NASCAR Cup Series driver Connor Zilisch during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Connor Zilisch calls Corey Day an 'absolute hack' after late crash at COTA

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Feb 28, 2026 5:54 PM ET

One week after NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Corey Day ruffled several feathers by causing multiple accidents at Atlanta, he was the source of frustration for Connor Zilisch at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday.

While racing inside the top-10 in the closing laps, Day turned Zilisch in the esses. The incident incurred heavy damage on Zilisch's No. 1 Chevrolet and relegated him to a 21st-place finish.

Day went on to finish fifth, his second consecutive top-five effort after a fourth-place result at Atlanta.

Connor Zilisch is not happy with Corey Day

Making the wreck even more frustrating was the fact that after brake issues earlier in the race, Zilisch had rebounded and was in line for a potential top-five finish.

He expressed his frustrations over the radio.

"(Expletive) Corey Day is a hack," Zilisch said over the radio, per the CW broadcast. "Absolute hack."

“Corey Day is a hack. An absolute hack.”

Connor Zilisch after receiving contact from Corey Day on track that turns him around. pic.twitter.com/UijfDRhhTd
— Taylor Kitchen (@_TaylorKitchen_) February 28, 2026

"We're with you, Connor," CW analyst and 2010 Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray said on the telecast. "It's part of the learning process. You can't continue to do it every week."

It will come back to haunt you," added fellow analyst and former driver Parker Kligerman. "Great days like this will get taken away."

Day, a 20-year-old O'Reilly Series rookie from Clovis, California, clearly has talent and plenty of pace. But if he's unable to clean up his driving, Kligerman's prediction will come to pass. Drivers often don't take kindly to peers who consistently cause crashes and don't take steps to prevent future incidents.

In the case of Day, there are likely many individuals in the O'Reilly Series garage who won't be sending him a Christmas card in December.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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