Daniel Hemric / No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra Preview
Cook Out 250 at Martinsville Speedway
No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra News and Notes
HEMRIC AT MARTINSVILLE: Friday night’s race will be Daniel Hemric’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Martinsville Speedway. Despite not competing in the series’ race at the .526-mile oval last fall, Hemric has made seven combined starts at the track in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. His best result in those starts was a ninth-place finish in the Truck Series race in 2016.
ATLANTA RECAP: Hemric earned his fifth top-10 finish in six starts this season with a ninth-place run in the Xfinity Series’ most recent race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
LOOP DATA: Hemric’s standout start to the season is evident in the Loop Data provided by NASCAR. The 30-year-old driver leads the Xfinity Series in laps in the top 15 and percentage of laps run on the lead lap. Hemric also ranks in the top five in numerous categories including laps led, average running position, driver rating, fastest drivers late in a run, fastest laps run, green flag speed, fastest drivers early in a run and speed by segment.
NASCAR DEBUT: Martinsville Speedway played host to Hemric’s NASCAR national series debut on October 26, 2013. That day, the Kannapolis, North Carolina native started 16th and finished 32nd in the Truck Series race.
ROGERS’ RESUME: Crew chief Dave Rogers has established an impressive resume at Martinsville Speedway. He led Denny Hamlin to a Cup Series victory at the track in 2015 and his teams posted six top-five finishes, eight top-10s and 461 laps led in 16 Cup Series starts. In two Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville, Rogers’ teams have finished third and sixth.
POPPY BANK: Poppy Bank will be featured as the primary sponsor of the No. 18 Supra in Friday night’s race at Martinsville Speedway. Poppy Bank is a 5-star rated organization and is recognized as one of the strongest financial institutions in the country. Since opening its first branch in 2005, Poppy Bank has grown to over $3 Billion in assets with branches across the San Francisco Bay Area, Roseville, and Southern California.
JGR AT MARTINSVILLE: Joe Gibbs Racing won the Xfinity Series’ return race to Martinsville Speedway last fall with Harrison Burton. In five combined starts at the track, JGR’s Xfinity Series program has posted two top-five finishes, five top-10s and 81 laps led.
TUNE IN: Coverage of this week’s Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for Friday, April 9, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Daniel Hemric, Driver of the No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra Talk about going to Martinsville this weekend… “It was nice to get some time off to spend with my family and some friends, but I’m ready to get back to work. Martinsville is an awesome track with a lot of history and I’m excited about our chances. Dave (Rogers, crew chief) has had some great races there in the past and JGR as a whole tends to run well there regardless of the series. As a driver, that gives me a lot of confidence going into the race, so I can’t wait to get going.”
About Poppy Bank Since opening their first branch in January 2005, Poppy Bank has grown to over $3 billion in assets and is recognized as one of the strongest financial institutions in the country. Poppy has branches throughout California and provides loan services throughout the nation including commercial and multi-family, small business and PACE (green lending) products. Their commitment to providing the best products and services has propelled their success and garnered national recognition of their performance. Poppy Bank is 5-star rated by BauerFinancial, the nation's leading independent bank and credit union rating firm. The Bank is governed by a strong team of Executive Officers and a dedicated Board of Directors formed entirely by accomplished business leaders. Poppy Bank exists to meet the banking needs of their clients and to make a positive difference in the communities they serve.
-JGR-