“People Said the Same Thing About Kyle Larson”: Ryan Blaney Shares Honest Take About Corey Day

20-year-old Corey Day is one of the most promising youngsters in NASCAR right now. He drives the No. 17 Camaro SS for Hendrick Motorsports on a full-time basis and recorded a fourth-place finish at Atlanta last Saturday. His performance and character on the race track influenced some industry heavyweights, including Ryan Blaney, to discuss him on the Door, Bumper, Clear podcast.

Despite it being pretty early in the season, Day has already gotten himself involved in multiple wrecks. Only five laps had passed in Atlanta before he made a move that foiled the days of many other drivers. He also left the likes of Ryan Sieg and others displeased by forcing things three-wide early in the race, with no particular necessity.

This led to him being criticized by veteran spotter Freddie Kraft. While none of the mistakes he made were egregious ones, they were still mistakes that are earning him a bad reputation, and he needs to overcome them. Kraft opined that drivers like him, who hail from short-track racing backgrounds, often push too hard too soon and get themselves into tight spots.

This evoked a response from Blaney. He said, “I mean, you look at Larson when he came in, right? He was the same way, right? I think people would have said the same thing about Larson when he first came over to the Nationwide Series when he was… I don’t know, 11 or 12 or whatever it was. It was a long time ago. But people said the same thing about it, and look at Kyle now.”

So, as long as a driver can hone his skills and his understanding of the sport, Blaney thinks there won’t be an issue for his growth.

Why Larson thinks Day is a lot like him

For a two-time Cup Series champion to see his positive traits in you is a pretty big deal. That’s what Larson did a couple of years ago. He mentioned Day as his favorite upcoming driver and delivered his thoughts about all the attention the youngster was getting.

He said, “I feel like he’s kind of a lot like me. In that sense, where I’ve never really reached out to anybody like, ‘Hey, man, I’m getting ready to run this.’ Even IndyCar. Like, ‘Hey, I’m getting run in the IndyCar. What do I need to do or look out for?’ I’ve always tried to just figure things out on my own, and he seems to be the same way.”

Day’s control over his moves and speed are things that Larson was in awe of. He also noted that he makes very smart and quick decisions on the track. The 2026 season will be a crucial one for Day. It remains to be seen if he will live up to all these comparisons that he is getting with one of the greatest drivers of the current generation.