Hemric Seeks to Close the Deal at “The Glen”
Venue: Watkins Glen International
Events: Bull Hill Vineyards 176
Date: Friday, May 8
Location: Watkins Glen, NY
Track Description: 2.45-mile road course
Distance: 72 laps, 176.4 miles (4:30 p.m. ET – FOX Sports 1, Performance Racing Network, SiriusXM)
Getting in the Game … Daniel Hemric getting back in the game and closing down on the Chase cut line as the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) returns to Watkins Glen International (WGI). Hemric’s top-10 run a week ago at Texas Motor Speedway netted him 11 points versus the provisional cut line and will be a contender at “The Glen” on Friday. The driver of the No. 19 Chevrolet came within mere truck lengths of scoring the win last season at “The Glen” and recorded a runner-up result for his best career road course finish. The North Carolinian returns to the historic 2.45-mile course with a new blue and white color scheme welcoming Delphi back to NASCAR in partnership with the NAPA brand.
Road Ringer … While Hemric is looking to add a road course victory to his resume, this weekend could be the perfect opportunity given his track record in the NCTS. The 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) champ has been an elite performer on the lefts and rights over his three-season NCTS career, which includes six road course starts at five different tracks. Hemric’s second-place result last season at WGI was his road racing high water mark but he has also delivered three top-five and five top-10 finishes in those six races, dating back to 2015. In addition to “The Glen”, Hemric also recorded two top-five results at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and has scored top-five results at four different tracks in NXS competition.
Season to Date … Through seven of 18 regular season events, Hemric has closed to within 17 markers of the provisional Chase cut line. He has climbed to 13th in the drivers’ points standings after his third top-10 result of the season last week in Forth Worth, Texas.
Tune In … Hemric gets on track Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. ET for practice and qualifying, carried live on FOX Sports 2. The green flag drops later Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Stay connected with the No. 19 Delphi team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmr_nascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Daniel Hemric Quote:
On returning to Watkins Glen:
“We came close to getting the job done last year. We started a little deeper in the field than we wanted and made it a little harder on ourselves. Our goal is to give ourselves a better starting spot this week. Then that gives us a better chance at stage points, clear air, better pace, and hopefully open up the strategy for us. We had pretty good pace at St. Pete earlier this year, so hopefully we can translate that to our beautiful Delphi Chevrolet. It’s great to be able to bring them back in the sport with NAPA and it’d be nice to close the deal this weekend and finally get a road course win.”