Daytona Marks New Era for Hemric and MHR
Venue: Daytona International Speedway
Events: Fresh From Florida 250
Date: Friday, February 14th
Location: Daytona Beach, FL
Track Description: 2.5-mile tri oval
Distance: 100 laps, 250 miles (7:30 p.m. ET – FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network)
A New Chapter Begins … Daniel Hemric begins a new chapter for MHR and in his career on Friday night at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). The 34-year-old veteran from Kannapolis, N.C. kicks off a new NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) season taking control of the venerable No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST to begin NAPA’s 100th anniversary. The 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) champion assumes the seat of the No. 19 in his return to NCTS action for the first time since 2016 and will have Josh Graham serving as crew chief. The No. 19 entry is aiming for a third-consecutive playoff berth after securing four victories and the regular season title with Christian Eckes in 2024.
Road Map to the No. 19 … Hemric brings a wealth of experience and consistency to the new-look No. 19 team in 2025. He has the knowledge and experience from deep playoff runs in his career, evidenced by his 2021 NXS title where he captured the season finale in dramatic fashion. The North Carolinian has two prior full-time NCTS seasons on his resume in 2015-2016 when he finished seventh and sixth in the championship standings, respectively. Hemric also has two years of NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) experience, including 2024 when he scored four top-10 results. He also has 186 NXS starts to his credit and has led over 1,300 laps in his career with 54 top-five’s and 104 top-10 results. He begins a new era of his career with MHR in the organization’s 35th season in partnership with the NAPA brand.
Superspeedway History … Throughout all three national NASCAR series, Hemric has been a consistent superspeedway performer. He has tallied top-10 finishes on superspeedways in each series with 33 total starts, and most recently finished ninth at the “World Center of Racing” last August in the NCS event. Hemric owns a pair of top-five results in NXS competition in Daytona Beach, and has a best NCTS finish of eighth at DIS. The MHR organization is still looking to unlock the gates to DIS’ victory lane, but the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care finished third with Eckes in a weather-shortened race in 2023.
Tune In … Coverage of the 2025 season begins on Thursday afternoon with practice at 5:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Broadcast coverage resumes Friday for pole qualifying at 3:00 p.m. on FS1 followed by the green flag at 7:30 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Daniel Hemric Quote:
On his first start with MHR at Daytona:
“It’s finally time to go, and this is a great opportunity this year. This No. 19 NAPA Auto Care team is a new group and we really benefitted from the Rockingham test a few weeks ago, just to work together and communicate with each other. I feel good about this year. I’m excited to work with Josh (Graham) and all these guys. We know the trucks are fast and I feel pretty confident we’ll be constantly improving throughout the year. Hopefully we can have a strong start at Daytona this week, get some points in the bank, and build some momentum early in the year.”