Hemric Rallies Late to Climb to 12th at Bristol

Daniel Hemric came from deep in the field and overcame a late tire rub to rally and finish 12th at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday night. The driver of the No. 19 Arnott Suspension Products Chevrolet Silverado RST clawed back from 23rd position after an unscheduled pit stop to slice his way to 12th position. The effort netted Hemric two positions in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series standings and closed the gap to the provisional Chase cut line.

Hemric took the green flag from 23rd under clear evening skies in “Thunder Valley.” After gaining a pair of positions in the first 15 laps, Hemric reported his Arnott Suspension Products Chevrolet was “free, but not bad.” He briefly climbed to 19th on the lap-23 restart but was trapped on the outside groove and ultimately closed out Stage 1 in 22nd on lap 65.

Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt armed Hemric with four tires, fuel, and an air pressure change during the first stage caution as the No. 19 subsequently restarted 22nd on lap 79. He instantly grabbed five positions on the restart and held that spot until a caution on lap 117, 13 circuits shy of the second stage break. Hemric pitted with the majority of the field and was officially scored 21st at the end of Stage 2 following a brief, three-lap run.

Hemric quickly cracked the top-15 by lap 155 to start the final segment but sustained minor damage to the left side bodywork on lap 156 when the No. 13 spun beside him and triggered a tire rub. The team’s concern for the left rear tire was great enough to bring Hemric to pit road under a caution on lap 168 to pit for left side tires and clearance the fender. He restarted 23rd with cooler tires and took full advantage over the final 80 laps. He rejoined the top-15 by lap 202 and capitalized on the final 27-lap run of the evening to advance to 12th at the checkered flag.

“That was a hard night’s work to finish 12th,” Hemric said. “We had made some progress and started getting some track position when the No. 13 spun and got into us. There was quite a bit of smoke inside the truck from the left rear, so felt like we ultimately made the right decision to pit. We started off a little free tonight, and Kevin [Bellicourt] and the guys kept working on it. Just glad we made a little something out of it with our Arnott Chevrolet by the end of the night and gain a few points.”

Start / Finish: 23 / 12
Points Standing / Total: 16th / 116 pts. (-92)

Next Race: Friday, May 1, Texas Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM

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