Saturday Chicagoland Notebook

Notebook Items:
- Daniel Hemric signs NASCAR XFINITY Series deal with RCR
- Logano feels concept of encumbered wins was necessary
- Short Strokes

September 17, 2016

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
Daniel Hemric signs NASCAR XFINITY Series deal with RCR


JOLIET, Ill. – Daniel Hemric, who qualified for the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase in the No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford on Friday night, will drive full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet next season, RCR announced Saturday.

Hemric’s sponsor, crew chief and car number will be named at a later date.

"This is such a great opportunity for me," said Hemric. "There aren't words that can describe what racing for RCR means to me, especially considering everything they have done as an organization for our sport. I'm excited to now officially be a small part of the company and am looking forward to working with everyone in Welcome, North Carolina.

“We will hit the ground running in February at Daytona. With all the talent and experience RCR has in the XFINITY Series, I'm confident we can compete for wins and contend for the championship."

Brad Keselowski, Hemric’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team owner, wished his driver well in his new venture.

“We are very happy for Daniel, and I'm really proud of what he's accomplished with Brad Keselowski Racing in 2016," Keselowski said.  "One of the things we wanted to do at BKR is give talented young drivers an opportunity to take the next step in their career.

“He has proven to me that he's capable of being an elite level guy at the top of this sport. We hope to finish off this season with our first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship."

LOGANO FEELS CONCEPT OF ENCUMBERED WINS WAS NECESSARY

It’s akin to creating something you hope you never have to use.

Heading into the Chase, NASCAR’s codification of the rules governing laser inspection station failures and lug nut infractions has been met with a favorable response among competitors who rely on a level playing field to determine the championship.

Earlier this week, NASCAR clarified the concept of an encumbered victory, where a driver would keep the trophy but would lose the other accompanying benefits of a win. In other words, with an encumbered victory, a driver would not advance automatically to the next round of the Chase.

The idea is to take the “reward” out of a risk/reward equation where the “risk” involves a blatant infraction of the rules to gain a competitive advantage.

“It’s a rule that had to be made,” said Team Penske driver Joey Logano. “In my opinion, if you are in a do-or-die situation, you can hammer down and screw your stuff up, and if the penalty is 15 points and $50,000, well then I got the win and I’m moving on. You have to do something that takes the next round berth away.

“Unless we’re just going to have the wild, wild West and have stuff sideways and take the penalty. NASCAR had to do something about it. That was something that was talked about through a lot of the (drivers’) council meetings, and everyone came up with a plan for what they felt was acceptable and what they felt was not acceptable, and NASCAR has done a good job of laying down that rule.

“They had to make the rule, for sure.”

SHORT STROKES

Kyle Larson led final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice with a lap at 183.299 mph, followed by Sunoco rookie Chase Elliott at 182.883 mph. But Jimmie Johnson continued to dominate the fastest 10-lap average category, running 179.687 mph on his first through 10th laps. Elliott was second to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate in 10-lap average at 178.724 mph.