Hemric’s Frantic Late-Race Charge Folds at Atlanta

Venue: Atlanta Motor Speedway

FINISH: 16th

Start: 3rd

Stage 1: 8th

Stage 2: 10th

Laps Led: 1

NCTS Point Standings Position: 6th (tied)

Daniel Hemric had the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST at the front of the field near the end of the afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), but came away with a 16th-place finish. Hemric was resilient after suffering damage in an incident near the halfway point to mount a frantic charge in the waning laps to contend for the victory. Following the second of 18 regular season events, Hemric is tied for sixth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) standings, 23 markers out of the lead.

A year after MHR placed four entries in the top-five spots on the starting grid, Hemric rolled off third as all four team trucks qualified in the top seven positions. The MHR squadron dominated the opening segment as Hemric rode fourth behind his teammates for most of the 30-lap stint. He collected three points on lap 30 while running in eighth position.

After getting nabbed for a pit road speeding penalty under the stage caution, Hemric restarted at the tail of the field on lap 38. He methodically sliced his way through traffic back to 12th by lap 56 and collected one point while running 10th at lap 60. He took right side tires and fuel under the stage caution and restarted second for the ensuing restart.

The afternoon took a twist on lap 74 when the No. 71 truck spun in front of Hemric, causing significant damage to the left front fender. Effective repairs by the NAPA Auto Care team allowed Hemric to stay on the lead lap and maintain the pace to stay in contention. Despite missing bodywork on the left front fender, Hemric miraculously muscled his way back towards the front. While running 14th with 22 laps remaining on lap 114, Hemric dove to the bottom and pulled the inside lane to the front and drove to the lead on lap 130. However, while running second the following lap, turbulent air from the draft rushed under Hemric’s hood and collapsed the left side nose onto the left rear tire, sending him up the track. Hemric was able to regain control to take the checkered flag in 16th position.

Daniel Hemric Quote:

“First off, the No. 19 team did a great job repairing the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet. I don’t know that I ever expected to be anywhere near good as it was after the damage when the No. 71 spun. I started kind of playing with some runs. I was trying to be as methodical as I could, and thought I was going to have one shot with the damage to go forward as laps were winding down. So when I went there and had some help, I was like ‘it’s unbelievable we were able to get the front row’. When I got to the lead, the right thing is obviously is to drag back and try to keep everybody at bay. But with the damage, I was so draggy…when he (No. 7) did cross my wake, the bracing in the left front fender, and nose, folded on the tire. I was thankful to come out the other end over there.”