The grid for the inaugural Chase for the Camping World Truck Series Championship is set, and Brad Keselowski Racing driver Daniel Hemric is able to take part of the historic class.
“It’s an honor to finally be locked into the first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase,” he said on advancing to the playoffs.
Hemric started the night at Chicagoland Speedway seventh in the Chase grid, and ended the night there as one of two winless drivers in the postseason. Even though Daniel hasn’t parked in Victory Lane yet this year, his consistency has been nothing but spectacular this season. After rattling off three third place finishes, he moved one step closer to that elusive win with career-best second place result at Chicago. All of this added up to a tie for the regular-season points with five-time winner William Byron.
Hemric started the American Ethanol E15 225 from 10th, but along with veteran crew chief Chad Kendrick, the duo methodically worked through the field and placed themselves in position to contend for a victory. The BKR duo ultimately came up short, as defending Sprint Cup Champion Kyle Busch claimed the win, but it was yet another strong showing for the No. 19 team.
“I’m proud of everyone on my Draw-Tite Ford F-150 team, both today and the entire season leading up to this point.”
His NCWTS performance this year has been so strong, Hemric caught the eye of legendary car owner Richard Childress, who signed the 25-year-old North Carolina native to his XFINITY Series program for the 2017 season. While Truck owner Brad Keselowski just lost what he called a potential Cup superstar, he’s still excited for the future of the young driver.
“We are very happy for Daniel and I’m really proud of what he’s accomplished with Brad Keselowski Racing in 2016,” Brad said. “One of the things we wanted to do at BKR is give talented young drivers an opportunity to take the next step in their career. He has proven to me that he’s capable of being an elite level guy at the top of this sport. We hope to finish off this season with our first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.”
Looking toward the task at hand, Hemric is excited at the prospect of walking away from BKR, and delivering the first championship to the growing race team. After watching the Chase carry out in the Cup Series, the No. 19 Draw-Tite team immediately had a plan for making the NCWTS Chase, and they’ve executed it to perfection.
“As soon as it was announced that it would be implemented in our series, we knew we had to go to work and make the most out of every weekend. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that we haven’t won any races up to this point, but I promise you, as a group, we were able to buckle down and make the most of every race. That’s how we found ourselves in position with a shot to battle for a title. Now that we solidly have ourselves in the Chase, we can go after this championship.”
Once the Round of 8 starts in New Hampshire next weekend, he’ll be at a 15 point deficit to Byron with his five victories. From there the No. 19 team will also compete at Las Vegas, and the wild card elimination race at Talladega to set the Round of 6.
“It’s been a good year and a testament to Brad Keselowski and his guys. I’m very proud of it,” Hemric said. “Now we just have to maximize points – and we’ll be dangerous in the Chase.”