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Kaulig Racing announced their big surprise signing for 2024, and it is…..Daniel Hemric. Yeah, many on social media considered this a bit of a letdown, although some were excited to see Hemric get another chance at the Cup Series. Did Kaulig make the right decision?
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Daniel Hemric was always a candidate to land the #31 car because he is in the Kaulig Racing ecosystem. He races for them in the Xfinity Series, and he has made the Xfinity Series Playoffs on points both years he has been at Kaulig. He is also a former Xfinity Series Champion with a year of full-time Cup Series experience.
As a result, it makes sense to at least consider him for the ride, and signing him also makes sense when considering who else was available for the ride. Chandler Smith won a race this year in Xfinity, but he is still very young. Carson Hocever is an idea as a Chevy driver, but he is also very young with no Xfinity Series experience.
Zane Smith could have been an option, but he currently drives for Ford. Hemric may not have been the flashy pick, but he was a safe pick. He may not win a lot of races, but he is a consistently solid driver in the Xfinity Series, which is what Kaulig Racing needs at the moment.
Daniel Hemric is not a flashy pick, and he is that way for a reason. His Xfinity Series Championship in 2021 is the only race win he has had in NASCAR’s three major divisions. He has never won a race in the Truck Series or the Cup Series, and he has only won that one race in the Xfinity Series.
To be honest, that is all there is to know about Daniel Hemric. He is a pretty ho-hum driver. He is a serviceable driver who can finish well, bring the car home in one piece, and potentially compete for a win on a lucky day.
It seems that was not what people were hoping for something a bit more flashy with this move. The issue is that Hemric has not been exactly incredible in pretty much any of the rides he has been in. At best, this looks like a lateral move from Haley to Hemric.
It’s not exactly an upgrade, and that can be evidenced by his Cup Series stats. He only has three top-10 finishes in 47 races. He is a decent driver, but he is not much more than that.
He does not necessarily move the needle forward for Kaulig Racing. He does not exactly move it backward either. It just keeps Kaulig in the exact same spot that they are now.
It seems that Hemric being signed by Kaulig in the Cup Series makes some sense, but it does not seem like a major upgrade. Ultimately time will tell.
