Kaulig Racing announced that Daniel Hemric would be returning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the No. 11 Chevy in a press conference Sunday morning (Oct. 9) at Charlotte Motor Speedway
The announcement comes just one day after Hemric was eliminated from the Xfinity Series playoffs. Hemric won the Xfinity Series championship last year with Joe Gibbs Racing, but so far has gone winless this season.
Hemric’s teammate, AJ Allmendinger, is going back to the NASCAR Cup series full-time next season. Now with an open seat, Kaulig has added some much needed stability in the re-signing of Hemric.
“Kaulig Racing has welcomed me with open arms and I’m excited about the future we’re building together,” Hemric said in a press release. “I believe in Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice’s vision for this team, and know we’ve got some unfinished business to take care of next year. 2023 starts today.”
HE'S BACK.@DanielHemric will return to No. 11 Chevrolet in 2023! 🙌#TrophyHunting pic.twitter.com/aVia3fGbTE
— Kaulig Racing (@KauligRacing) October 9, 2022
Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice knows full well that 2022 was not the year the Hemric camp had hoped for, but he still believes there is a way forward, and this is a step in that direction.
“We think Daniel has had a year that has probably been trying … it’s not where everyone wants to be, but we don’t take that lightly. We know as a race team, we’ve got to be better,” said Rice.
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s OnSI Network, a contributor for multiple automotive news outlets, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host, and a PhD. student at a premier college of media and mass communication. Tanner began working with Frontstretch in 2022, covering the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Hemric is a mid pack racer, has been his whole career. He only won his Xfinity championship by punting Cindric out of the way.