Daniel Hemric and his NTS Motorsports team faced adversity from early in the weekend in his Watkins Glen International debut, battling both fueling-system issues and an engine change during the day’s two practice sessions as he prepared for his first road-course race in a stock car. Following an engine change and a tireless effort by the California Clean Power crew, Hemric qualified in the 11th position and fought hard throughout the 51-lap event, ultimately crossing the finish line in the 10th position.
It was early in the opening practice session when the California Clean Power Chevy displayed its first signs of trouble, with Hemric reporting to crew chief Doug Howe that his No. 20 machine’s fuel pickup was inconsistent. With no concerns about the excellent handling of the Chevy Impala, the NTS Motorsports crew focused on the source of the fueling issue, troubleshooting until the end of the opening session. Turning their attention to fuel lines, filters, carburetion and the fuel cell, it was determined that the motor had a front-seal leak, requiring a change to the backup engine prior to qualifying. It appeared that the team’s problems were behind them when Hemric laid down the 11th-fastest lap in the road-course qualifying format, and only 18 laps after the race’s green flag, the young driver was up to the sixth position. Unfortunately, on lap 23, the 24-year-old informed his crew that the power issue had resurfaced, causing the car to sputter at times and costing precious track position. Hemric was able to endure until the halfway break at lap 31, but had slipped to the 14th position before entering the pits. During the five-minute break, the NTS Motorsports crew checked everything that they could under the time constraints, and by the wave of the green flag, it once again seemed that the issue was resolved. Hemric jumped from 14th to ninth in just one lap, holding that position until the white flag was displayed. Unfortunately, shortly before the conclusion of the race, the No. 20 began to sputter once again, costing Hemric one position before he crossed the finish line in the 10th position.
Daniel Hemric on Watkins Glen International
“This was a great experience but the result was definitely very disappointing; it’s a shame, because Watkins Glen is such a fun track. Setup wise, we actually had a really good, fast car. Unfortunately, today just didn’t unfold the way we would have hoped. After about two laps of practice, we started experiencing a problem with fuel pickup. The guys worked hard for the rest of the session to get us back out there, but we found an oil leak once we got to final practice. My NTS Motorsports team did a fast engine change before qualifying, and I actually felt really good about what we had, but shortly into the race, we started sputtering again. The guys literally did everything they could have; changed everything, checked everything. I know they’re going to find out what was wrong once they get back to the shop. I think we can see from the way the race unfolded that motors were a problem for everyone across the board. Overall, I’m really grateful to NTS Motorsports and California Clean Power for giving me the chance to run this race. Even though it didn’t go the way we wanted, it was such a great learning experience. I learned a lot, and now I’m really excited about the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park at the end of the month.”
NTS Motorsports PR
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