”It would be very foolish of me”

With Alex Bowman announcing his intention to step away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition following the 2027 season, the garage rumor mill immediately locked onto Hendrick Motorsports‘ top prospect, Corey Day.

Despite being backed by Rick Hendrick and specifically by two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Larson, Day brushed aside suggestions that the No. 48 Chevrolet seat is kept for him.

Speaking candidly about his developmental timeline, the 20-year-old expressed immense gratitude for his current opportunity while staying firmly grounded in the present, driving No. 17 Chevy for HMS full-time in the O’Reilly Series.

“I’m not really thinking about it that way,” Day said via motorsport.com. “I am really grateful for where I am at and I am way further along than I ever thought I would get the chance to be. It would be very foolish of me to think I’m going to have that quick of a path.”

“I am really just focused on this year. The way I see it, if I keep improving, there’s no reason I can’t have a chance to compete for the championship by the end of the year. I’m more focused on that than what the future holds for me,” added Corey Day.

Rather than getting caught up in Silly Season speculation surrounding 2028 and beyond, Day remains focused on maximizing his current campaign.

After 22 starts for HMS, Corey Day has managed to win two races and accumulate six top-five finishes.

“Do we just throw them in?”: Jeff Gordon weighs in on Cup Series reality for Corey Day

Speaking on the balance of promoting young talent from dirt backgrounds to NASCAR’s premier level, Jeff Gordon acknowledged that while throwing a driver into the deep end can accelerate growth, doing so prematurely carries organizational risk.

In the aforementioned interview, Gordon said:

“You just have to either make sure they have the race craft down and the understanding of the nuances of the tracks and aero … and the up and downs of a long season. You want to see the comfort with all the track types.”

Gordon continued:

“So then there’s the question of ‘do we just throw them in’ and when do you do that? I don’t think there’s a consensus answer on when you do that with a young driver because they’re never going to be ready until they just do it. But you do risk putting them in the car too soon as well.”

Jeff Gordon believes that Hendrick Motorsports will remain patient with Corey Day as he gains experience through a full-time O’Reilly Series campaign before he jumps for a full-time Cup ride.