Corey Day made history at the 2024 Turkey Night Grand Prix, winning the prestigious 98-lap race in his first-ever start and becoming the youngest victor in the event’s storied history. At just 19 years old—having celebrated his birthday two days prior—Day took home the $15,000 prize and continued the streak of California-born winners, marking the fifth consecutive year a driver from the Golden State claimed the title. Kyle Larson started the trend in 2019 and added another win in 2023, with Logan Seavey (2021) and Justin Grant (2022) also among the recent champions.
Starting from eighth position, Day seized the lead from pole-sitter Jacob Denney with 17 laps remaining and held on to secure the victory. Reflecting on the achievement, Day said, “This was my last race of the year, and I’ve never ended a season with a win before. It feels incredible. I look forward to this event every year because it’s less pressure than my usual racing schedule, and I’m thrilled Willie [Kahne] and I could cap off the year with a win here.”
For NASCAR Cup regulars, the night proved challenging. Larson, who started 10th, worked his way up to fifth by Lap 44 but was spun by Day just three laps later. Sent to the back of the field, Larson managed to recover to 20th before retiring with 21 laps to go. This marked the first time in 12 Turkey Night Grand Prix appearances that Larson finished outside the top five.
Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs fared even worse. Busch failed to advance from his first qualification race but managed to enter the Last Chance Qualifier, where he retired after running outside the top 10 in the 15-lap event. Gibbs was eliminated after finishing 11th in his qualification race. Former NASCAR driver JJ Yeley also struggled, failing to break into the top 10 in his qualifying heat and ending his night prematurely.
Michael “Buddy” Kofoid finished second, while Daison Pursley completed the podium in third place.
Feature Results: (98 laps, starting positions in parentheses)
1. Corey Day (8)
2. Buddy Kofoid (3)
3. Daison Pursley (2)
4. Jacob Denney (1)
5. Logan Seavey (13)
6. Gavin Miller (9)
7. Justin Grant (15)
8. Kale Drake (7)
9. Jake Swanson (14)
10. Tanner Carrick (19)
11. Zach Wigal (11)
12. Cannon McIntosh (6)
13. Tyler Courtney (12)
14. Tanner Thorson (4)
15. Zach Daum (21)
16. Cade Lewis (23)
17. CJ Leary (20)
18. Dalten Gabbard (17)
19. Broedy Graham (25)
20. Kyle Larson (10)
21. Emerson Axsom (26)
22. Kevin Thomas Jr. (5)
23. Ronnie Gardner (24)
24. Chase McDermand (22)
25. Kaylee Bryson (18)
26. Ryan Timms (16)
Feature Lap Leaders: Laps 1-25 Jacob Denney, Laps 26-49 Buddy Kofoid, Laps 50-81 Jacob Denney, Laps 82-98 Corey Day.
