Road America
August 8, 2020
Track Specs: 4.058-mile road course / 45 laps
Weather: Sunny; 82 degrees
No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet Camaro
Start: 10th
Finish: 35th
Synopsis:
Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet, was battling for position inside the top 10 in the early laps of Stage One in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Road America before an engine issue coming to the completion of lap 7 caused the JR Motorsports driver to slow on the front straightaway. After diagnosing what was wrong, it was discovered that the issue was something that the team would be unable to repair, ultimately ending Hemric’s day shy of the finish. Despite the result, the No. 8 team remains 50 points ahead of the 12th and final playoff position in the owner standings.
Stage One Finish: 35th
Hemric took the green flag for the scheduled 45-lap event from the 10th position after the field was once again set via a random draw earlier in the week. Once under way, the driver of the Poppy Bank Chevrolet patiently worked forward, taking advantage of a lap 4 restart following a quick caution on lap 2 to move into ninth. Then, while battling for position with JRM teammates Noah Gragson and Justin Allgaier, Hemric radioed to crew chief Taylor Moyer that there was an issue with the engine, causing him to dramatically slow on the long frontstretch at Road America and ultimately come to a stop at the exit of pit road. After surveying what was wrong, it was determined that the engine issue was unfortunately a terminal one, bringing a premature end to Hemric’s afternoon.
Hemric was ultimately scored with a 35th-place finish.
Daniel Hemric, driver No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet team
“Man, I hate that that happened for everyone on this Poppy Bank team. We had a lot of speed right from the start of the race and we just didn’t really get a chance to make anything happen. Our oil tank blew apart just a few laps into the race. This group is resilient, they have to be to keep showing up week after week following some of the things we’ve seen happen this year. It’s unfortunate but we will rebound from this and be ready to go next weekend at the Daytona road course.”
Next up:
Hemric returns to the No. 8 Chevrolet on Saturday, August 15, at Daytona International Speedway for the Xfinity Series debut on the road course. Coverage will be at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, and SiriusXM 90.
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