Corey Day Got Advice From Kyle Larson Before O’Reilly Title Race: ‘I’m Not Going to Tell You’

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Corey Day talked with Kyle Larson before Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but the Hendrick Motorsports rookie is keeping what Larson told him to himself.

Day is third in the standings, 23 points behind leader Justin Allgaier.

Day: ‘Try to keep that private’

“Yeah, we talked. I’m not going to tell you what we talked about, though. Try to keep that private. But, yeah, I definitely feel good about it,” Day told Steven Taranto.

https://x.com/STaranto92/status/2118390875139232132

Day said at Martinsville, where he finished third, that he planned to ask Larson about Homestead.

‘The 17 was really good here’

Day drives the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, the car Larson drove in the O’Reilly race at Homestead in March 2025. Larson led 132 laps in that race and finished fourth after a late caution sent it to overtime.

“I think, like I said, the 17 was really good here the last time he was in it. I think we’ve made some gains on our car since then, and, you know, I feel, you know, confident in my ability to win, so I’m not going to overthink it,” Day said. “Like I said, the task is simple of what we need to do.”

A dirt connection

Day and Larson both came to NASCAR from sprint car racing, and Larson helped bring Day to Hendrick, which signed him in December 2024. Larson often sits on the No. 17’s pit box during O’Reilly races.

Day has four wins this season, including back-to-back wins at Las Vegas and Charlotte. He has never raced an O’Reilly car at Homestead. His two starts there came in the Truck Series, where he finished 16th in 2024 and 15th in 2025.

The title picture

Allgaier leads Jesse Love by 22, Day by 23, Carson Kvapil by 31 and Sheldon Creed by 42, as Pit This Time reported.

Larson, meanwhile, needs nine points in Sunday’s Cup finale to clinch his third Cup title.

The O’Reilly Series championship race is Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on The CW.