CONCORD, N.C. – Richard Childress Racing has named Daniel Hemric to take over its No. 31 Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2019.
Hemric, who currently competed in the Xfinity Series for the Welcome, N.C.-based organization is a current Playoff contender and will replace Ryan Newman, who is moving to Roush Fenway Racing next season.
After competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2015 and 2016 for NTS Motorsports and Brad Keselowski Racing respectively, he scored 15 top-five and 30 top-10 results along with two top-10 finishes in the driver championship point standings across 50 starts. Hemric then stepped up to the Xfinity Series with RCR in 2017.
Entering Saturday afternoon’s Drive for the Cure 200 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Hemric has earned 20 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes in 60 starts. While he has yet to win a race, he has won three poles and advanced to the Championship 4 last November at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.
Currently, the Kannapolis, N.C. native is second in the series standings after finishing fourth in 2017.
“We’ve had our eye on Daniel since he raced with Austin (Dillon) and Ty (Dillon) in Bandolero cars and then into Legends racing,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR. “We hired him to drive our No. 21 Xfinity entry in 2017 and our plan was to develop Daniel and move him up to the Cup Series when the time was right.
“We believe that time is now. Daniel has won championships in just about everything he’s raced, and I hope we can add an Xfinity Series title before season’s end. He battled for the championship right to the end last year.”
Hemric couldn’t fight back the tears in his opening statement during Friday afternoon’s press conference.
“It’s unbelievable to see how starting here so many years ago has led to this point,” he said. “It’s going to be an honor to continue down this path over the next, hopefully, couple of years and just to be able to give it a shot. Thanks, Torrey (Galida, president of Richard Childress Racing), thanks Richard (Childress), thanks to all of our staff at RCR, everyone here at Charlotte Motor Speedway for giving us the time to talk about this.
“I’m just incredibly humbled and honored to know that all those nights and all those… excuse me I’m going to get all choked up here. That’s what it’s all about right (fighting back tears).”
Hemric has been successful in motorsports since the age of five when he began winning championships in go-karts before finding himself six years later a Concord (N.C.) Speedway track champion with 11 wins to boot.
His racing climb to Bandoleros, Legend Cars and Late Models followed with the same success, with 60 victories, back-to-back Legend Car Pro championships (2008 and 2009), the National Legend Car Pro championship and two Summer Shootout Series titles in 2009 and 2013 respectively.
Hemric would also go on to win the Champion Racing Association JEGS / CRA All-Stars Tour championship in 2012 and follow it up with the Southern Super Series championship a year later.
In 2010, Hemric took home the largest payment in Legend Car history when he won the inaugural Legends Millions race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Gathering his emotions, Hemric said his opportunity to compete for Rookie of the Year is a testament and fundamentals of what NASCAR was built and made of.
I made eye contact with my wife back there and it got me. Yeah, I just think about so many people want to have this opportunity and they work their whole life for it and I think being able to sit up here and be a testament to that and be a testament to what this sport was built off of, of families doing whatever they could to give their kids shots I feel like that is no different than what this RCR family is about.
“I’m excited to announce that I’m a part of it and going to continue to be a part of it and doing it at the top series of what you work your whole life to get to. And going through this process everybody that has followed my career throughout the summer shootout here at CMS to super late models to modifieds to super late models and whatever it was, trying to make the most out of whatever those situations were and I think being in this spot today was a testament to each one of those folks that gave me a shot or gave me a ride whenever there wasn’t any rides to be given or to be had.
“So, I’m just extremely humbled and thankful and always had faith it would work out. Didn’t know when or where or where I would end up, but it’s incredibly humbling to know that this is my family moving forward.”
It’s a busy weekend for Hemric at Charlotte’s ROVAL. In addition to Xfinity Series competition, he’s making his second Cup start of the season for RCR in the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Childress predicted that Hemric could be a surprise for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400.
“He (Hemric) will get his wins,” sounded Childress. And, I think it could happen here Sunday. His No. 8 car is really fast. He’s a great road racer. Don’t be surprised if we’re not sitting here (media center) Sunday afternoon. Write that down.
“We’re going to be trying. We’ve got three good cars out here. We could be here Sunday. That’s our plan. Saturday or Sunday because he’s running in the Saturday race as well and we’ve got three cars in it. Anybody can win this Roval.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
