DANIEL HEMRIC FINISHES NINTH IN JGR DEBUT AT DAYTONA
Date: February 13, 2021
Event: Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 (Round 1 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile superspeedway)
Format: 120 laps (Stages: 30 laps / 30 laps / 60 laps)
Start / Finish: 12th / 9th (Running, 122 of 122 laps)
Point Standing: 7th (33 points, -22 points out of first)
Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra You bounced back for a solid finish after a tough wreck. How was your race as a whole? “It was a day to learn how far we can push ourselves. I’m proud of Dave Rogers (crew chief) and the guys on the team. The adversity we had to overcome as a group tonight with the Poppy Bank Toyota Supra – we were able to bounce back and make a solid day out of it. That’s what you’ve got to do in these moments. We’ve got several months to keep building toward our ultimate goal.”
Race Winner: Austin Cindric
Stage 1 Winner: Brandon Jones
Stage 2 Winner: Brett Moffitt
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30)
Daniel Hemric started 12th and finished sixth in the first stage of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
In his first start for Joe Gibbs Racing, Hemric patiently worked his way forward using the outside lane early in the race.
Following the race’s third caution on Lap 20, crew chief Dave Rogers kept Hemric on track when many other leaders visited pit road. The strategy call moved the No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra up to ninth for the ensuing restart on Lap 24.
Over the final seven laps of stage one, Hemric worked with his JGR teammates to climb into the top five before narrowly losing out on the fifth position as he crossed the line sixth when the segment ended on Lap 30.
Between stages, Hemric pitted for left-side tires and fuel.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31-60)
Hemric started 12th and finished 16th in stage two.
The outside lane proved to be dominant during the second stage. Unfortunately for Hemric, he was stuck running outside the top 10 with nowhere to go to advance his way towards the front.
After briefly rallying into the top 10, Hemric lost several positions late in the stage after a close call with a lapped car.
In the end, the Poppy Bank Supra was scored 16th at the end of the second stage.
Rogers called Hemric to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel, and adjustments after the segment.
Stage 3 Recap (Laps 61-122)
Hemric started 12th in the final stage and finished ninth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona.
The JGR teammates assembled in the outside lane as Hemric pushed Harrison Burton to the lead before a caution on Lap 100.
On Lap 104, Hemric restarted second with Burton leading and their teammate Ty Dillon running third. Burton slotted in as the leader again and the JGR trio led the inside lane.
The next lap, Dillon received a strong push from behind and surged ahead of Hemric briefly before losing control of the No. 54 Supra. The resulting spin triggered a multi-car accident that left Hemric with nowhere to go as the Poppy Bank Supra suffered significant damage.
The No. 18 team kept Hemric on the lead lap despite making several pit stops to repair the damage.
Although wounded, Hemric wheeled his Poppy Bank Supra back inside the top 10 in the closing laps to end the night with a ninth-place finish.
Additional Notes
Harrison Burton led Joe Gibbs Racing’s efforts at Daytona with a third-place finish. In addition to Hemric’s ninth-place finish, the team’s other two drivers – Ty Dillon and Brandon Jones – finished 14th and 38th, respectively.
The four-car JGR contingent combined to lead 33 of the race’s 122 laps.
Next Up: The NASCAR Xfinity Series will be back at Daytona International Speedway next Saturday. Only this time, they will be racing the track’s 3.61-mile road course for the season’s second outing. The race will be broadcast live Saturday, February 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
-JGR-