Coming into Saturday’s U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway, Daniel Hemric had snuck into the top spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series points standings, compiling overall a really good season. Though, without any wins for his team so far, it’s evident that that won’t be enough to satisfy Hemric.
Daniel Hemric loses points lead, looks ahead to rest of season
“That’s the least of my worries right now,” Hemric said. “We have to figure out how to execute a weekend. I made too many mistakes throughout the weekend leading us in the wrong direction to not having a good enough race car to race with.”
Hemric was the first to accept the blame, even when some wouldn’t fault him for trying to make a bold move when he’s almost certainly safe to make the playoffs.
The Kannapolis, NC native currently stands 278 points above the playoff cutoff.
“Ill take the blame for that [move],” Hemric. “I made too many mistakes. At a point it will all take care of itself.”
Hemric had a good run going on Saturday at Iowa, consistently running right inside the top 10. Late in the race, he found himself right in the mix for a top five. Going into the final corner of the race, Hemric tried to force the envelope and get around Kyle Benjamin in third place.
“I was just trying to make too much happen,” Hemric said. “[I] Saw the 18 with a big run on the bottom. I tried to block him, and then last minute, [I] tried to move up and give him some room and I had a bad corner entry.”
Hemric said he got on the brake pedal, locking the rear bakes up, and wheel-hopped into the corner.
“I was hoping the 19 was going to see me,” Hemric said. “I was trying to do all I could to not get into him. As soon as I touched him, it crashed both of us. I hate for those guys, it ruined a good finish for both of us.”
Hemric still salvaged an 11th-place finish, thanks to Christopher Bell’s dominance, as there were only 12 cars on the lead lap during the final overtime segment. Hemric’s focus remains on putting an entire race weekend together and coming out with that elusive win.
Still Looking For The Elusive Win
“It’s all the same stuff,” Hemric said. “Just trying to put weekends together and trying to figure out what we’ve got to hit on to get to victory lane. If not, we’ll keep doing what we did to get up to that point. I know this team is capable of winning races and that’s what they deserve.”
With no cup regulars racing at Iowa on Saturday, it gave fans a look at what the championship race could feature. That raises the question if this No. 21 team can win a championship.
“Not with me doing things like I did today,” Hemric said. “[Finding] yourself in the right situation at the right time, that’s what the sports all about, especially with the format what it is.”
With the rule that doesn’t allow cup regulars to race in the Xfinity Series for the playoff races, that makes that quote even truer. Anything can happen when the playoffs roll around. Hemric seems to know that better than anybody, and he’s putting it all on himself to find victory lane and try to earn that championship.
“I’ve got to do a little better job on my part and we’ll have a shot,” Hemric said.
Playoff Grid
Seven races until Playoffs
1. Christopher Bell (4 wins)
2. Justin Allgaier (2 wins*)
3. Tyler Reddick (1 win)
4. Elliott Sadler +285
5. Cole Custer +283
6. Daniel Hemric +278
7. Brandon Jones +178
8. Ryan Truex +131
9. Matt Tifft +103
10. Austin Cindric +83
11. Ryan Reed +55
12. Ross Chastain +1
Playoff Cutoff
13. John Hunter Nemechek, -1
14. Michael Annett -40
15. Ryan Sieg -66
*Driver has two wins, but only one can be used for the playoffs.
Top five overall points standings
1. Christopher Bell 702
2. Elliott Sadler -16
3. Cole Custer -18
4. Daniel Hemric -23
5. Justin Allgaier -52
MAIN PHOTO:
Embed from Getty Images
