NASCAR: Kyle Larson advice revealed after brutal criticism of Hendrick Motorsports driver

NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson has revealed the advice he has given to a fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver after some serious criticism following a recent race.

Corey Day, who is just 20-years-old and has his pedigree in dirt racing, has embarked on his first full-time season in NASCAR in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series this year, driving the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

So far, the results have been impressive. Daytona aside, he's had three finishes inside the top 10 and two inside the top five. But, following a recent race at COTA, his strong results were not the focus of the conversation.

Instead, people were criticizing Day for his conduct out on the track, and also questioning whether or not he should even be racing for the team. This came after he wrecked Connor Zilisch at COTA, but the week prior, he had also been involved in incidents with Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil at Atlanta, although he claimed he had blown out a tire during the latter.

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Kyle Larson's advice to Corey Day

Larson is the driver who first flagged Day to Hendrick Motorsports and Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon after being impressed by his craft out on the dirt.

For that reason, Day is somewhat of a protege of the Cup Series champion, and after his recent criticism, Larson has revealed what he has said to the 20-year-old.

"I haven't really talked to him a whole lot," Larson admitted, via Jeff Gluck. "But just like, 'Hey man, you're doing great. Obviously you've had a rough couple weeks and all that, and you've taken in a lot of advice, but keep your head up.'

"I think [that's] important to do when you're 20 and you're getting a lot of advice and you're beating yourself down, I'm sure, for how you've handled things.

"So just trying to like, 'Hey, we all believe in you. You wouldn't be here if we didn't. And keep your head up. You're a great race car driver. You'll figure it out.'"

Corey Day on NASCAR criticism

Day himself also addressed the recent and incidents and the criticism that he has received in a recent interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“I’ve never had to deal with any of this off the racetrack," Day said. “I would say the sprint car world and the dirt world is a lot smaller, obviously, and a lot less on social media and there’s a lot less going on that side of things.

"So, yeah, it’s something I’ve never had to deal with. I like to think I was a pretty clean guy in dirt. I never really caused too many wrecks or problems, or had problems with other people. But I’ve done it for eight years now, and I’m at the point where I can race at the highest level and be that way, right? I’m not a new guy like I am here.

“I’m definitely getting everyone’s opinion on how to handle myself off the track, and like I said, it’s just stuff I’ve never dealt with. It’s just growing pains, right?

"I’m racing at the highest level, and I’m a rookie. So, it’s stuff that’s gonna happen, unfortunately.”