Daniel Hemric Flips Over Win At Tri-County Motor Speedway
Three Drivers Lock Themselves Into Nationals At Qualifier Event
By Jason Buckley
LegendsNation.com
With the 2008 edition of the Summer Shootout at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (NC) completed, the focus for the Legends racers in the nation turned towards the Legends Nationals, which will take place at Elko Speedway (MN) October 2nd – 4th. With the car count expected to be high, provisional starting spots for the nationals are at a premium.
Daniel Hemric was so happy with his win at Tri-County Motor Speedway that he had to do a backflip off his car. (LN Photo)
This past weekend, Tri-County Motor Speedway held a National Qualifier event, which was expected to bring in a large amount of drivers for the 50-lap race. While 19 did show, it wasn’t enough for officials to run the full distance, cutting the race to 35 laps. After a rain delay pushed the start time of the event back a while, all 35 laps were completed with Pro driver Daniel Hemric edging out fellow Pro racer Steven Ross for the overall race win.
Ross started on the pole with Hemric to his outside. Throughout most of the race it was a Ross-Hemric battle as the two separated themselves from the rest of the pack. It was in the final laps of the race when things got interesting.
“I knew the rain had passed us, so Dan (Dan Snyder) told me to just ride and save our stuff,” said Hemric. “Probably about 10 or 15 laps to go I started putting pressure on him (Ross) to let him know I was there. We had a restart with two to go so I went into one and he got loose. I got a good run on him coming back for the white (flag) and ended up getting the win.”
Ross did his best to keep the top spot throughout the race to the checkered flag, but admitted he didn’t have the fastest car on the track.
“The whole race I had to run a little lower than usual trying to hold him up,” said Ross. “He (Hemric) got by me in the middle of the race and I had to do a crossover move. I was nowhere near being able to pull away and get a comfortable lead. It was a good job by Daniel and his team. It was a good run in our car too.”
Steven Ross was fast on Friday, but not fast enough to hold off Daniel Hemric for the win. (LN Photo)
At the end of the Shootout, the talk in the Pro division was about how physical the driving had gotten on the track. At Tri-County, both Ross and Hemric appreciated each other’s hard-but-clean driving on the track to the finish.
“He (Hemric) raced me clean and it was a good race,” said Ross. “It had to be a good race to watch.”
Hemric agreed.
“He (Ross) ran me clean the whole race and I think I ran him as clean as I could,” added Hemric. “That is just two Pro drivers going for it as hard as we could. I had a fun time racing with him.”
Since Hemric has already earned himself a provisional starting spot in the nationals prior to the race, the provisional goes to the next driver in line that isn’t locked in. That means Ross, with his second-place finish, gave the coveted position to himself for the Nationals in a few months. Even though he had that goal accomplished, he still would have liked to win the race on the track.
“It was close. I was really surprised we lead all the laps we did,” added Ross. “It sucks losing it, but it was good racing.”
HUNTER BLEDSOE SCORES PROVISIONAL AT THE NATIONALS IN SEMI-PRO
Hunter Bledsoe. (LN Photo)
Being the best driver on the track isn’t always the key. It is being in the right position at the right time to score a victory.
Hunter Bledsoe didn’t win the overall race. In fact, he wasn’t even the highest finishing Semi-Pro driver. That honor went to Chad Hackenbracht. Still though, fifth best in the overall race and second in the Semi-Pro ranks earned him a provisional at the Nationals since Hackenbracht was already locked in.
The spot he has now might change his plans as he wasn’t quite sure they were going to make the trip to the Nationals in Minnesota in a few months.
“It feels great. We work hard, so it feels good,” said Bledsoe. “We were not planning on going (to the nationals), but we may. We were thinking about it. We may go now.”
HOYT SPINS, VAN WINGERDEN WINS MASTERS RACE AND NATIONALS PROVISIONAL
Tom Van Wingerden made a rare appearance outside of Lowe's Motor Speedway. It paid off as he won the Masters division. (LN Photo)
In the Masters portion of the National Qualifier, Hoyt Demis led a very small group of drivers that showed to race when he spun his car down the front stretch late in the race. That gave the top spot to Tom Van Wingerden, who went on to be the highest finishing Masters driver in the race.
Van Wingerden, known for his wit and joking manner, ventured a guess as to what happened with Demis that gave him the win.
“Hoyt did not spin out accidentally. He spun out because he wasn’t driving it right because he was scared I was going to pass him,” said Van Wingerden with a chuckle. “I had fun out there. I wish Hoyt was alongside me, but he was behind me. He better start getting used to that.”
Even though he was having a good time after the race knowing he was the first-place Masters driver, Van Wingerden wishes the win and the provisional spot for the Nationals would have happened last year, not this.
“I am going to the Nationals. The bad part is that I am probably going to qualify great this year and I don’t need it (the provisional spot). I wish it would have happened last year. That is when I needed it.”
MECHANICAL WOES DOESN’T DISCOURAGE HEAVLOW IN FIRST RUN WITH LADYGA
Tim Ladyga and Jimmy Heavlow discuss the car before the race. (LN Photo)
After winning the final Semi-Pro race at the Summer Shootout, Jimmy Heavlow decided to switch teams from the Chris Rogers group to Tim Ladyga’s machine. His first outing was at Tri-County Motor Speedway, where he qualified third fastest overall (first amongst the Semi-Pro racers). It looked like his debut in the Ladyga machine was going to be a success, but mechanical issues ended his night early.
“It took me the first couple laps to get in my rhythm, but then I started catching the guys,” said Heavlow. “Then the engine started sputtering. We burned up a wiring harness. If it wasn’t for that we would have ran with the top dogs.”
Some drivers would be upset that their first outing with a new team didn’t turn in the final results they wanted. Instead, Heavlow remained positive about his new venture.
“I can’t thank Tim Ladyga enough. He gave me an awesome car to run tonight. We will be winning races soon.”
PRO BEATTIE AND SEMI-PRO HACKENBRACHT ARGUE OVER SPACE ON THE TRACK
Semi-Pro winner Chad Hackenbracht (right) joined Pro winner Daniel Hemric (left) and Masters winner Tom Van Wingerden (middle) as the trophy winners. (LN Photo)
In a race that seemed fairly calm, the only tempers that flared between two drivers occurred when Kyle Beattie and Chad Hackenbracht argued for space on the track. The two made contact a few times, including an issue as the yellow flag came out, causing ill feelings between the drivers on the track and after the race.
“My perspective is that he is a young racer and I guess he thought he was still at the quarter-mile at the Shootout,” said Beattie. “I never touched him when I passed him; I just waited for him to mess up. The very next corner he whacked me pretty good, so I knew what I was dealing with at that point. After that, every time we got a restart he would hit me so hard that one time he knocked the car out of gear. I had already shifted and when he hit me my hand hit the shifter and it went out of gear. When the yellow came out I lifted at the start-finish line. He was right behind me and didn’t quit pushing me until I was almost in the fence. I had the tires locked up.”
Hackenbracht told his side of the situation.
“He did pass me clean. Just before he got by me on the restart he drilled me, so I figured when we got a caution I would hit him back and so I did going into three,” explained Hackenbracht. “I don’t know.
“We hooked bumpers on the front stretch. I don’t think he realized that is what happened and it wasn’t intentional. Sometimes you have racing incidents like that. I didn’t see the caution since I was right behind him and I was racing for the Semi-Pro win. He locked them down when the caution came out and slid way up, so he got a little mad about that. I think we will be good. I haven’t really seen him, but if I do I will tell him that is what happened. It is just a racing incident.”
