Hemric Extends Consistent Streak with Phoenix Top-10

Daniel Hemric extended his recent streak of consistency on Friday evening with a seventh-place finish at Phoenix Raceway. The driver of the No. 19 CRC Brakleen Chevrolet Silverado RST drove from the 18th starting position to tally his third straight top-10 result and fifth over the past six races. Three races remain on the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series docket with Hemric sixth on the Chase rundown.

Hemric took the green flag from mid pack but began a methodical drive from the outset. He quickly cracked the top-15 but began to endure a tight condition with the front tires. His progress continued despite the handling characteristic and ran in 13th position at the end of Stage 1 on lap 45.

Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt and the NAPA Auto Care team bolted on fresh tires, fuel, and adjustments to improve the turn in Hemric’s Chevrolet during the first stage caution. An outstanding stop advanced Hemric to ninth for the lap 55 restart. His climb continued once the green flag recoiled, as Hemric pounced on the outside groove to claim seventh position. As the second stage progressed, the balance on the CRC Brakleen Chevy had improved, yet still developed tighter. Nevertheless, Hemric was able to earn one point on lap 90 at the end of Stage 2 by running in 10th.

The evening’s final pit stop for the No. 19 team came under the second stage caution when the CRC Brakleen squad gave Hemric a wedge adjustment along with four tires and fuel. He lined up 10th for the final restart of the night on lap 99. After blitzing the outside to run as high as sixth, Hemric briefly slipped to eighth before regaining ground in the waning laps to record a seventh-place finish.

“We needed just a little bit of everything – a little more front grip,” Hemric remarked. “Qualifying really put us at a deficit trying to get stage points. Still we were able to rally from starting 18th and get to seventh by the end of the night. We lacked a little bit with our CRC Brakleen, NAPA Auto Care Silverado RST. Proud of the fight and gradual gains to contend for a top-five. Good to see [Christian] Eckes have a good day. That’s great for the company. We’ll keep working on it and go to Talladega next week.”

Start / Finish: 18 / 7
Points Standing / Total: 6th / 2,175 pts. (-148)

Next Race: Friday, October 23, Talladega Superspeedway
How to Watch or Listen: 4:00 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Daniel Hemric: @DanielHemric
Bill McAnally Racing / McAnally-Hilgemann Racing: @BMR_NASCAR