Corey Day left Darlington Raceway with a runner-up finish, a strong points gain and a warning he said he plans to take seriously. The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase opener also brought more tension between Day and William Sawalich after the two drivers made contact during the race.
Day said the clash followed a season-long pattern between the drivers. The incident ended Sawalich’s race after his car hit the outside wall, while Day continued despite damage to his No. 17 Chevrolet.
Day finished second overall and second in Stage 2, moving from seventh to fifth in the Chase standings. However, the post-race meeting between the two drivers added another layer to an already tense NASCAR Chase battle.
Corey Day and William Sawalich Clash at Darlington
Day and Sawalich had already made contact earlier in Stage 2 before their biggest incident. Day said Sawalich had run him out of room several laps earlier before Day returned the favor and got underneath the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
“He puts it tight on my door. Out of [Turn] 2, he really crammed me, and as we know, out of 2 at Darlington gets sketchy with guys on your door. So I clipped him. He came down the track. I still had the run, so I go to take it to the outside of him. I’m there, and he starts coming up on me. So it’s either I fence myself or lift or kill my run or I finish a guy off that’s been driving me like that all year.”
The contact sent Sawalich into the outside wall and ended his race. He finished 30th. Day’s Chevrolet also suffered damage but remained competitive.
“To tell you the truth, I honestly think we were better after the damage,” Day said. “I just think that track temp cooled down. A lot of things played into our factor. I’m not really sure. There’s obviously something that can go on there with knocking the right front headlight in, and it can help you or hurt you, and tonight, it helped us.”
NASCAR Chase Standings Change After Darlington
The NASCAR Chase result gave Day an important points boost. He entered the Darlington race seventh in the standings, 55 points behind the leader. After finishing second, Day moved to fifth and cut the gap to 46 points with eight races remaining.
The strong NASCAR result came despite the contact with Sawalich and the damage to Day’s car. His second-place finish also kept him in a strong position as the Chase continues.
However, the NASCAR Chase battle between Day and Sawalich may now carry into the remaining races after their post-race confrontation.
Corey Day Says William Sawalich Threatened Retaliation
After the NASCAR race, Sawalich approached Day while Day was with his team. The drivers spoke before Day returned to his media duties.
“He told me to go fuck myself, so I think that’s where we’re at,” Day said.
Day also said Sawalich threatened to wreck him during the rest of the NASCAR Chase.
“Yeah, absolutely, yeah, he threatened to wreck me and said, ‘We’ll see how the rest of your Chase goes,’” Day said. “And yeah, I don’t doubt that he will wreck me or whatever the case in one of these races where it means obviously a lot to me and nothing to him. So yeah, if that happens, I really won’t be surprised at all.”
Day said he had previously accepted responsibility and apologized for his mistakes during their earlier incidents. He said he expected the drivers to move forward because they could race against each other for years.
“I’m just tired of it. I don’t feel like I get much respect from any of these guys, to tell you the truth, and I’m just over it. I’m going to race people the way they race me.”
Day now expects the NASCAR Chase dispute to continue.
“I don’t doubt that he’s going to try and wreck me or make my life difficult the rest of these races for sure,” Day said. “So I guess we’ll just play it race by race with him.”
NASCAR Driver Corey Day Says Sawalich Told Him to ‘Go F–k Myself’ After Darlington Wreck