DOVER, Del. – In his first NASCAR race in just about three years, Drew Herring proved he still has what it takes.
Thanks to JGL Racing’s “Young Guns” program which shines the limelight on a young, energetic and capable talent to drive the team’s No. 24 Toyota Camry, Herring was called upon to showcase his worth in Saturday’s Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
All things considered, the Joe Gibbs Racing employee exceeded the expectations of many with a solid 14th place finish in the 120-lap feature.
Despite being a driver on-call to practice or qualify a XFINITY Series car in case of a prior commitment, Herring hasn’t raced since the season-finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in November 2013. When XFINITY Series practice unleased Friday morning, Herring didn’t seem to miss a beat.
Of course adapting to a new team, crew chief and team members can be a daunting task for anyone, especially for just a one-race deal, but Herring’s humble and appreciative demeanor was contagious and it spoiled over to a successful on-track product.
JGL Racing, while not considered a powerhouse on the NASCAR XFINITY Series tour has strengthen their program tremendously over the last few years – it would have been hard for the Benson, North Carolina native not to turn down one of the handful opportunities laid in his lap.
While consistent in practice, Herring flexed his tone and muscle during knockout qualifying Saturday morning, where during the series’ first session – Herring rocketed his No. 24 JGL Racing Toyota Camry inside the top-five before setting for eighth.
Starting 10th in the first heat, Herring would keep his car clean and finish 11th putting him 21st on the grid for his “Monster Mile” debut.
With only 120 laps to get the job done, Herring pedaled forward and quickly.
Despite periods of long green flag racing at the 1.0-mile track, Herring kept his team informed on the handling of his car – ultimately proving to be the feedback the team needed to stay competitive.
Through it all, even with the leaders setting a horrendously fast pace, Herring only lost one lap which led to a commendable 14th place finish at the sight of the checkered flag.
“Appreciate the opportunity given to me by JGL Racing,” said Herring after the race. “We learned a lot this weekend and continued to make gains up to the checkered flag.”
The 29-year-old added that if not for a mechanical gremlin during the race, his JGL Racing team could have contended for their first top-10 finish of 2016.
“We had clutch issues which hurt us on our two pit stops, otherwise, we would have made a run at a top-10 finish.”
Top-10 or not though, Herring stepped into unchartered waters and performed virtually flawlessly.
While Alex Bowman stole some of the limelight with his impressive return to the race car for the first time in seven months, it didn’t take but a quick glance at the finishing results to notice that Herring too can still get the job done.
Follow Chris Knight @Knighter01.
