​DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 21: Corey Day, driver of the #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, views data during qualifying for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway on March 21, 2026 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) GettyCorey 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 be