Daniel Hemric Bio
Daniel Brian Hemric, born on January 27, 1991, in Kannapolis, North Carolina, is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is best known for winning the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with Joe Gibbs Racing, a victory that also served as the first NASCAR national-series win of his career. Hemric has competed across all three of NASCAR’s national touring divisions, and he currently races full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado RST for McAnally–Hilgemann Racing.
Early Life and Background
Hemric grew up in Kannapolis, North Carolina, a region with deep ties to stock car racing. He is the son of Brian Hemric and Christi Hemric, who supported his early interest in motorsports. From a very young age, Hemric showed a clear passion for racing and began competing before he was old enough to drive on public roads.
He started his career at the age of five, racing go-karts at the 1/5-mile Concord Speedway in North Carolina. Hemric won eleven races and a track championship at the Concord facility before moving up to Bandolero cars five years later. During that period, he adopted the backflip celebration made famous by driver Carl Edwards, a tradition that has since become a recognizable part of his on-track persona.
At sixteen, Hemric transitioned to Legends cars, and in 2008 he won his home track’s Pro championship as well as the first of two consecutive Legends Pro national championships. The following year, he amassed nearly sixty wins in just under eighty starts and secured a second national Legends Pro title, along with a Summer Shootout Series championship. In 2010, he captured the inaugural Legends Million at Charlotte Motor Speedway, earning $250,000 in what was the largest single payday in Legends car history at the time.
Path to NASCAR
After dominating the short-track ranks, Hemric began climbing the ladder toward NASCAR’s national series. He made his first late-model start in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour late in 2010, and over the next three years he ran selected Modified Tour events while building a strong resume in late-model competition. In 2012, he won the Champion Racing Association JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour championship, scoring eight victories in the process.
Hemric added two more major titles in 2013, winning both the Southern Super Series and the Blizzard Series late-model championships, the former decided by a single point over Bubba Pollard. That same year, he made his NASCAR national-series debut at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 6 Chevrolet for Sharp Gallaher Racing. He continued to balance Truck Series starts with full late-model schedules, including a 2014 RedBud 300 victory, and announced a full-time Truck Series ride with NTS Motorsports for 2015.
Daniel Hemric Career
Early Career (2013-2014)
Hemric’s earliest national-series starts came in 2013 and 2014 while he was still primarily a late-model racer. He made his Truck Series debut at Martinsville in October 2013, finishing 32nd after early issues, and added a 13th-place run at Phoenix International Raceway later that fall. In 2014, he made another Truck start for NTS Motorsports at Homestead-Miami Speedway, posting a strong 12th-place finish that hinted at his potential as a full-time competitor.
During this developmental phase, Hemric also continued to pile up accomplishments on the late-model circuit. He captured the 2013 Southern Super Series and Blizzard Series titles and won the 2014 RedBud 300, one of the most prestigious short-track events in the country. These results helped him secure a full-time Truck Series opportunity for the 2015 season.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Breakthrough (2015-2016)
In 2015, Hemric moved to NTS Motorsports to run a full Truck Series schedule for the first time, driving the No. 14 California Clean Power Chevrolet Silverado. He earned a best finish of fourth at Dover International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and he climbed as high as fifth in the championship standings before finishing the year seventh overall. He was a contender for the 2015 NASCAR Rookie of the Year title.
For 2016, Hemric joined Brad Keselowski Racing and piloted the No. 19 Ford F-Series. He opened the year with an eighth-place run at Daytona and went on to collect seventeen top-five finishes, although he was unable to break through for a victory. Despite the lack of wins, he earned a spot in the Truck Series Chase as the highest-ranked non-winner in the standings. He returned to the Truck Series briefly in 2018 with a one-off start at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Young’s Motorsports, finishing 21st.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2017-2021)
On September 17, 2016, Richard Childress Racing announced that Hemric would move to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2017, and he joined the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro program. He debuted at the 2017 PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona, finishing 31st after an early crash, but rebounded the next week at Atlanta with a ninth-place result, his first Xfinity top-ten. He won the Dash 4 Cash at Bristol, scored his first career pole at Richmond, and earned a runner-up finish at Mid-Ohio, the best of his rookie year. He reached the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway as the only non-JR Motorsports driver but fell to 34th after battery issues, finishing the year fourth in the points standings.
After a one-year stint as a Cup driver, Hemric returned to the Xfinity Series in 2020 with JR Motorsports in the No. 8, sharing the car with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeb Burton across a 21-race schedule and recording 12 top-ten finishes. In 2021, he joined Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota, and despite going winless in the regular season, his consistency carried him into the Championship 4 alongside Austin Cindric, A. J. Allmendinger, and Noah Gragson. At Phoenix Raceway on November 6, 2021, Hemric made a last-lap, overtime pass of Cindric to take both his first NASCAR national-series victory and the 2021 Xfinity Series championship. His ten prior runner-up finishes in the series tied him with Dale Jarrett for the most in Xfinity history at the time.
