Race 3: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Daniel Hemric will be making his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but has starts in both the NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series at the 1.5-mile track. He had an average start of 15.3 and an average finish of 16.0 in the Xfinity Series, as well as an average start of 9.0 and an average finish of 4.0 in the Truck Series.
QUOTES:
Would you rather be lucky or good at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?
"I would rather be good. Las Vegas is a place that always pays when you have speed. If you have speed, your car handles good and you are good as a driver, you're going to have a good weekend. That is what we will look to do this weekend with the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1."
How do you feel the bumps in Turns 1 and 2 will affect the car with the new aerodynamic package and will handling be an issue?
"The bumps in Turns 1 and 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will definitely be an issue this weekend. We saw at the test a few weeks ago that when the car goes through those bumps with this package it goes through a huge aerodynamic shift. That makes the cars very unpredictable and that will be magnified when we get in traffic. Everyone has to learn at the same time with the variables and try to figure it out."
Is there anything that you can learn from what Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team learned at the Vegas test at the end of January that you can apply to the No. 8 team moving forward?
"That test, in particular, was a little different from the fact that it wasn't a small group of cars. You still had 14-20 cars on the racetrack at any given time. It gave you a good indication of what you needed, what the strong suits were, what kind of the trouble spots that we need to work on were and know that because of the amount of cars that is just going to enhance as you get into the full field. I tried to be there and work closely with Austin throughout the test just to make sure that I was taking in the information that I needed to help prepare me."
Review Mirror: Atlanta
Hemric's finish of 20th does not reflect the strong run the No. 8 Red Kap/Alsco Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 had going at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Starting in the 28th position, Hemric overcame a spin on pit road and drove his way inside the top five late in the race. However, a flat right front tire forced Hemric to give up the fourth position with less than 20 laps to go as he came to pit road under green flag conditions. With four fresh tires, Hemric worked his way back to 20th by the time the checkered flag flew. He was the highest finishing Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender.
Meet the Driver
Fans will have multiple opportunities to meet the driver of the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. On Friday, March 1, Hemric is scheduled to participate in a fan Q&A session in the Neon Garage starting at 2:30 p.m. local time. On Saturday, March 2, he is scheduled to have a Q&A and autograph session at the South Point Hotel & Casino booth in the Fan Midway starting at 10 a.m. local time. He is also scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR merchandise hauler in the Fan Midway on Saturday, starting at 10:20 a.m. local time.
About Caterpillar
For more than 90 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. Customers turn to Caterpillar to help them develop infrastructure, energy and natural resource assets. With 2017 sales and revenues of $45.462 billion, Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company principally operates through its three primary segments - Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation - and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment. For more information, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.
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