Hemric Finishes Sixth at Richmond Raceway
Date: September 11, 2021
Event: Go Bowling 250 (Round 25 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Richmond Raceway (.75-mile D-shaped oval)
Format: 250 laps (Stages: 75 laps / 75 laps / 100 laps)
Start / Finish: 12th / 6th (Running, 250 of 250 laps)
Point Standing: 4th (849 points, -144 points out of first)
Race Winner: Noah Gragson
Stage 1 Winner: AJ Allmendinger
Stage 2 Winner: Ty Gibbs
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75)
· Daniel Hemric started Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway from the 12th position and finished seventh in stage one.
· The Poppy Bank Toyota Supra climbed into the top 10 on lap 2 and Hemric remained there throughout the 75-lap stage while reporting that he needed more front grip.
· After finishing seventh in the segment, crew chief Dave Rogers called Hemric to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel, and a chassis adjustment. A great pit stop boosted Hemric up to second for the start of stage two.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-150)
· Hemric started second and finished fifth in stage two.
· The Kannapolis, North Carolina native wrestled the lead away from Austin Cindric on the lap-85 restart and held the top spot until Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs moved ahead on lap 98.
· Hemric slipped from the lead down to seventh at one point in stage two as he remained patient and saved his tires for the longer run.
· The No. 18 driver’s tire-saving strategy played off as he climbed back up to fourth before ultimately ending the segment fifth on lap 150.
· Rogers called his driver back to pit road between stages. Another fantastic pit stop by the Poppy Bank team vaulted Hemric to the race lead to begin the final stage.
Stage 3 Recap (Laps 151-250)
· Hemric started the final stage first and finished sixth in Saturday’s race at Richmond Raceway.
· With his car lacking grip on restarts, Hemric dropped all the way to 10th early in the final segment.
· A caution on lap 182 brought Hemric and most of the other leaders to pit road for their final set of fresh tires.
· The Poppy Bank Supra restarted 16th with 63 laps remaining and Hemric charged up to 10th by the time the next caution waved on lap 223.
· Knowing the handful of drivers who opted not to take tires on the previous caution would be pitting for their fresh tires for the final stretch of the race, Rogers brought Hemric back to pit road for four tires that had been used earlier in the race because they were fresher than the tires he had on his Supra at the time.
· Hemric restarted eighth with 20 laps to go and made up two positions in the closing laps to earn a sixth-place finish.
Additional Notes
· Hemric’s sixth-place finish led Joe Gibbs Racing with Ty Gibbs ending the day seventh, Harrison Burton eighth and Brandon Jones 20th.
Next Up: The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to another short track next week for the regular season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast live Friday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
-JGR-