By
NAPA
Daniel Hemric accomplished his mission on Saturday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) by advancing to the second round of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) playoffs with a 12th-place finish. The driver of the No. 19 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST recovered from being involved in an incident on lap 33 to rejoin the top-10 and ultimately finish in the top-15. He will begin the second round third in the NCTS playoff standings.
Hemric qualified 13th in the long autumn shadows on Friday evening and started Saturday afternoon with significant speed. After the race was immediately slowed by a yellow on the opening lap, Hemric went from 10th to eighth on the lap-six restart. As the next 28 laps unfolded, Hemric’s pace became increasingly elite versus the field. However, on lap 33, two significantly slower lapped trucks wrecked beside Hemric and forced him to make an evasive maneuver which caused him to contact the outside wall in Turn 1. Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt and the Gates Hydraulics team made ample repairs to the right side to keep Hemric on the lead lap. He closed out Stage 1 running in 16th position on lap 55.
The pit stop to repair damage midway through the opening segment allowed Hemric to stay on track while several lead lap trucks pitted during the stage caution. He inherited the eighth position for the restart on lap 61 and ran as high as sixth during Stage 2. While Hemric’s balance began free, it swung too tight by lap 98. A caution on lap 101 pulled most lead lap trucks to pit road, including the No. 19 team. Hemric restarted eighth on lap 108 and maintained that position to record three points at Stage 2’s conclusion on lap 110.
Hemric returned to pit road for fuel during the second stage caution amid concerns to ensure he could reach the finish. After restarting in 19th, damage from the early incident began to cause the right front splitter to gradually erode and lose downforce. He pitted again during the final caution at lap 133 for another set of fresh tires and adjustments. The call paid off as Hemric drove from 21st to 12th over the last 23-lap run to clinch his spot in the Round of 8.
“Honestly, as hard as I hit the wall, I can’t believe we were able to keep going,” Hemric said. “Unfortunate, but proud of the resilience of this group. As I said on the radio, anything that’s worth having is not easy. It was good to build some more character here today and lock this Gates Hydraulics Silverado RST into the next round.”
Start / Finish: 13 / 12
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / +1 above cutline
Next Race: Friday, Oct. 3, Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM
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