BRISTOL, Tenn. – In the final race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season, Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric was 37 points about the cut line and needed to protect that advantage while trying to win Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
At the drop of the green flag, the Kannapolis, N.C. native would start eighth. With a strategy in the first two opening stages to attack and attract as many stage points as possible, Hemric would try and protect his buffer.
Despite an ill-handling car, where Hemric reported that his “balance is terrible”, he would be able to hover inside the top-10 and finish eighth at the end of Stage 1, collecting two points.
Heading into Stage 2, Hemric would get four new tires, fuel and an air adjustment and would restart in the 14th position in Stage 2.
Hemric would continue to battle with his loose race car and would hover around the 14tth position until a mid-stage accident.
After pit stops during the caution, adjustments made to the car seemed to help improve the handling of the car and once again Hemric would end Stage 2 in eighth and collecting four stage points total heading for the sprint to the finish.
The No. 11 AG1- Athletics Green Chevrolet Camaro would come to pit road once again for tires, fuel and an air adjustment and Hemric would return to track in the ninth position only to see the power steering begin to fail, losing all of it’s fluid and sliding the 11 car backwards through the field in 22nd when the caution waved on Lap 272.
On the restart with less than 30 laps to go, Hemric would try to regain the track position he lost without tearing up his race car.
He advanced a couple positions on the restart and took the checkered flag in 20th.
“We had a leak somewhere in the system,” said Hemric after the race. “With 15 to go that cost me. It took a whole bottle and a half of power steering fluid to get the power steering back so obviously we have to execute better on that.
“In the Playoffs, we can’t have issues like that so thankfully we are a part of that.
“Huge thank you to Kaulig Racing, Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice for the opportunity to be here. We have a lot of work to do to get this No. 11 AG1 Camaro, number 11 team to be championship contenders we are here to fight and continue to fight.
“We are going to come out swinging no different than we did tonight.”
The Xfinity Series Playoff opener begins at Texas Motor Speedway on Sept. 24, 2022, at 3:30 pm. ET for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300.
Follow Grace Krenrich on Twitter @Grace3140.
