SPARTA, Ky. – When Daniel Hemric leaves Kentucky Speedway after Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, he won’t be returning home to North Carolina right away.
Instead he’ll be heading to Indiana’s Anderson Speedway, where he’ll take part in his second major asphalt super late model event in less than a week.
After taking part in the Slinger Nationals last Tuesday at Slinger (Wis.) Super Speedway, Hemric will again return to his roots on Monday to take part in the 53rd annual Redbud 400 sanctioned by the ARCA/CRA Super Series.
“I am looking forward to Anderson,” noted Hemric. “The last few weeks I have been going short track racing and not had a chance to go to the NASCAR shop so much. I am fortunate Richard Childress gives me the opportunity to go back short track racing and reconnect with that fan base.”
Hemric is a former winner of the Redbud 400, having won the race at the historic Anderson quarter-mile in 2014. He’ll drive the No. 54 entry fielded by Wimmer Motorsports during Monday’s edition of the race in the hopes of taking home the $15,000 top prize.
“I was fortunate to win the Redbud race in 2014, and the fan base is great there,” said Hemric, a multi-time champion across multiple late model tours prior to his NASCAR career. “It is a race track I love going to, and with the CRA I won the JEGS championship with them in 2012, so it all feels good to go back. Anderson is wild, there probably is not another place like it. Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin may compare, they both have a lot of the same characteristics. They both have the same deal, quarter-mile racetrack, high banked and fast, you barely have enough time to breath, let alone enough time to think. Anybody that runs a pavement late model knows what I am talking about.”
After running two major super late model events in the span of a week, Hemric says he has one other race on his late model schedule this season.
“I want to run some more CRA events this year, but there are just too many conflicts of interest with my Cup schedule,” said Hemric, who is in the midst of his rookie season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. “The CRA group is a great group to race with, a lot of nice people over there. I just like being a part of that series.
“As of right now we just have one bigger race in Wisconsin later in the year. Outside of that I don’t have any more plans for short track racing. Either way, I am going to enjoy it, and enjoy reconnecting with the race fans.”