Hemric Gains Point Cushion with Top-Five at Bristol

Daniel Hemric took a significant step towards advancement in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series (NCTS) playoffs on Thursday evening at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) with his 10th top-five result of the season. The driver of the No. 19 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Silverado RST cashed in with a fifth-place finish to pad his cushion on the provisional cut line to 51 markers in the playoff standings. Hemric scored 35 points in the 250-lap event in “Thunder Valley” and has finished in the top five in three of the last four races.

Hemric’s night started from the 11th position and quickly turned into an uphill climb after the green flag. The No. 19 Chevrolet trended much too loose during the opening 65-lap run as Hemric maintained his composure despite running 18th at the end of Stage 1. Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt and the South Point Hotel & Casino team came to the rescue with a speedy four-tire pit stop, complete with fuel and chassis adjustments during the first stage yellow. The pit stop netted Hemric three positions against the trucks that pitted and allowed him to restart 13th.

Hemric’s net gain on pit road coupled with fresh tires and adjustments were the proper tonic to jumpstart his night. A pair of three-wide maneuvers cutting through the middle quickly brought Hemric into contention inside the top-10 shortly after the lap 77 restart. He took advantage of another restart on lap 97 to run as high as seventh before collecting three points in eighth position at the end of Stage 2 on lap 130.

Hemric pitted for the second and final time of the evening under the second stage caution. Additional chassis adjustments by Bellicourt and company further improved Hemric’s balance and allowed him to drive forward during the final 109 laps. Despite restarting fifth on lap 142, Hemric was boxed in behind a truck on old tires and briefly fell to ninth. Despite the setback, Hemric was versatile using both the bottom and extreme top lanes to work over competitors and advance to sixth by lap 187. He remained consistent in the waning laps and claimed the fifth spot on lap 230 and held that position until he took the checkered flag.

“I’ve got a lot of faith in this race team,” Hemric said. “Told them what I needed, we all took a deep breath after that first run, which was pretty terrible, and we just continued to find a way there. (Kevin) Bellicourt got the South Point Chevrolet better and better every run. A restart there, a better race truck, and we were able to drive forward there. I made it way too nerve wracking there at one point, 15 or 20 to go, I was trying to run the extreme top and over-stepped the cushion on entry and got in the fence. Literally, one of the first times I’ve ever prayed in a race car. I was just praying I didn’t have a tire rub and so-on and so-forth. Count my blessings tonight. Sloppy and made some mistakes and still salvaged an okay day out of it.”

Hemric remains third in the NCTS playoff standings, 51 points above the cut line entering next weekend’s first round elimination race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Start / Finish: 11 / 5
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / +51 above cutline

Next Race: Saturday, Sept. 20, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 12:00 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM

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Daniel Hemric: @DanielHemric
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