Corey Day accepted that he understood everyone’s opinion on how to behave on the track and outside of it. He accepted that he was going through a lot of things in his debut that he had not before. Day believed that these were ‘growing pains,’ but he was racing at the highest level while being a rookie himself. As such, the 20-year-old believes that these things are bound to take place, but he looks forward to improving his performance.

Yeah, I’m definitely getting everyone’s opinion on how to handle myself off the track and like I said, it’s just stuff I’ve never dealt with,It’s just growing pains, right? I’m racing at the highest level, and I’m a rookie. So, it’s stuff that’s gonna happen, unfortunately.

Corey Day said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Certainly, Corey Day possesses great racing talent and calibre. Though his debut has been far from ideal, he is a quick learner. Day will give it his all to improve racing in the coming weekends. Moreover, he is being mentored by a highly seasoned driver in Kyle Larson, as he will certainly help the youngster learn the sport even more quickly.

Read More: Denny Hamlin Urges NASCAR to Make Approval Process “Stringent” Amidst Cleetus McFarland Controversy