(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Ryan Sieg Rips Corey Day for Early Wreck at Atlanta: 'Not Smart'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Feb 21, 2026 5:59 PM ET

In a tough early exit for Ryan Sieg at Atlanta, Corey Day was the one catching his ire for making a rookie mistake. Day put his nose in between two cars in no-man's land, essentially. That resulted in a massive wreck early in this NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race.

Corey Day is not a stock car racer by background. His roots are in sprint cars and dirt racing. Still, he's seen as one of the top young prospects in NASCAR because of what he has been able to do on dirt.

Still, he has a lot to learn on the pavement. Sieg made that loud and clear after he left the medical center today. He called out Day for his poor decision.

Corey Day prepares to race at Atlanta in the NASCAR O'Reilly Series. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

"Yeah, it's Lap 3, I think," Sieg said on CW Sports after the wreck. "So, we're just riding, kinda staying in line, trying to get our line going. Then, he's got somewhat of a hole and he just goes in it and I guess he forgot where the gas pedal is, but we had a pretty good Sci Aps Ford.

"Just riding right there, you know what I mean, what's the point, it's Lap 3? You know what I mean, that's his normal race anyway. Tearing up cars. I don't know. At Martinsville, he wrecks 15 times in one lap. I mean, last week he did that about four, five times at Daytona. So, here we are again on Lap 3. Just, not smart."

Clearly, Ryan Sieg is not happy with Corey Day. Then again, who would be after getting wrecked so early in a race? Day is still learning, but he's also been racing at a high level in sprint cars for many years. Hopefully, we see those improvements come sooner rather than later.

Hendrick Motorsports believes in Day and his talent. For now, he's a young driver learning the ropes and trying to do it quickly. But things have to change soon or he won't have as many chances in the near future.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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