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The defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion is not happy. Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric has blasted his “garbage” output and set the stage for a late-season rebuild.
“My execution this year is at an all time low. My @KauligRacing team doesn’t deserve the garbage I’m giving them to work with week in & week out,” Hemric tweeted on July 30. “It’s on my shoulders, I’ll take it. Just want you all to know I acknowledge it, I own it….The rebuild process begins.”
The driver of the No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro made the strong comments after the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that teammate AJ Allmendinger won. He finished 22nd in the road course race after dealing with some struggles, including a speeding penalty.
This outing marked Hemric’s third run outside of the top 20 in the past five weeks. This stretch also includes a 35th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after a crash on Lap 105.
Hemric has only posted eight top-10 finishes in his first season with Kaulig Racing. This puts him on pace for only 13 in 33 races, which would be the fewest since he secured 12 in 2020 while running a part-time schedule for JR Motorsports.
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Hemric Remains Above the Playoff Cutline After 20 Races
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GettyThe Xfinity Series will feature some exciting changes in 2022.
While the defending champion is not happy with his performance, he remains within reach of an important goal. He is above the playoff cutline with six races remaining in the Xfinity Series regular season, so he is relatively safe.
Hemric is 10th in the championship standings with 512 points. He is 35 points ahead of teammate Landon Cassill and 41 points ahead of Ryan Sieg, who holds the final transfer spot. Sheldon Creed is the first driver below the cutline with 421 points.
This points advantage doesn’t mean that Hemric will automatically make the playoffs. Three new winners would knock him below the cutline and put Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst in the final transfer spot. The only ways for Hemric to avoid this outcome are to either win and lock himself into the playoffs or to start piling up top-10s and top-fives.
Hemric Has Previous Strong Performances at Upcoming Tracks
GettyDaniel Hemric will pursue more top-five finishes in the remaining regular-season races.
Hemric has his eyes set on a rebuild, and he has six more regular-season races in which to achieve this goal. The next event on the schedule is at Michigan International Speedway on August 6, a track where Hemric has three previous starts with a runner-up finish in 2018.
The schedule also includes Watkins Glen International (August 20), Daytona International Speedway (August 26), Darlington Raceway (September 3), Kansas Speedway (September 10), and Bristol Motor Speedway (September 16).
Hemric has previous strong performances at the remaining tracks. He has two career top-five finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway, one at Daytona International Speedway, one at Darlington Raceway, and two at Kansas Speedway. He also has 16 combined top-10 finishes at the remaining regular-season tracks.
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