Hemric Notches Second-Consecutive Top-10 at Darlington
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By NAPA
Daniel Hemric came from deep in the field and overcame a late tire rub to rally and finish 12th at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday night. The driver of the No. 19 Arnott Suspension Products Chevrolet Silverado RST clawed back from 23rd position after an unscheduled pit stop to slice his way to 12th position. The effort netted Hemric two positions in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series standings and closed the gap to the provisional Chase cut line.
Hemric took the green flag from 23rd under clear evening skies in “Thunder Valley.” After gaining a pair of positions in the first 15 laps, Hemric reported his Arnott Suspension Products Chevrolet was “free, but not bad.” He briefly climbed to 19th on the lap-23 restart but was trapped on the outside groove and ultimately closed out Stage 1 in 22nd on lap 65.
Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt armed Hemric with four tires, fuel, and an air pressure change during the first stage caution as the No. 19 subsequently restarted 22nd on lap 79. He instantly grabbed five positions on the restart and held that spot until a caution on lap 117, 13 circuits shy of the second stage break. Hemric pitted with the majority of the field and was officially scored 21st at the end of Stage 2 following a brief, three-lap run.
Hemric quickly cracked the top-15 by lap 155 to start the final segment but sustained minor damage to the left side bodywork on lap 156 when the No. 13 spun beside him and triggered a tire rub. The team’s concern for the left rear tire was great enough to bring Hemric to pit road under a caution on lap 168 to pit for left side tires and clearance the fender. He restarted 23rd with cooler tires and took full advantage over the final 80 laps. He rejoined the top-15 by lap 202 and capitalized on the final 27-lap run of the evening to advance to 12th at the checkered flag.
“That was a hard night’s work to finish 12th,” Hemric said. “We had made some progress and started getting some track position when the No. 13 spun and got into us. There was quite a bit of smoke inside the truck from the left rear, so felt like we ultimately made the right decision to pit. We started off a little free tonight, and Kevin [Bellicourt] and the guys kept working on it. Just glad we made a little something out of it with our Arnott Chevrolet by the end of the night and gain a few points.”
Start / Finish: 23 / 12
Points Standing / Total: 16th / 116 pts. (-92)
Next Race: Friday, May 1, Texas Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Daniel Hemric was in position to score his third consecutive top-10 result and continue climbing in the standings, but an unscheduled pit stop thwarted his effort at Rockingham Speedway. The driver of the No. 19
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Hemric hoped to continue his recent rekindled consistency on Friday after qualifying 15th at “The Rock”. Through the first 45-lap segment of the event, Hemric battled a free handling condition and limited his mobility around the blazing-fast one-mile oval. As Stage 1 ran fully under the green flag, Hemric was scored 16th at the first green-checkered flag of the day on lap 45.
Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt elected to throw an early strategy ploy on the first stop of the race. He gave Hemric two tires and fuel under the stage caution which netted eight positions. The ultra-high speeds on Rockingham’s fresh asphalt put a premium on track position and clean air, which made passing significantly challenging. Despite being at a tire disadvantage, Hemric steadily maintained the eighth position and scored three points at the end of Stage 2 on lap 90.
Hemric took four tires and fuel under the second stage caution and restarted 11th on lap 99 as several competitors elected to take two tires. However, during the green flag run, Hemric began experiencing a vibration which became increasingly severe. On lap 139, he pitted for left side tires to address the issue but was forced back to pit road a second time for right side tires. The unfortunate culprit, a loose wheel, sent Hemric to 31st, two laps down. Over the final 50 laps, he was able to salvage a portion of those positions and took the checkered flag in 25th. Following a penalty to the No. 38 truck in post-race inspection, Hemric was credited with a 24th-place result.
“Certainly not how we wanted our day to go,” Hemric remarked. “We were looking at a top-10 day with our NAPA Chevrolet. Kevin [Bellicourt] made a great call early to get us some track position. That was huge to gain those spots because it was so hard to pass. You likely weren’t going to gain that difference on the racetrack. We had speed to maintain our position, even with a tire disadvantage. Thought we could leapfrog a couple guys on the green flag stop, but we never made it that far. Unfortunate for sure, but we’ll put it behind us and move forward as a group to Bristol next week.”
Start / Finish: 15 / 24
Points Standing / Total: 18th / 91 pts. (-99)
Next Race: Friday, April 10, Bristol Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott qualified third for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. The 30-year-old finished the first stage in seventh, earning valuable stage points. He followed that up with a 13th-place finish in stage two. In the final stage, Elliott battled a tough handling condition, which dropped him to 20th at one point. He recovered to earn a 15th-place finish. Following Darlington, Elliott remains fifth in the Cup Series points standings. He is now 131 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott qualified the No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet in the third position for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. When the green flag waved on Sunday afternoon, Elliott maintained a position inside the top 10. He was running in seventh when he reported that the No. 9 UniFirst Chevy had a tight handling condition. The first round of green-flag pit stops got underway on lap 37. The team opted to run additional laps prior to pitting on lap 45 for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Elliott was back up to eighth on lap 50 and made a last-lap pass to end the first stage in seventh on lap 90.
Under the stage break, the team made a fast pit stop for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, which gained Elliott multiple positions. The 30-year-old driver opted for the inside of the second row to start the second stage. On the restart, Elliott battled to maintain third before settling into the fifth position. He remained there until the caution flag came out for an on-track incident on lap 111. Elliott relayed that his Chevy’s handling was “still a little tight but thought that was better.” After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott gained a position on pit road. Fourth to choose his lane, he lined up on the inside of row two for the restart on lap 116. Elliott held strong in the top five over the opening laps of the run before dropping to sixth on lap 124. He was running in eighth when green-flag pit stops began. Again, the team opted to run long to gain a tire advantage. Elliott cycled to the lead prior to pitting on lap 151 for four tires and fuel. He returned to the track in 19th and battled his way to 13th to end the stage on lap 185.
