Corey Day took over Kyle Busch’s Spire Motorsports No. 7 truck after Busch’s death from pneumonia complications that became sepsis. The weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway ended early for Day when a lap-47 crash sent the truck into the SAFER barrier, before he
Charlotte Motor Speedway didn’t have to carry the weight of a farewell—but it did.
Last Friday, Kyle Busch won the final race of his NASCAR career at Dover, crossing the checkered flag in the Spire Motorsports No. 7 truck. Less than a week later, the family disclosed that medical evaluations confirmed severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis and ultimately led to his passing.
With Busch gone, Corey Day stepped into the No. 7 seat for the Craftsman Truck Series race at Charlotte this weekend. For Day, the opportunity carried a simple aim: keep the truck moving forward and protect the team. For 24-year-old race driver? That plan unraveled fast—on lap 47 on Sunday, May 24.
Day was on the backstretch when he was contacted by Gio Ruggiero. The impact turned Day toward the infield. He spun and went airborne with all four tires of the No. 7 truck leaving the track. The truck settled back onto the racing surface without flipping, but the danger wasn’t over. Day’s left side slammed into the SAFER barrier. and he spun again into the track—where he was tagged by Mini Tyrell.
“My spotter didn’t do anything wrong and he told me (Ruggiero) was there, I just thought I was clear and I wasn’t,” Day told FS1.
Day climbed out of the truck under his own power, though it was a frightening crash sequence. He was released from medical evaluation shortly after.
“I just hate it for the No. 7 guys,” Day said. “This is exactly what I didn’t want to do today. I just wanted to deliver them a good run. I feel terrible.”
The North Carolina Education Lottery 200, the 14th Truck Series race of Day’s career and his first of this season, was supposed to be a fresh start. The 20-year-old entered Charlotte with four top 10 finishes in the Truck Series last season.
Day also arrived with momentum from other racing. He placed fifth in Saturday night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race and has two wins in that series this season for Hendrick Motorsports.
Busch’s legacy, meanwhile, sits heavy in the No. 7 program and beyond it. In addition to his success in the Cup Series—where he won two championships for Joe Gibbs Racing—Busch was the most accomplished Truck Series driver in NASCAR history. winning 69 races in the competition. the most ever. Across all three of NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Busch totaled 234 career victories, also the most all-time.
It was a long and emotional weekend for the No. 7 Spire truck team. The truck race was originally scheduled for Friday night and was postponed three times due to rain before finally taking place.
Kyle Busch Corey Day Spire Motorsports No. 7 truck Charlotte Motor Speedway Craftsman Truck Series Gio Ruggiero Mini Tyrell pneumonia sepsis SAFER barrier NASCAR
So they just threw a new guy in the truck and he crashed… NASCAR is cursed or what.
I saw the headline about Kyle Busch and then this crash like back to back. Feels unreal. Also sepsis?? That part makes me sad for real.
Wait, did the truck crash because of the pneumonia stuff? Like, I read that and thought it messed with the race somehow. But then it says lap 47 contact with Gio Ruggiero so idk, my brain is confused.
Charlotte always looks so sketchy, like one wrong touch and you’re into the SAFER barrier. The driver says spotter was fine and he thought he was clear… classic racing blame game but also I don’t know. It’s just brutal timing with Kyle winning at Dover and then not even a week later this whole thing. Hope the No. 7 guys can actually put the weekend behind them.