Daniel Hemric faced off with the Monster Mile for the first time in his career, tackling one of the most difficult tracks on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) schedule. Hemric started the weekend in the top five in practice and backed up his speed on race day, overcoming a 19th-place starting spot and loose handling at the beginning of the race to score a career-best fourth-place finish at Dover International Speedway.
Hitting the track for the weekend’s only practice session, Hemric drove the California Clean Power Chevrolet Silverado to the top of the scoring pylon, laying down the fifth-fastest lap. Hoping to back up his speed in qualifying, Hemric progressed to the second round of time trials but was relegated to a19th-place starting position after mechanical issues prevented him from making his final run. After taking the green flag, Hemric immediately found that his NTS Motorsports machine was “free everywhere,” but was still capable of navigating up to the eighth position. Hemric would get his first chance to visit pit road for adjustments when the caution flag waved on lap 34 for a multi-truck wreck. Crew chief Ryan McKinney made the call for four tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment, hoping to tighten up the No. 14 truck. Emerging from the pits in the 16th spot due to some competitors opting not to pit, Hemric relayed that his truck was better but still much too free, asking for more of the same adjustments for his second pit stop on lap 75. McKinney once again called for four tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment, sending Hemric back out in 16th for the green flag. The second round of adjustments gave Hemric more of the lateral grip he needed to navigate the concrete oval, and just six laps after the restart, Hemric advanced to the eighth position. Settling into eighth for the longest green-flag run thus far, Hemric nabbed the seventh position just prior to the lap-106 yellow flag. Hemric noted that he was able to be much more aggressive on that run, and staying off pit road under yellow allowed him to advance up to the third position. Although still slightly free, Hemric was running fourth when the eighth and final caution flag was displayed, with the NTS Motorsports team preparing for the “money stop.” Supplying Hemric with four tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment with impressive speed, the California Clean Power Chevy lined up fourth for the lap-143 restart. Hemric skillfully wheeled the No. 14 through the closing 57 laps, maintaining his position with some of the race’s most formidable contenders on his heels, crossing the finish line in the fourth position. The fourth-place finish was his career best in the NCWTS and first top five in the series.
Daniel Hemric on Dover International Speedway
“This was a great race for NTS Motorsports and the California Clean Power Chevy, something that this team really needed. We’ve had fast trucks week in and week out, but we’ve fallen short of the finishes we deserved. This track is a challenge and the finish was hard fought; I’m so glad that we could earn a top five here. I have to give a lot of credit my crew chief Ryan McKinney and to this NTS Motorsports team for the fast truck they built me, the great calls they made during the race and our amazing pit stops. I honestly don’t think we’ve lost a single position on pit road this season because of a pit stop; we’re always gaining or maintaining. I really believe we’ve got one of the best crews on pit road. I’m so thankful to California Clean Power for their support; from the first time I watched a race in Dover, I wanted a chance to race here so badly, and this was really fun.”
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