Hemric stands with his first go-kart at the Brad Keselowski Racing shop in Statesville, NC
A native of Kannapolis, North Carolina,[2] Hemric began his career at the age of five, competing in go-kart racing at the 1/5-mile Concord Speedway, winning 11 races and a track championship at the North Carolina facility before moving up to Bandolero car five years later.[3] During that time, he started doing his backflip celebration, which was taken from Carl Edwards.[4] At 16, Hemric moved up to Legends cars, and in 2008, he won the track's Pro championship, as well as the first of two back-to-back Legends Pro national championships.[3] In 2009, with nearly 60 wins in just under 80 starts, he maxed out his National Points early on the way to winning his second national Legends Pro championship, in addition to earning the Summer Shootout Series championship on the strength of six wins in 10 starts.[5] In 2010, Hemric won the Legends Million at Charlotte Motor Speedway, winning the largest paycheck in Legends car history, $250,000.[6]
Late in the 2010 racing season, Hemric made his debut in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour;[3] he would run selected races in that series and in the Whelen Modified Tour over the next three years, while in 2012 he ran a full season in late model cars, winning the Champion Racing Association JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour championship, scoring eight victories on his way to the title.[5] Hemric won the Summer Shootout Series championship again in 2013,[5] in addition to competing in the Southern Super Series late model championship,[2] driving the No. 98 Ford for Carswell Motorsports.[7] He also competed in the Blizzard Series late model tour,[8] winning the series' 2013 championship.[9]
In 2015, Hemric announced that he would compete full-time for the first time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with NTS Motorsports. Hemric drove the No. 14 California Clean Power Chevrolet Silverado and competed for the 2015 NASCAR Rookie of the Year title.[14] Hemric earned a best finish of fourth (Dover International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) and ran as high as fifth in the NCWTS Driver Point Standings, ultimately finishing the season seventh in the championship standings.[15]
Hemric during the 2016 Media Tour
On November 3, Hemric announced that he would join Brad Keselowski Racing to drive the No. 19 Ford F-Series in 2016.[16] Hemric started the season with an 8th-place finish at Daytona. Hemric later majority of the races with many top 5 finishes but no wins. Hemric would make the Chase after being the highest non-winner points.
On November 20, 2024, it was announced that Hemric will return to the Truck Series full-time in 2025, driving the No. 19 Chevrolet for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, replacing Christian Eckes, who is moving up to the Xfinity Series to drive the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet.[17][18]
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Hemric's No. 21 Childress car at Road America in 2017
On September 17, 2016, it was announced that Hemric would join Richard Childress Racing in 2017. Hemric ran the full Xfinity Series schedule and competed for Rookie of the Year, driving the No. 21 Chevy Camaro.[19] Hemric made his Xfinity debut at the 2017 PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona, which is where he finished 31st after being caught up in an early crash. He rebounded the next week at Atlanta, finishing 9th for his first career Xfinity top-10 finish. At Bristol, Hemric won the Dash 4 Cash. At Richmond, he won his first career pole and then scored a then career-best 3rd-place finish. At Mid-Ohio, Hemric would run in the top 5 for most of the day, bringing home an impressive and career-best 2nd-place finish. In the playoffs, Hemric advanced to the Championship Round at Homestead as the lone non-JR Motorsports driver.[20] Despite starting the race strong, he was eventually plagued by battery issues that dropped him 12 laps behind the leader.[21] He finished 34th and 13 laps down, fourth in the points.[22]
Hemric returned to the Xfinity Series in 2020, joining JR Motorsports' No. 8 car for a 21-race schedule and sharing the car with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeb Burton.[23] He recorded 12 top tens during the year.[24]
Hemric moved to Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 Xfinity car for the 2021 season, marking a return to full-time competition.[24] At the end of the Atlanta race, he was involved in a fight with Noah Gragson after a pit road mishap during the race. Neither driver was reprimanded by NASCAR.[25] Despite scoring no wins during the 2021 regular season, Hemric made the Playoffs through his consistency. On September 25, Kaulig Racing announced that Hemric would pilot the No. 11 in 2022, replacing Justin Haley as he moved to Kaulig's No. 31 in the Cup Series full-time.
