Hemric Embarks on Playoff Round 2 at the ROVAL
Venue: Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL
Events: EcoSave 250
Date: Friday, October 3rd
Location: Concord, NC
Track Description: 2.32-mile road course
Distance: 67 laps, 152.76 miles (3:30 p.m. ET – FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network)
Rebound at the ROVAL … Daniel Hemric begins the second round of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) playoffs at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL with a chance to rebound and lock himself in the Championship 4. The driver of the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST advanced to the second round with a bounce-back effort from an early incident at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to record a 12th-place finish. Friday’s inaugural ROVAL event for the tailgaters is an opportunity for Hemric to advance to the championship finale if he’s able to score his first road course victory, which is well within reach. The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) champ scored a runner-up finish at NCTS’ most recent road course race at Watkins Glen International (WGI) in August. He also owns the second-best average finish (8.0) in NXS competition among drivers with five-plus starts at the ROVAL.
Knocking on the Door … Hemric knocked on the door of victory lane at WGI after a furious charge through the field in the final stage and hopes to break through on Friday afternoon in the “Queen City”. The Kannapolis, N.C. native has an average finish of 5.5 between the two road course races this season and as finished ninth or better in all four of his NCTS road course starts. Experience is also on Hemric’s side at the ROVAL as he is one of the few competitors with experience on the 2.32-mile course, which includes three NASCAR Cup Series starts and five NXS appearances. He’s displayed his road racing capabilities with a pair of third-place efforts in NXS competition in 2020 and 2021 in both wet and dry conditions.
Season to Date … Hemric enters the second round seeded third in the NCTS playoff standings, just one point above the provisional cut line. He has totaled one win, 10 top-five’s, and 15 top-10 results through 21 races this season. His 15 top-10 finishes and average finish of 9.0 are the second-best marks among full-time NCTS drivers.
Tune In … All action on Friday will be covered live, beginning with practice and qualifying at 11:00 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 2, followed by the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Stay connected with the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmr_nascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Daniel Hemric Quote:
On racing at the ROVAL:
“The ROVAL is such a tricky place. Besides running on the banking of the oval, a lot of the road course sections are extremely tight with big curbs, so there’s plenty of places to make mistakes and also make up time. I think our NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet can be just as good as it was in Watkins Glen and hopefully a little better. This is great opportunity we have in front of us to lock into Phoenix this weekend. There will be a lot of varying strategies, and the field will likely flip at least once during the day. There’s a lot of variables to manage at the ROVAL, but I have confidence in everybody at MHR and on this No. 19 NAPA team that we can make it happen.”