Hemric Opens 2025 with Top-10 at Daytona

Venue: Daytona International Speedway

FINISH: 7th

Start: 15th

Stage 1: 8th

Stage 2: 7th

Laps Led: 7

NCTS Point Standings Position: 5th

The season opener at Daytona International Speedway resulted in a top-10 finish for Daniel Hemric in his debut outing driving the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST. Hemric crossed the finish line eighth but was credited with a seventh-place finish following post-race technical inspection. He and crew chief Josh Graham constructed a consistent effort throughout the night to score 37 points and begin the season fifth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) standings.

Hemric began his first NCTS event in nine years from 15th position and quickly moved into the top-10 by lap nine. As two cautions slowed the opening segment, Hemric maximized his drafting help in the lead group to score three points by running eighth at the end of Stage 1 on lap 20.

Graham elected to keep Hemric on track during the first stage caution, which enabled him to inherit the lead for a restart on lap 26. While managing his fuel mileage, Hemric stayed near the front of the field for the duration of the segment and collected four additional points while running seventh on at lap 40. The NAPA Auto Care team gave him four tires, fuel, and an adjustment under the caution as Hemric restarted second on the subsequent restart at lap 46.

Hemric led the field for three laps before pitting for fuel only during green-flag stint on lap 65. Shortly thereafter, a caution on lap 70 bunched up the field for the final quarter distance. Hemric was one of the primary players at the front of the field and ran inside the top five as the laps clicked away. While running third, the draft jumbled the running order and shuffled Hemric as low as 15th with less than five laps to go. Hemric regrouped and helped muscle the third lane forward in the final three laps into contention. He was able to avoid a multi-truck accident on the final lap and took the checkered flag in eighth position.

Following a disqualification of the original race winner in post-race inspection, Hemric was credited with a seventh-place result.

Daniel Hemric Quote:

“What a wild ending. I really thought we were positioning our NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet where it needed to be. The top lane kind of prevailed and had been dominant throughout the end of the stages and whatnot, and thought the same thing was going to happen and give us a chance to win the race. The bottom and middle was able to shuck us at one point, and they were able to push a lot more aggressively at the end than what I expected them to hang on to it. And I got super fortunate to not crash in the last couple hundred yards coming to the start finish line.”