Despite slow start, Daniel Hemric has a reason for optimism

To say that Daniel Hemric got off to a slow start in 2024 would be the understatement of the century.

The 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion signed a deal with Kaulig Racing this past offseason to race full-time in the Cup Series for the first time since 2019, where, despite winning Rookie of the Year, he was let go by Richard Childress Racing in favor of Tyler Reddick. 

Many fans and pundits pointed to Hemric’s disastrous rookie season as a warning of things to come, and through the first nine races of the season, they were proven right. After three straight top 20s to start the season, things quickly went downhill, with no finishes above 28th for four straight races. A 20th at Texas was a decent day, but sitting 31st in the standings, the No. 31 team desperately needed a good day at Talladega to have any optimism for the rest of the season. 

Hemric’s season is far from saved, but a ninth-place finish at Talladega gave the No. 31 team some much-needed momentum, and said momentum translated into a second straight ninth-place finish at Dover. 

While Hemric’s ninth-place finish at Dover was mainly due to pit strategy, he and the No. 31 team will take a good finish any way they can. 

A win at Daytona is likely Hemric’s only shot at a playoff berth, but stacking good finishes is more important for him and the No. 31 team than throwing all their eggs in the Daytona basket. 

Even if they were to make the postseason, a playoff-opening win at Atlanta would be his only hope of advancing. While Hemric might not have championship aspirations this year, his future success in the Cup Series — if he gets another year in the Cup Series — will be determined by how he and his race team can bounce back from adversity. So far, they’ve proven that they’re able to. 

Other teams, such as Zane Smith’s No. 71 group, have also gotten off to horrendously slow starts this season, but Smith has shown no indication that he can fight through adversity so far in his rookie season. 

Meanwhile, Hemric has put together three solid race weekends in a row, and a fourth at Kansas would make some folks take notice of a car that has been largely forgotten this season. Hemric has gone up six spots in the points standings following Talladega and Dover and now sits 24th, 97 points out of the 16th and final playoff spot. 

While the equivalent of a “Next Four Out” spot isn’t the optimal spot to be in almost halfway through the regular season, it’s much better than being one of the five worst teams in the Cup Series. 

Hemric won’t be a championship contender in the Cup Series this season, but his ability to put his head down and go to work after a poor start will get him noticed and lauded in the garage area.