On February 28, 2026, at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Corey Day of Hendrick Motorsports was once again at the center of controversy after crashing into JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch late in the race. The incident occurred during the final laps of the 65-lap event, fueling a heated exchange and drawing sharp criticism from Zilisch.
Day entered the race starting in 12th position, while Zilisch secured the pole with a lap time of 97.74 seconds and a top speed of 88.40 mph. Despite leading the field off the line, Zilisch experienced brake troubles early on that forced an extended pit stop to replace the left rear brake and caliper. After the setback, he clawed his way back into contention, running fourth as the race neared its conclusion.
The friction between Day and Zilisch surfaced as they battled for position exiting turn 2. Contact between the #17 and #1 Chevy caused Zilisch to spin out and veer off track, severely hampering his final five laps and ending his chance for a strong finish. This collision relegated Zilisch from a promising fourth-place run to a 21st-place finish.
Following the crash, Zilisch expressed his frustration over team radio and in a post-race interview.
“Corey Day is a hack. Absolute hack”.
“I think everyone saw what happened. I don’t need to explain myself. But really unfortunate. Our Roto Rooter Chevrolet was really fast. We had to change the left rear brake and the entire caliper. I hate that it ended like that for us. We were going to finish top 5 there. Same guy every week that does this. Hopefully he can figure it out. But, yeah, unfortunate.”
Race Results Highlight Shane van Gisbergen’s Win and Day’s Top-Five Finish
Despite the controversy, Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen claimed victory at COTA, edging out RCR’s Austin Hill by less than a second. Corey Day managed to secure another top-five result, extending his streak of high finishes despite the incident with Zilisch.
Meanwhile, Zilisch’s misfortune caused a dramatic drop in his race standings. The crash not only impacted his finishing position but also overshadowed what could have been a promising comeback performance after his earlier mechanical issues.
Corey Day Reflects on Previous Crashes and Apologizes to Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Just one week prior, on February 21, 2026, Corey Day was involved in several crashes at EchoPark Speedway during the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event. Two of these incidents involved JR Motorsports drivers Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier, resulting in a multi-car wreck.
After the race, Corey Day revealed that Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports, approached him to discuss the collisions. Day admitted to Earnhardt Jr. that he lost control due to a blown right front tire and apologized for causing issues for Kvapil and Allgaier.
“I think he [Earnhardt] was curious what happened and if I cleaned those guys out or what, and I just told him, ‘Man, I blew a right front. Hopefully, they can go back and find some pictures and videos that prove that I did. But I know 100% I did.”
“That’s worst timing possible, worst guys to be outside of me. Just terrible situations. So flat right front or not, I apologize for that,”
Corey Day’s Season Performance and Rising Tensions within NASCAR
Corey Day showed strong form earlier in the month, posting his career-best results with top-five finishes in multiple races, including a fourth-place at the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250. Despite his promising performances, his repeated on-track incidents with JR Motorsports drivers have stirred frustration across the NASCAR community.
While Sheldon Creed of Haas Factory Team celebrated his first career victory at the Bennett Transportation race after 138 starts, Day’s aggressive driving style continues to attract scrutiny. The growing tensions may affect team dynamics and rivalries moving forward in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
With several high-profile collisions involving key competitors, the spotlight on Corey Day’s race conduct is intensifying. How NASCAR officials and teams respond to this pattern of crashes may influence the tone and safety of upcoming events in the 2026 season.
"Corey Day is a hack. Absolute hack" Connor Zilisch yells on the radio after being turned into the wall.#NASCAR
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) February 28, 2026