Following a four-tire pit stop by the No. 9 UniFirst team, Elliott was 11th to choose his lane to start the final stage. He took the green flag from the outside of row seven on lap 193 and was running in 14th when the caution flag was displayed on lap 197. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four tires and fuel. With a few teams opting not to pit, Elliott lined up 15th for the lap-203 restart. He worked his way to 14th on lap 209 but started to fade as the run went on. Elliott relayed that his No. 9 UniFirst Chevy was “plowing tight” before dropping to 20th. He visited pit road on lap 241 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help his Chevy’s handling. After returning to the track, he improved to 16th with 45 laps to go. Despite a couple of cars on fresher tires getting by Elliott shortly after, he was able to regain some ground in the closing laps. When the checkered flag waved, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native crossed the stripe in 15th.
Elliott remains fifth in the Cup Series points standings, now 131 markers behind the leader.
Start / Finish: 3 / 15
Points Standing / Total: 5th / 194 pts. (-131)
Next Race: Sunday, March 29, Martinsville Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, SiriusXM or MRN
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes nailed down his second podium result of the season at Darlington Raceway on Friday night with a third-place finish. The driver of the No. 91 Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet Silverado RST captured his first stage win of the season and gained three positions in the championship standings with a stellar run throughout the 200-mile event.
Eckes put on a showcase in the first 45-lap stage after taking the green flag from 16th position. He wasted no time charging towards the front, cracking the top-10 by lap nine despite firing off with a snug balance. After restarting 10th on lap 19, Eckes charged up the leaderboard and into the top five by lap 27. He steadily worked the extreme bottom line in Turns 3 and 4 to perfection to chase down the leaders and claimed the lead by lap 42. He held on to capture 10 critical points and his first stage checker of the season.
After making a four-tire pit stop under the first stage caution, Eckes restarted sixth on lap 54 and quickly returned to the top-five. Unlike the first segment, he contended with an exceedingly loose balance and a lack of rear grip. The final 30 laps of the second stage ran under green-flag conditions, and Eckes padded his point total by securing six points in fifth position at lap 90.
Crew chief Dave Elenz made a small chassis adjustment to add rear grip during the No. 91 team’s second four-tire stop of the race. Eckes restarted seventh on lap 99 and returned to pit road shortly thereafter as a quick caution allowed the field to bolt on another set of sticker tires. Eckes restarted 13th on lap 109 but rapidly returned to fifth by lap 120. He took his final set of tires under a lap 120 caution and restarted fourth on lap 128. The night concluded with two frantic, green-white-checker restarts as Eckes briefly grabbed second and took the checkered flag in third position. The result advanced him to sixth in the championship standings as he has scored three top-five finishes in three races at “The Lady in Black” with MHR.
“Just needed a little more pace,” Eckes said after the race. “Really good on a long haul, especially in Stage 1. I just kind of lost the grip level and competitiveness of that stage for the rest of the race. Overall, really proud of these Adaptive One guys. It’s been a rough stretch. To get a stage win and complete all night is definitely good.”
Start / Finish: 16 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 6th / 119 pts. (-53)
Next Race: Friday, April 3, Rockingham Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Daniel Hemric breathed a sigh of relief after capturing his first top-10 of the season on the streets of St. Petersburg and made a massive ascent in the standings. The driver of the No. 19 Motion Industries Chevrolet Silverado RST rallied from being involved in an incident on lap 26 and drove from 24th into the top-10 during the final segment to advance 10 spots in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series standings to 19th.
Friday’s qualifying session was washed away in the Florida rain and forced Hemric to start from 34th position on Saturday under bright sunshine. Only one caution slowed the opening 20-lap stage as Hemric methodically worked his way to 21st by the end of the first segment. Kevin Bellicourt and the Motion Industries team armed Hemric with fresh tires and fuel under the subsequent three-minute stage break.
Shortly after restarting 21st, Hemric met adversity when he was pushed into an incident on the exit of Turn 8 which also included his MHR teammate Christian Eckes. Hemric pitted twice to assess damage to the nose and right side of his Chevrolet, restarted 30th on lap 31 and was scored 21st on lap 40 at the end of the segment.
Hemric restarted 20th on lap 44 but took advantage of a caution on lap 53 to pit and utilize fresh tires. The call by Bellicourt and company paid huge dividends down the stretch as the fresh rubber allowed Hemric to blitz through the field after restarting 24th on lap 56. He rapidly climbed inside the top-10 by lap 64 and took the checkered flag in eighth position for his best finish in three races this season.
“It sure feels good to get a top-10, at least get some sort of a good finish to get our season rolling,” Hemric said after the street course race. “Great to have Motion Industries on board today, Gates Hydraulics, Chevrolet. I wasn’t sure what shape we’d be in after getting in that wreck in the second stage, but the balance was pretty good and Kevin [Bellicourt] made a great call to get tires on the second-to-last caution. That really gave us a nice advantage and thought we could get even more had we caught another caution. Overall good day, good response. Glad we could gain some points and we’ll keep working towards Darlington.”
Start / Finish: 34 / 8
Points Standing / Total: 19th / 46 pts. (-106)
Next Race: Friday, March 20, Darlington Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM
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