NASCAR: Daniel Hemric eyeing full-time Cup return?

While Daniel Hemric has enjoyed his time in the NASCAR Cup Series this year, he isn’t necessarily eyeing a return to full-time competition.

Daniel Hemric moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to Kaulig Racing after winning the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, and his deal with the latter included several Cup Series starts behind the wheel of the #16 Chevrolet.

The #16 Chevrolet has been split between Hemric, Xfinity Series teammate A.J. Allmendinger, and Noah Gragson throughout the 2022 season. Hemric made his eighth and final start of the year in a CELSIUS-sponsored Camaro ZL1 this past Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway in the YellaWood 500.

Hemric has experience as a full-time Cup Series driver, having driven for Richard Childress Racing in 2019 before he was replaced by Tyler Reddick. Ironically, Reddick is the only driver in Xfinity Series history to win the title in back-to-back seasons for two different teams, which is what Hemric is trying to do.

But while he would love to get back to full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition, Daniel Hemric is content with wherever Kaulig Racing want him to be.

“For me, I’m always one just to be competitive, no matter what level it’s at, whether it’s racing go-karts or wheelbarrows or whatever,” Hemric told Beyond the Flag. “You just want to be competitive and have a chance to win and run at the highest level possible. Obviously, my switch was made to Kaulig Racing with not only the views that we share currently today, but what we saw long-term.

“Knowing some insight on where Kaulig Racing wanted to be as a Cup organization and as a race team as a whole, many years down the road, was something that I for sure wanted to be a part of. It was at the time of my Xfinity deal when I found out from [team owner] Matt Kaulig and [team president] Chris Rice that they wanted to have me jump in the Cup car and run the #16 on occasion throughout the season.

“I was super thankful to get that opportunity and for sure would love to be at the Cup level one day, when the timing is right, whether that be for myself or for Kaulig Racing, or whenever that opportunity is there.

“But until then, I’ll do whatever Kaulig Racing asks of me. I’m enjoying this ride and enjoying driving for an owner who just loves to compete and do it at a high level no matter what he’s doing. I’m thankful for that, thankful for the chance.”

Kaulig Racing are set to make an official Cup Series driver announcement this week, but it is expected that Allmendinger is going to be named the full-time driver of the #16 Chevrolet for next year. Justin Haley currently drives the team’s #31 Chevrolet full-time.

Daniel Hemric does believe that adding several NASCAR Cup Series starts to his schedule for 2022 has benefited him on the Xfinity Series side.

“Without a doubt, especially when you have good runs,” he stated. “I look back at the beginning of the season when this Nex Gen car was brand new, fresh for everyone, the teams were all on probably the most equal playing field that the sport has seen in 50 years.

“For us to leave Daytona with a top 15 finish and then go to Fontana, where as a driver everyone talks about how it’s a drivers’ race track, and tires are falling off and this car was brand new and nobody knew how to get them to drive great — and we go there, and we broke a shifter on pit road after qualifying inside the top five for a Cup event; that’s not a small feat from a racing perspective.”

After finishing in 12th place in the season-opening Daytona 500, he placed a season-best ninth at Auto Club Speedway, despite falling six laps off the lead lap early.

“We broke a shifter on pit road the first stop and were able to battle back – get six laps back – and run top 10,” he continued. “I remember coming out of that event thinking, ‘I can do this, I can do it at this level,’ and that I think put me to even a different level of confidence that I’ve been able to carry. Obviously, confidence has wavered at times this year with the kind of rough patches we’ve had on the Xfinity side.

“But being able to prove to yourself you can do it at that level and continue to do it, that never hurts your confidence. I look forward to hopefully having more down the road at some point, but for now, I’m just enjoying the ride and the opportunity I’ve been given through Kaulig Racing, and I’m thankful for that ride for sure.”

Sharing the #16 Chevrolet with two other drivers has proven beneficial for Daniel Hemric and for Kaulig Racing as a whole thus far.

“We’ve all definitely competed at different styles of race tracks, but I feel like myself and A.J., and then even the races Noah has run, I think having three different drivers in these cars — I was able to run a mile-and-a-half, I think the only thing I haven’t run is a road course and a short track in that car this year — but I think from the team’s perspective, having three of us in that car has been an opportunity to build different data points and whatnot, not only of different drivers but the car itself,” he stated.

“That’s what that #16 has been all about. How can we kind of expedite the process of changes and what does what within the race team, within that new car, and how can that help our full-time car and driver in Justin Haley and that #31 team and [crew chief] Trent Owens leading that group?

“Anything we can do within the split car to help them is great. It’s been all about gaining data and trying to learn. If we’re doing it with one car, there’s no way we would have gained the knowledge and whatnot we have by doing it with two cars. It’s been fun to be a part of that process and lean on one another as we do it.”