MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY MEDIA DAY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 13, 2019
DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 BASS PRO SHOPS/CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1, met with members of the media at Daytona 500 media day to discuss this year’s rookie class, his qualifying performance, the 50th year of Richard Childress Racing and other topics. Selected Quotes:
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS ROOKIE CLASS?
“I feel like it’s one of the better campaigns we’ve had in our sport. I’m excited to go to battle week in and week out with these guys, and it’s a group I have a ton of respect for; I know their past and their journeys. We have incredible opportunities in front of us, and we all look forward to taking advantage of it.
“For me, being able to carry that title (Rookie of the Year) goes so far, considering the people who have won it in the past. I’ve fallen one spot short in each class. In the grand scheme of things, I’ve always had to compete against good people for the Rookie of the Year. I’m looking forward to doing it again.”
DID YOU SURPRISE YOURSELF WITH YOUR QUALIFYING EFFORT?
“Absolutely. We didn’t get to do a full qualifying run on practice day, so I didn’t know what to expect. I asked Luke (Lambert, crew chief) what we were going to run and he said he didn’t have a good idea either. I saw my teammate Austin Dillon go top of the board early, and he went a good bit faster than what we expected our cars to run. It gave me some confidence that we could lock ourselves into the second round and have a shot. And then we went on to qualify fifth. We were incredibly proud because there’s so much effort that goes into building this race cars in the offseason between ECR, Chevrolet and RCR. This is our biggest event and you want to come down here and have speed. I know it’s early in the week by the time you qualify but it does give you momentum rolling into this week.”
HOW WILL THAT STRAIGHT-LINE SPEED WILL TRANSLATE IN THE DRAFT?
“It’s something that’s to be determined for me. I’ve never driven these cars in a big, big pack. So Luke’s leadership has given me the race-ability in our race cars once we do get in the pack. When we run the 150s, it’s going to be something where we’re going to have more grip and the track is going to be cooler. Your handling issues may not show up quite as quick, but by the time the sun comes out Sunday you’re going to have to have yourself driving good. He’s been beating that in my head pretty early on in the off season to make sure we’re prepared and know what we need for the draft.”
WHAT WILL BE THE MOMENT WHEN IT SETS IN THAT YOU’RE IN THE DAYTONA 500?
“Probably the National Anthem. There’s something about that feel when you have tons of people around you but you see your group that’s stood behind you the entire time – between family and friends and car owners and a lot of other people. You get to share that moment together and it’s because of those folks that I get to be here today. The good thing is that we get to strap in the race cars quickly after that so we can get down to business.”
IN RCR’S 50TH YEAR, WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO BRING A WIN IN THIS RACE?
“That would be a fairy tale for sure. Fifty years is an incredible journey that Richard and Judy Childress have committed to our sport. To be in one of their race cars and knowing the history that comes with carrying the Richard Childress Racing logo is incredible in itself. We’re here and we have as good a shot as anybody, so we’ll go out swinging.”
HOW DO YOU MINIMIZE THE DISTRACTIONS AROUND THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PLANNED FOR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY?
“It’s been fun for us. We get to talk about new stuff, talk about some of the older stuff that has made us who we are at RCR. It’s part of a culture and legacy that we’ve been able to learn the history of over time. You get to hear the older stories from guys like show car hauler drivers who were on the pit crew with Dale Earnhardt and those memories. It’s been fun for myself, Austin and all our drivers. It makes us respect even more what those guys have done and what those 50 years have meant to our sport. I look forward to carrying that banner.”
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