Corey Day spins out Kyle Larson on way to winning Turkey Night Grand Prix
On his way to victory in the Turkey Night Grand Prix, 19-year-old Corey Day earned the consternation of many fans for spinning Kyle Larson. About halfway through the 98-lap feature at Ventura Raceway, Day got into Larson and sunk his chances of winning.
Kyle Larson had moved his way to the top-5 with 52 laps to go. That is when Corey Day got into his rear and sent him spinning around. For what it’s worth, Larson kept his car running, whipped it around, and kept it moving.
Despite his efforts to keep it running, Larson still had to go to the rear of the field. Meanwhile, Day was able to retain his position despite causing the contact in the first place.
You could argue that this didn’t have to be a caution. But it was and Larson had to go to the rear.
Corey Day went on to outduel pole-sitter Jacob Denney late in the race. Buddy Kofoid and Daison Pursley, the 2024 USAC Midget National Champion, were also in hot pursuit.
For a lot of fans, this is a controversial win for Day. He spun out the most talented driver in the field as they were both moving up and showing that they had winning speed. Once the spin happened, Larson had no chance to get back up through the field. He finished P20.
This is also a little bit awkward. Day is a protege of sorts to Kyle Larson. As the next big thing in dirt racing, Larson is very interested and invested in Day’s career. From racing in High Limit to being sponsored by HendrickCars.com for starts in ARCA and the Truck Series this season.
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It would have been great to see these two fight it out in the end. Unfortunately, hard racing in the middle of the race cost us that opportunity.
Corey Day draws the ire of Kyle Larson fans
If you look on social media at any of the posts congratulating Corey Day on his win, there are one or more upset fans in the replies. Kyle Larson has a ton of fans and a lot of them did not enjoy seeing him dumped early in the race.
Perhaps the fact he didn’t even mention the contact in his postrace comments added fuel to the fire. He wasn’t asked about it in Victory Lane, either. Also, his comments about not having to pass “Jesus” this time around raised many eyebrows.
“I think just not having Jesus to pass in front of me, that was a big one,” Day said in Victory Lane. “You know, hats off to Willie Kahne and you know Phil Durst and Bob Worth for giving me a good motor that you know, no one thinks would work and it does. … I look forward to this swing so much to just be able to come race and almost relax. You know, it’s not as high pressure as my normal stuff I’m doing. Just really glad that Willie and I can finally get a couple down here and glad to be one spot better this year.”
A bit of controversy in California. Kyle Larson gets the boot and Corey Day goes on to win. Is this a non-issue or something that Day should have addressed at the track?