Daniel Hemric picks up 1st NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win of career
During the week before Friday night's Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200 at Martinsville Speedway, Daniel Hemric practiced his back flip.
It was the signature move he had been able to use just once in NASCAR national series competition -- when he won the 2021 season finale at Phoenix Raceway to clinch the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
But on Friday, the 34-year-old from Kannapolis, N.C., had a chance to perform the celebratory move once again, after capitalizing on the misfortunes of others -- notably series leader Corey Heim -- to win the first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race of his career.
Hemric even stuck the landing, reveling in the race win that earned him a coveted grandfather clock trophy and a $50,000 Triple Truck Challenge bonus as the highest-finishing series regular.
Daniel Hemric celebrates in victory lane. AFP
"It's a funny thing, because my wife asked me a couple weeks ago if I was not too old to do it," Hemric said of the back flip. "I practiced once last week in the backyard and did a back flip on solid ground.
"I thought, 'The old man's still got it,' and I proved that tonight."
Hemric needed help to win the second national series race of his career. Heim won the first two stages and led a race-high 149 of 200 laps, but side-to-side contact with Kaden Honeycutt's Chevrolet after a Lap 166 restart cut Heim's left-rear tire and sent his No. 11 Toyota to pit road for fresh rubber.
Honeycutt inherited the lead, but on Lap 187, the Ford of Ty Majeski broke loose under Honeycutt's Silverado as the two drivers were battling for the lead, and both trucks spun into the outside wall.
That put Tyler Ankrum, Hemric's McAnally-Hilgemann Racing teammate, at the front of the field, but with four laps left, Hemric used his bumper to dive underneath Ankrum's truck, made the pass for the lead and pulled away to win by 0.544 seconds.
Daniel Hemric gestures after winning the NASCAR series. AFP
"Congratulations to Daniel -- I can't think of a nicer guy to win," Ankrum said. "Yeah, he gave me the bumper, but you're going to do that at Martinsville. I honestly would much rather have a teammate give me the bumper for the win, so we can just get a win for MHR."
Jake Garcia finished third, followed by Chandler Smith and Ben Rhodes. Heim rallied to finish sixth after the tire change but fell short in his attempt to win in Toyota's 500th race in the series.
"I feel like we got used up a little bit there," Heim said of the contact with Honeycutt. "I don't think he intended to cut my left rear down. I think if he had wanted to do that, he would have just wrecked me as it is...
"I just needed a better restart, I guess."
It was the second straight week of frustration for Heim, who won the first two stages at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Mar. 21 before losing power in the late going and finishing third.
Heim nevertheless retains the series lead by 20 points over Majeski.
Associated Press
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