“Dad, I’m Mad at You”: Behind Corey Day’s Father Supporting the Rick Hendrick Ace in His Racing Journey

In December 2024, Corey Day inked a multi-year agreement with Hendrick Motorsports, securing his place in the motorsports arena. Ready to compete in 10 races in the Xfinity Series for HMS in their #17 car in 2025, Day, at just 19, has marked a big milestone. Although he comes from a racing pedigree, with his father, Ronnie Day, being a celebrated figure on the West Coast racing circuit, he was not coerced into following in his father’s tracks.

Initially, Day ventured into motorsports through dirt bikes, eventually transitioning to sprint car racing with his family’s support. Yet, childhood racing can often eclipse the simple joys of youth, such as spending time with friends.

Mindful of this, Ronnie advised Corey to delay his racing career until after graduating high school. The elder Day wished for his son to savor his childhood, free from the encumbrances of early fame in the racing world, before the carefree days of boyhood slipped away under the shadow of Sprint Car fame.

Ronnie was adamant about letting his son choose his own path and make decisions based on his passions. The principle was rooted in his desire not to impose his aspirations on Corey:

“The worst thing that he could tell me is, ‘Dad, I’m mad at you because you took my childhood away from me … and made me race.’ I don’t make him race. This is something that he wants to do,” as per Sr. Day’s older interview from 2023.

Ronnie continued, “I would be just as content in a boat to go to the lake, or if he wanted to play baseball or soccer … he’s always had those options. It’s never been pushed on him that we have to race. I got to do this for 30 years. I could walk away from it at any time. But it’s what we do as a family. We’ve sat down and had conversations about the dangers of it. We’re all good with it.”

The approach appears to have helped his son achieve success. After an impressive season in the High Limit Sprint Series and the World of Outlaws, Corey is now ready to transition to NASCAR, racing under the auspices of HendrickCars.com in 2025. Corey himself credits his father as the linchpin in his racing achievements, acknowledging the support Ronnie has provided.

In the year 2024, Corey amassed an impressive record with 10 wins, 25 top-5 finishes, and 44 top-10 placements out of 73 starts, also marking his history-making moment as the youngest victor of the Turkey Night Grand Prix.

Although he has yet to compete in NASCAR this season, his debut last year in the Truck Series was noteworthy, with participation in four races and finishing in the top 20 in three of them.

This season, in the ARCA Menards Series, he drove the #77 car for Spire Motorsports, finishing P22 at Daytona and achieving a top-10 finish at Phoenix.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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