Mechanical Issues Result in 28th-Place Finish for Hemric at Talladega

Daniel Hemric and his NTS Motorsports team came into the Fred’s 250 at Talladega Superspeedway with a fast truck and the momentum of two consecutive sixth-place finishes, but unfortunately, mechanical issues took the No. 14 California Clean Power Chevy out of contention for the win. After being forced to repair a hood pin issue early in the race, Hemric fought his way into the free-pass position and looked poised to rebound. Unfortunately, additional mechanical issues with 30 laps remaining took Hemric off the pace, relegating him to a 28th-place finish.

After laying down the 10th-fastest lap times in both of the weekend’s practice sessions, Hemric advanced to the second round of knockout qualifying and earned a fourth-place starting position for his California Clean Power team. After the green flag, Hemric held steady in the outside line, maintaining his spot in the second row as his drafting pack challenged the line of trucks in the low lane. Scored in the ninth position on lap 28, Hemric suddenly came on the radio reporting that he’d lost a hood pin, making the hood of his No. 14 machine unsecure and forcing an unscheduled pit stop. The NTS Motorsports team quickly made repairs to secure the hood, but Hemric was cited for speeding on entry to the pits. Forced to serve a pass-thru penalty, Hemric was scored a lap down in the 31st position. As one of the few trucks off the lead lap, Hemric was unable to gain positions, but he showed his speed by drafting through the pack, biding his time until the next caution would award him his lap back. Unfortunately, before that could happen, Hemric dropped off the pace, reporting to crew chief Ryan McKinney that he believed he had an electrical problem. Once again forced to pit under green, Hemric lost another six laps as his team troubleshot the problem, checking his battery and inspecting every component on the truck they could access. When Hemric returned to the track, the issues continued and the truck was unable to stay with the draft pack. Hemric and his team endured a string of cautions in the final laps, staying out of trouble until the checkered flag waved, ultimately crossing the finish line in the 28th position.

Daniel Hemric on Talladega Superspeedway
“Our NTS Motorsports truck was really fast today, but unfortunately, things just didn’t go our way. We were about 30 laps in when our hood pin bracket broke and disconnected two pins, and that isn’t something you can just wait for a caution to fix. Our guys did a great job of fixing the problem and getting us back out on the track quickly, but I wound up getting a speeding penalty because I just couldn’t slow down enough coming out of the draft onto pit road. We got ourselves in the free-pass position after going a lap down, and I thought we were still going to be in a good position to win, but with about 30 laps to go, we fell off the pace with an electrical issue. Sometimes it just isn’t your day, but I’ll tell you one thing; these guys never gave up. Days like today make you very appreciative of all the good ones. I can’t wait to move on to Martinsville next week. The one really great thing to come out of this weekend is the exposure we gave the Salvation Army for the South Carolina flood relief. I want to get down there soon to help out firsthand, and I’m hoping we were able to get some funds raised for the cause.”

NTS Motorsports PR