sHemric Finishes 10th After Strong Run at Bristol
Date: September 17, 2021
Event: Food City 300 (Round 26 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format: 300 laps (Stages: 85 laps / 85 laps / 130 laps)
Start / Finish: 4th / 10th (Running, 306 of 306 laps)
Point Standing: 4th (895 points, -148 points out of first)
Reseeded Playoff Standing: 6th (2014 points, -30 points out of first)
Race Winner: AJ Allmendinger
Stage 1 Winner: Justin Allgaier
Stage 2 Winner: Daniel Hemric
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85)
· Daniel Hemric started Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway from the fourth position and finished second in stage one.
· Early in the race, the Poppy Bank Toyota Supra shot into the lead on lap 5 and Hemric led the next 34 laps.
· The No. 7 car snuck by Hemric in lapped traffic just before the competition caution on lap 41.
· Hemric opted to restart as the second car in the outside lane when the race resumed on lap 52 and immediately jumped back into the runner-up position.
· The No. 18 Supra finished second in the stage as Hemric reported that his car was a little too loose to reclaim the top spot.
· Between stages, crew chief Dave Rogers called Hemric to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel, and a minor air pressure adjustment.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170)
· Hemric started fourth and won stage two.
· Hemric grabbed the second position as stage two began.
· After lining up on the inside of the front row for a lap-109 restart, the Kannapolis, North Carolina native reclaimed the lead.
· He managed to hold on to the lead for the remainder of the segment to earn his seventh stage win of the season.
· Following the stage, the No. 18 team pitted again for four fresh tires and fuel.
Stage 3 Recap (Laps 171-306)
· Hemric started the final stage in the 10th position and finished 10th in Friday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
· The Poppy Bank Supra restarted 10th after nine cars ahead of Hemric chose to stay out and not pit between stages.
· He quickly maneuvered his way back into the top five on lap 185 and was scored fourth when the caution waved again on lap 198.
· Hemric restarted fourth with 96 laps remaining and moved up to third before another caution slowed the race on lap 238.
· During the caution, the Poppy Bank team pitted for four fresh tires, fuel, and a minor chassis adjustment. Hemric slipped back several positions on pit road and lined up fifth for the ensuing restart with 53 laps to go.
· Hemric ran fifth for the closing stretch of the race and was scored fourth when a caution waved on lap 297 because of an accident involving a car ahead of him.
· When the race went to overtime, Hemric chose to restart third. Unfortunately for the No. 18 driver, he was bumped from behind coming to the white flag and fell to 10th at the finish.
Additional Notes
· By leading 78 laps in Friday night’s race, Hemric surpassed his previous career high for laps led in a single season. He has now led 510 laps this season with seven races remaining.
Daniel Hemric, Driver of the No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra
What happened in the closing laps of the race and how was your car tonight?
“A 10th-place finish is not at all what this Poppy Bank Toyota Supra team had tonight. We struggled a little bit on pit road all night. We maintained track position – I think the worst we were was second or third under green flag runs and then we would lose a few spots on pit road, which is very uncharacteristic of our group. It was one of those nights. I’ve made some mistakes and I’m cleaning it up. I just wish we could have been in the mix there coming to the end. Then, somebody got into me coming to two to go and got me out of the groove and that was it. We finally got the ball rolling. This was the first time in a couple weeks that we have had one of the fastest cars. That’s all you can ask for. I’ll get my voice healed up and head to Vegas.”
Next Up: The NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs start next weekend with the first race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast live Saturday, September 25, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
-JGR-