Hemric Scores Top-Five and Stage Win at ‘The Glen’

Daniel Hemric delivered a terrific drive at Watkins Glen International (WGI) on Friday with his first top-five finish of the 2026 season and his first stage win of the year. The driver of the No. 19 Delphi Chevrolet Silverado RST showcased his road racing prowess with a fourth-place effort and gained another three positions in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks Series points standings. Over the last two races, Hemric has gained six positions in the championship grid and recorded 43 points at WGI, second-most of all drivers in the field.

Hemric laid down his best qualifying effort of the season, third, and had the No. 19 well positioned once the green flag flew. As he settled into fourth position in the first five circuits, Hemric reported the Delphi Chevrolet’s handling was a little free to begin the afternoon. While the opening 20-lap segment ran under green flag conditions, pit stops began on lap 18 but crew chief Kevin Bellicourt stuck to his game plan of maximizing the points available. As a result, Hemric took the lead on lap 18 and collected his first stage win of the season and 10 championship points at lap 20.

The No. 19 team serviced Hemric with four tires, fuel, and minor adjustments to improve the balance during the stage caution. Hemric lined up 12th on lap 24 as several trucks flipped the strategy to begin the second segment. He ran in 10th position before employing a similar strategy on lap 37. Prior to the second stage break, Hemric pitted under green for four tires and fuel and was scored 23rd at the end of Stage 2 on lap 40.

After staying out under the second stage caution, he lined up second for the ensuing restart on lap 45. Once more, Hemric singled out in fourth position until a fortunate caution waved on lap 58 as he was short of making the finish on fuel. Bellicourt armed Hemric with fuel and fresh tires under the yellow and allowed him to restart 12th on lap 61. Efficient and opportunistic maneuvers on the restarts allowed Hemric to climb to eighth on a lap 69 restart and lined up sixth for an overtime dash to the checkers. On the final restart of the day, Hemric immediately grabbed fifth into Turn 1 and took fourth in the uphill section of the Esses. He hung on to record his best finish of the season and his second-consecutive top-five at “The Glen.”

“Honestly, it was just a really solid weekend for the Delphi Chevrolet,” Hemric remarked after the road course race. “Appreciate Delphi coming on board. First time back in the sport for a long time – appreciate them, their partnership with NAPA, NAPA Auto Care, everything and everyone that makes this program go round. I feel like we really came prepared this weekend. Our sim sessions went well leading into this. I just felt like we had a pretty good direction. We improved our vehicle a lot from last year. Appreciate GM, Chevrolet, all the tools to allow us to have a good day.”

Start / Finish: 3 / 4
Points Standing / Total: 10th / 189 pts. (-123)

Next Race: Friday, May 15, Dover Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 5:00 p.m. ET on FS1 or SiriusXM

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