Thanks to his consistency, Hemric would lock himself into the Championship 4, alongside Austin Cindric, A. J. Allmendinger and Noah Gragson. On November 6, Hemric used a last lap, overtime pass of Cindric at the season finale at Phoenix Raceway to not only win the first race of his NASCAR career, but also the 2021 Xfinity Series title. Hemric's ten runner-up finishes prior to earning his first win tie him with Dale Jarrett for the most in Xfinity Series history.[1]
On April 22, 2023, Hemric was leading at a race at Talladega Superspeedway when he got airborne into turn 3, got ramped up by Riley Herbst, and crashed on top of the wall even taking out the turn four camera in the process. His car flipped onto its roof and finally got off of the wall heading into the frontstretch off of turn 4. Hemric was uninjured. His flip occurred in the same race as Blaine Perkins. In early September, Hemric would pilot the No. 10 for the rest of the season starting at Kansas as the car was in the Owner's Playoffs. Hemric was eliminated at the conclusion of the Charlotte Roval race.[26]
Hemric returned to RCR's No. 21 for the 2018 season in addition to a part-time schedule in the Truck Series, driving the No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado for Young's Motorsports.[28] On March 20, 2018, it was announced that Hemric would attempt two races in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the spring Richmond race and the Charlotte Roval race driving the No. 8 RCR Chevrolet.[29] In his Cup debut at the 2018 Toyota Owners 400, he qualified 22nd and finished 32nd, three laps down.[30]
On September 28, 2018, RCR announced that beginning in 2019, Hemric would be the full-time driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, competing for 2019 Rookie of the Year honors.[31] The agreement came after a deal to drive Leavine Family Racing's No. 95 car in 2019 fell through.[32] Two days later, he drove another Cup race at the new Charlotte Roval, finishing 10th in Stage 2 and running as high as 2nd, but was caught up in a late-race wreck and finished 23rd.
On December 14, 2018, RCR announced that Hemric would be driving the No. 8 car instead of the No. 31 car for the 2019 season.[33] In his first race in the No. 8 at the 2019 Daytona 500, he drove a gold paint scheme to celebrate RCR's 50th Anniversary.[34]
On August 17, 2019, Hemric said he was "iffy" about his status for 2020, despite having signed a two-year contract with RCR.[35] A month later on September 17, the team announced Hemric would be released after the 2019 season.[36][37][38] At the October Kansas race, Hemric scored his first career Busch Pole Award.[39] He finished the season 25th in the points standings. Despite a disappointing debut season, Hemric won the 2019 NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors.[40]
In 2022, Hemric drove the Kaulig Racing No. 16 part-time in the Cup Series, finishing 12th at the 2022 Daytona 500 and peaking at ninth place at Fontana. On November 6, Hemric filled in for Ty Gibbs in the No. 23 car for 23XI Racing in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. Gibbs had to miss the race due to the death of his father Coy Gibbs. Hemric was still at the track after the previous day's Xfinity Series race and was able to be fitted into Gibbs' car seat. This marked Hemric's first race with Toyota in over a year.[41][42][43]
On September 15, 2023, Kaulig Racing announced that Hemric would drive the No. 31 in 2024. This would mark Hemric's return to full-time Cup Series competition since 2019.[44]
Personal life
On July 28, 2015, Hemric announced his engagement to K&N Pro Series East driver Kenzie Ruston.[45] They married on January 7, 2017.[46] He announced in November 2019 that Ruston was expecting their first child.[47] Their daughter was born on May 9, 2020.[48] He announced in August 2022 that Ruston was expecting their second child.[49] Their son was born on December 23, 2022.
On September 4, 2019, Hemric established the Daniel Hemric Be the Change Scholarship with Rowan–Cabarrus Community College. The annual scholarship will grant financial aid to one qualifying student in the field of motorsports, welding, or mechanical engineering.[50]
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold − Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics − Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)
^"(Twitter post)". Twitter. Bob Pockrass. November 6, 2022. Steve Lauletta of 23XI said if Daniel Hemric can fit in the car, he will race the No. 23. He said they still have some work to do.
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