Hemric Runs Through Adversity at Martinsville to Finish Top-15

Daniel Hemric made a late comeback for a 15th-place result in Friday night’s slugfest at Martinsville Speedway. The driver of the No. 19 Arnott Suspension Products Chevrolet Silverado RST responded after being collected in a multi-truck incident after halfway to rebound and record a top-15 run in the second-to-last event on the calendar. Heading into next week’s season finale, Hemric resides eighth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series points standings.

Hemric lined up 15th for the green flag and managed to advance forward in the opening laps. He had moved to 13th position by the race’s first caution flag on lap 37, which offered an opportunity to elect a contrarian pit strategy. Crew chief Kevin Bellicourt brought Hemric to pit lane for four tires, fuel, and an adjustment to aid the lack of front grip. Hemric used those fresh tires to go from 15th on the lap 45 restart back up to 13th by the Stage 1 checkered on lap 50.

With a significant tires advantage versus the rest of the field, Hemric stayed on track during the stage caution and made gains over the next 43-lap run. By lap 63, Hemric cracked the top-10 but began to be hampered by a lack of braking power on the tight corner entries. Despite the hindrance, Hemric was scored 11th at the end of Stage 2 on lap 100.

He pitted with all lead lap trucks during the second stage caution for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment, which positioned him 15th for the restart on lap 115. Two successive cautions kept the field bunched up and triggered a multi-truck incident in Turn 1 on lap 136, which collected Hemric. His Arnott Suspension Products Chevy sustained minor nose damage in a spin but was able to continue. Despite restarting 23rd, Hemric was able to advance back into the top-15 on the final 12-lap run of the evening and took the checkered flag in 15th position.

“Definitely a trying evening for our No. 19 group,” Hemric said. “We were limited on entry and lacked rotation with the front tires on our Arnott Chevrolet. We had pretty decent pace in the first stage and gave ourselves a good opportunity on fresher tires before halfway. Unfortunately, the aggression ramps up with every restart later in the race and we got caught up in that mess into Turn 1. Glad this group stayed in the fight and get back to where we did at the end.”

Start / Finish: 15 / 15
Points Standing / Total: 8th / 2,199 pts. (-204)

Next Race: Friday, November 6, Homestead-Miami Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM

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Daniel Hemric: @DanielHemric
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