Daniel Hemric will be enjoying a promotion in 2019. On Friday, Richard Childress Racing announced he will be replacing Ryan Newman in the team’s #31 Monster Energy Cup Series team. The report was originally broken earlier in the day by various news outlets, including Adam Stern.
“We’ve had our eye on Daniel since he raced with Austin and Ty (Dillon) in Bandolero cars and then into Legends racing,” team owner Richard Childress stated. “We hired him to drive our #21 Xfinity entry in 2017 and our plan was to develop Daniel and move him up to the Cup Series when the time was right. We believe that time is now.”
“Ever since I was a kid growing up in Kannapolis, I followed and rooted for RCR,” Hemric said. “I enjoyed competing against Austin and Ty years ago and we became close friends along the way. My dream has always been to race for championships in the NASCAR Cup Series. I have worked hard to get here and those who know me and have supported me, know I take nothing for granted.”
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Hemric currently races for RCR’s Xfinity Series team in the #21 Chevrolet, whom he joined in 2017 after a two-year stint in the Camping World Truck Series with Brad Keselowski Racing. Although he has yet to win an Xfinity race, he has been consistent, spending much of the season in the top five in points. After the first race of the Xfinity playoffs at Richmond Raceway, he currently sits second in the standings behind Christopher Bell. In 60 career Xfinity starts, he has 33 top tens, 20 top fives, three poles, and a best finish of second on three occasions.
“Daniel has won championships in just about everything he’s raced, and I hope we can add an Xfinity Series title before season’s end,” Childress added. “He battled for the championship right to the end last year. He’s had another strong year in 2018 and will represent RCR well in the Cup Series along with iconic brands including Caterpillar and Chevrolet.”
For the 2018 season, he is running a two-race Cup schedule in a #8 car for RCR. He made his Cup debut at Richmond in the spring, where he finished thirty-second. Hemric will run his second race on Sunday on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
Earlier in September, Newman tweeted his intention to leave RCR after a five-year stint with the organisation, which was followed by signing with Roush Fenway Racing to drive the #6.
“The time has come to take that next step, and I want to thank Richard for believing in me and providing such an amazing opportunity. I also look forward to working together closely with Austin and the #3 team during the 2019 season,” Hemric concluded.
