Daniel Hemric – Homestead 2016 Recap

Daniel Hemric (@DanielHemric) closed out his tenure with Brad Keselowski Racing with a top-five finish at the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hemric rallied from an 18th-place starting position and overcame tight handling to run in the top 10 for much of the night, ultimately crossing the finish line in the fifth position. 
 
Hemric closed out his season in the No. 19 Draw-Tite Ford F-150 sixth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver points and fifth in the owner point standings with a total of 11 top fives, 17 top 10s, an average finish of 8.6 and 119 laps led.
 
After earning a disappointing 18th-place starting position, Hemric jumped up to the 12th position just two laps after taking the green flag. Reporting to crew chief Chad Kendrick that his truck was too tight overall and he was “driving the right-front tire off,” Hemric had his first opportunity to visit pit road when the caution flag was displayed on lap 15. The Brad Keselowski Racing crew provided Hemric with four tires, fuel and both track-bar and air-pressure adjustments, earning him three spots on pit road.
 
Scored in the ninth position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 20, Hemric cracked the top five on lap 25. Searching around the racetrack for the best line for his handling, Hemric found that his truck was tighter on the top of the racetrack than the bottom. When a spin brought out the yellow on lap 43, Hemric, now running sixth, was once again called to pit road for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments before returning to the track in eighth.
 
Hemric was running seventh at the Ford EcoBoost 200’s halfway point, but was still struggling with the handling of his Draw-Tite machine. The third caution of the day came on lap 84, and Hemric stated that he could manage running the bottom better that run, but that his handling was worse overall in speed. Kendrick made the call for four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment, and Hemric restarted from the ninth position.
 
Hectic, three-wide racing resulted in Hemric dropping to the 13th position immediately after the lap-88 restart, but the Draw-Tite Ford methodically moved up through the pack over the course of the run, reaching the sixth position before the final yellow of the day on lap 111. Hemric stated that the changes made on the previous run were exactly what he needed, and when it came time to make the final pit stop of 2016, the BKR crew opted for four tires, fuel and a small air-pressure adjustment for one final tweak. Restarting sixth with 19 laps remaining, Hemric gained one final position in the closing laps, crossing the finish line in the fifth position.

BKR PR