Daniel Hemric 2017 Season Recap

Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, finished fourth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. Here are a few of his highlights from 2017.

Before getting on track with his new RCR team, Hemric and longtime girlfriend Kenzie Ruston took care of some important business in early January.

Hemric earned the second $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus offered during the season by besting Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier and teammate Brendan Gaughan with a fifth-place finish at Bristol.

For a rookie, Hemric's numbers were quite impressive. Despite three DNFs, Hemric earned an average finish of 13.2 with 16 top-10 finishes while completing 96 percent of the laps run.

A victory was elusive, but Hemric did earn the Coors Light Pole Award for the April race at Richmond. He finished third.

Hemric's stock rose throughout the fall. Consistency pushed him to the Championship 4, and it was during this run he also tested a Cup car for RCR at the Charlotte road course and filled in at Kansas and Texas during practice sessions for Paul Menard, who was on baby watch.

Unfortunately, the season ended in heartbreak. Hemric led the championship battle early in Miami but electrical issues took him out of contention. He will return for another shot next season.