Hemric, who won his first series race in the championship finale last year at Phoenix, was one of four drivers eliminated from the 2022 playoffs following an eventful cutoff race Saturday at the Charlotte Roval.
Hemric entered Saturday’s race in a difficult position, sitting six points below the transfer line to advance to the semifinal round.
He started third in the race but fell into trouble early when he ran off course on Lap 2 of 72, hit the tire barrier and was forced to make a green-flag pit stop for extensive repairs.
Luckily, he was able to soldier on in the race but Hemric was never able to get back in contention and ended up finishing 17th.
Hemric, 31, ended up five points behind Brandon Jones in the playoff standings. Jones took the eighth and final transfer spot to advance to the semifinal round.
“I’m thankful to part of the NASCAR Xfinity Series. I was hoping to be able to go and defend my championship and carry on to the next round but made a mistake in (Turns) 3 and 4 there that you cannot make,” he said.
“And if you make those kinds of mistakes, you do not deserve to be here. So, got to go work, got to be mad at myself.”
The 2022 season has been an up-and-down one for Hemric, his first season competing with Kaulig Racing. His best finish was third at Las Vegas and he’s led just 66 laps this season (compared to 663 in his 2021 title season).
With Hemric eliminated from further title contention, none of the remaining playoff drivers – Jones, A.J. Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry or Austin Hill – has won a series championship.
For Allmendinger, Gragson and Gibbs – all of whom are expected to compete fulltime in the Cup Series in 2023 – this may be their only chance to win a series title.
Asked what he will remember about his tenure as series champion, Hemric said, “I’ll probably play this Roval race back time and time again. That’s what this season kind of felt like. It’s been a little bit of a rough go.
“Everyone has been a winner that showed up on his race team and I’m proud of that. I want to thank Matt Kaulig (team owner) and Chris Rice (team president) for the call to come drive this thing (this year), they deserved better.”
