NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers winner reacts to Corey Day’s ARCA Racing prowess

One of NASCAR's most prominent drivers gave props to ARCA Series driver Corey Day on social media on Friday. Mark Martin, winner of 40 Cup Series races, a five-time series runner-up, and one of the sport's 50 Greatest Drivers, appreciated Day's efforts in his last ARCA race.

Day competed in Friday's Reese's 150 at the Kansas Speedway, driving his #82 HendrickCars.com machine to a fourth-place finish. The race saw a restart with three laps to go, where Day was up to the second position.

On the last lap, Day drove into turn one alongside Andy Jankowiak in a battle for second. His car slid into Jankowiak's #74 machine, getting both cars sideways and almost spinning them out.

Martin, 65, took to his personal X account to applaud Day for the heads-up driving and not losing control of his race car, saying that it was like he was driving a Sprint Car, a form of motorsports commonly ran on dirt tracks and short tracks.

"Man [Corey Day] driving that thing like a sprint car," he wrote.

The Hall of Famer's post sparked some comments from fans, with many acknowledging Day's talent behind the wheel.

"He's got a lot of talent for sure, can't wait to see him battle for wins in the future," wrote a user.

"The kid is a wheelman! Dang!" said another.

However, not everyone was on board with Martin's analysis of Day as some expressed displeasure in how the latter raced his competitors. One wrote:

"Nothing like using up your fellow competitors like “it’s the cushion”…not once but twice."

"He wrecked everyone he was side by side with," said another.

Tanner Gray went on to win Friday's event, followed by second-place Connor Zilisch, third-place Lavar Scott, fourth-place Day, and fifth-place Giovanni Ruggiero. It was Gray's second career victory in the series. Day's fourth-place effort was his first career ARCA top-five finish in just his second start.

Corey Day's rise to NASCAR ranks

Corey Day, an 18-year-old driver out of Clovis, California, currently races part-time in the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East. He competes outside of NASCAR in the Kubota High Limit Sprint Car Series full-time.

Driving for Pinnacle Racing Group, Day only has three NASCAR starts to his name, with two in the main ARCA Menards Series and one in the Series East. Day has also made two starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. His best finish of the two came at Bristol, where he placed 17th.

Day also made his late model racing debut this year driving for JR Motorsports, owned by retired NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr., at Hickory Motor Speedway. He led every lap at the track to win his first career start.