NASCAR Cup Series (2018-2024)
Hemric made his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut at the 2018 Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond, qualifying 22nd and finishing 32nd, three laps down. On September 28, 2018, Richard Childress Racing announced he would drive the No. 31 Chevrolet full-time in 2019, but a later change moved him to the No. 8 car for the season. He opened 2019 with a special gold paint scheme celebrating RCR’s 50th Anniversary at the Daytona 500, earned his first career Busch Pole Award at Kansas in October, and finished 25th in the final standings. He was named the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year.
RCR released Hemric at the end of 2019, and he spent the next two years focused on the Xfinity Series. In 2022, he drove the Kaulig Racing No. 16 part-time in the Cup Series, posting a 12th-place finish at the Daytona 500, and he filled in for Ty Gibbs in the No. 23 car at the 2022 Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix after the death of Coy Gibbs. On September 15, 2023, Kaulig Racing announced that Hemric would return to full-time Cup competition in 2024, driving the No. 31 Chevrolet, and he finished the year 29th in the standings.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Era (2025-Present)
On November 20, 2024, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing announced that Hemric would return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series full-time in 2025, taking over the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado RST from Christian Eckes, who moved to Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity program. He opened the 2025 Truck Series season with a seventh-place finish at Daytona, then scored his first career Truck Series victory at Martinsville, passing teammate Tyler Ankrum with three laps to go in the Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hemric is widely regarded as a patient, consistency-first racer whose strengths shine in long runs and on intermediate tracks. He pairs careful tire management with sharp strategic calls from his crew chiefs, and he is known for producing steady top-ten finishes even when raw speed is not his strongest suit. His late-race patience was on full display at Phoenix in 2021, when he waited for the right moment to make his championship-winning pass.
Notable Races and Milestones
His career is defined by a handful of signature moments: the 2021 Xfinity Series championship-winning pass at Phoenix, his first Busch Pole Award at Kansas in 2019, the inaugural Legends Million win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2010, and his first Truck Series victory at Martinsville in 2025. Memorable setbacks, including a frightening airborne crash at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2023, have also shaped his reputation for resilience.
Daniel Hemric Career Wins
Daniel Hemric’s verified NASCAR national-series victory total includes one NASCAR Xfinity Series win and one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, earned in the 2021 and 2025 seasons, respectively. His Xfinity win doubled as the 2021 series championship, while his Truck win came at Martinsville, one of the most historic venues on the schedule.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
Hemric has 105 top-ten finishes and 7 poles in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with his lone win coming in the 2021 Championship Race at Phoenix. That victory capped a remarkable run of ten runner-up finishes and secured the 2021 Xfinity Series title for both him and Joe Gibbs Racing. His best regular-season finish was a runner-up at Mid-Ohio in 2017.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the Xfinity Series, Hemric has piled up a long list of short-track and late-model titles, including the 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour championship, the 2013 Southern Super Series and Blizzard Series titles, the 2014 RedBud 300, and the 2015 All American 400. He has also recorded 50 top-ten finishes and 1 pole in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series across his career.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | 1 | 105 | 7 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 1 | 50 | 0 |
Daniel Hemric Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Hemric is the son of Brian Hemric and Christi Hemric, and he grew up in the racing-rich environment of Kannapolis, North Carolina. His parents supported his early go-kart racing at Concord Speedway, which laid the foundation for his career in motorsports.
Personal Life
Hemric became engaged to fellow racer Kenzie Ruston on July 28, 2015, and the couple married on January 7, 2017. They welcomed a daughter on May 9, 2020, and a son on December 23, 2022. On September 4, 2019, Hemric established the Daniel Hemric Be the Change Scholarship at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, an annual award that supports qualifying students studying motorsports, welding, or mechanical engineering.
2025 Season Performance
Hemric’s 2025 season has centered on his return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado RST. After opening the year with a seventh-place finish at Daytona, he quickly established himself as a regular contender near the front of the field. He currently sits ninth in the Truck Series standings.
The defining moment of the campaign came at Martinsville, where he captured his first career Truck Series victory by passing teammate Tyler Ankrum with three laps to go in the Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200. The win signaled that Hemric and the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing program have quickly built a competitive rhythm together.
Looking ahead, Hemric is positioned to be a factor in the Truck Series playoffs, with momentum on his side and a championship-caliber team behind him. Continued steady finishes, paired with the speed he has shown in the early rounds, should keep him in the mix for the 2025 Truck Series title fight.
