Hemric’s Title Hopes Begin at Daytona Beach
Venue: Daytona International Speedway
Events: Fresh from Florida 250
Date: Friday, February 13th
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, SiriusXM)
Title Hopes Begin at the Beach … As the curtain lifts on the 2026 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) season, Daniel Hemric begins the new year with title aspirations. The Kannapolis, N.C. native returns to the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet Silverado RST for his second campaign with MHR seeking the organization’s first title. Hemric recorded his first NCTS victory last season and has a renewed optimism with the reintroduction of “The Chase” championship format. He aims to restart the consistency he’s shown throughout his career on Friday night in his fourth NCTS start at Daytona International Speedway (DIS).
Superspeedway Notes … Since 2015, Hemric has compiled 20 starts at “The World Center of Racing” between the three national touring series and has had success in each division. Last February, Hemric delivered a seventh-place result in his maiden outing behind the wheel of the No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet, his best NCTS result at DIS. His track record at DIS includes top-10 finishes in all three series and adding to that total on Friday evening would help launch is season towards a berth in “The Chase”.
Season Rewind … After eight seasons competing on Saturdays and Sundays, Hemric’s return to NCTS competition resulted in a playoff berth, one victory, 10 top-five’s, and 15 top-10 finishes in 2025. As the 2026 points format rightly places a renewed emphasis on consistency to reach the 10-driver Chase for the title, Hemric and the No. 19 team showed the ability to deliver unwavering performance. He recorded remarkable periods of consistency in 2025 with 10 top-10’s in a stretch of 11 races, and 12 top-10’s in a 14-race stretch.
Tune In … Hemric and the NCTS competitors take to DIS for the first time on Thursday evening for practice at 5:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage continues on FS1 with qualifying on Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET 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, @bmr_nascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Daniel Hemric Quote:
On beginning his second season with MHR:
“It’s always exciting to start a new year. Everyone is refreshed, and our NAPA Auto Care team has a renewed focus and motivation going into the year. Our entire team is back just like we finished up at Phoenix, so that’s a big help for continuity and communication. I felt like our company made progress based on the Rockingham test last week. We need to work hard and efficiently this year to get to our goal at the end of the year. Our No. 19 group has communicated well. It’s been a busy few months away from the track building to get stronger, I’ve worked on improving and everyone at MHR has too. It’s humbling to start another season at Daytona this week and my 12th full-time season in NASCAR. I have a lot of gratitude for our owners, team members, partners, and everyone involved. Hopefully we can start the year right on Friday and kick the year off in a big way.”