The famed No. 8 will return to the top level of NASCAR for two races with a driver who has his own connection to the man most associated with it.
In a year when NASCAR fans had to say goodbye to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daniel Hemric is going to bring back something that will help everyone remember his racing prime: his No. 8 Chevrolet.
It won’t be exactly the same, as this 8 will be part of Richard Childress Racing — still a team very much associated with the Earnhardt name, of course, as it helped make Dale Sr. a legend — instead of the defunct Dale Earnhardt Inc., and it will sport a different sponsor. But Hemric will indeed drive with Junior’s old number when he makes his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut later this season.
Hemric will drive the third RCR car in two races, at Richmond in April and on the Charlotte Roval in September. Like both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Sr., the 27-year-old Hemric hails from Kannapolis, North Carolina, and his chance to carry on their legacy is not one he takes lightly, according to what he told NASCAR.com.
"I drove by DEI every single day. It was a reminder of this guy, Dale Earnhardt, who grew up in this same town, the same area,” Hemric said. “He went from working in the plant, to short-track racing, to become this sport’s icon and here I am driving by his place every single day. It’s a reminder that if you keep working, what you can have out of life. It was very special to have that right here in my backyard and to know I’m trying to make that same mark in this sport."
Though Hemric is still looking for his first victory in a NASCAR national series, he’s shown the ability to run up toward the front, recording 48 top-10 finishes in 88 starts across the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series. His car won’t have a charter, but considering that full Cup Series fields haven’t been an issue this year, he should make both races without having to worry about his qualifying efforts.
"Richard Childress told me at the beginning of 2017, he said listen, let’s try to build something here, let’s try to make sure we can get you to your goals and let’s try to figure out a way to get you to the top tier of this sport. He’s held true to his word and to everyone who’s backed me and supported me to this point.It’s incredible to know not only do I get to do it once, but I get to do it again back in my hometown in Charlotte later in the fall. It’s unbelievable, a little overwhelming and something I’ve dreamed about my whole life. I’m trying to take it all in."
As for the No. 8, it’s been absent from the Cup Series for nearly a decade, last taking the track for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in 2009 and sadly fading away after just seven races (when it was driven by Aric Almirola). Before that, though, it became one of the more popular rides in all of NASCAR as the iconic Budweiser Chevrolet driven for most of Dale Jr.’s DEI career, and later by Hall of Famer Mark Martin and Almirola with sponsorship from the U.S. Army.
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Hemric will look to add his own name to that legacy in just a few weeks, as his first race behind the wheel of the No. 8 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet will come at the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond on Saturday, April 21.