Always fun to race at home

Daniel Hemric / No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra Preview

Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra News and Notes

• HEMRIC AT CHARLOTTE: Daniel Hemric has made four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts on the Charlotte Motor Speedway 1.5-mile quad-oval layout. In those starts, he has earned a top-five finish and three top-10s overall. Most recently, Hemric finished second when the series raced the Charlotte oval last May.

• NO PLACE LIKE HOME: A native of nearby Kannapolis, North Carolina, Hemric spent many summers growing up racing Legend Cars in the annual Summer Shootout Series on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s quarter-mile oval. Hemric is a three-time Summer Shootout Series Legend Car Pro division champion and captured the largest paycheck in Legend Car history when he won the inaugural Legends Million race at the track in 2010.

• COTA RECAP: The No. 18 team finished 29th last weekend at Circuit of The Americas after dealing with a mechanical issue during the race. Hemric overcame trouble during stage one and found himself running fourth in the closing laps before having to make an unscheduled pit stop. Following the misfortune and no late-race cautions to regroup the field, Hemric ended the day in 29th.

• ROGERS’ RESUME: In 22 combined starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway between the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series, crew chief Dave Rogers has guided his teams to 11 top-five finishes, 14 top-10s, one pole award and 641 laps led.

• POPPY BANK: Poppy Bank will be featured as the primary sponsor of the No. 18 Supra in Saturday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Poppy Bank is a 5-star rated organization and is recognized as one of the strongest financial institutions in the country. Since opening its first branch in 2005, Poppy Bank has grown to over $3 Billion in assets with branches across the San Francisco Bay Area, Roseville, and Southern California.

• JGR AT CHARLOTTE: The Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series team has claimed nine victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including Kyle Busch’s win at the track last May. In 100 combined starts at the 1.5-mile track, the organization has racked up 38 top-five finishes, 58 top-10s, six pole awards, and 1,836 laps led. Mike Bliss, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano join Busch on the list of drivers who have won at Charlotte for JGR.

• TUNE IN: Coverage of this week’s Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, May 29, at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Daniel Hemric, Driver of the No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra

“It’s always fun to race at home, especially now that we’re able to have some friends and family come out. From a competition side, this is a great opportunity for us because we get some practice time on a mile-and-a-half (track) for the first time since I’ve come to JGR. You’re always looking to get better and for myself, Dave (Rogers, crew chief) and our team, this is a good week for us to work on some things to try to learn for this summer stretch of races and the Playoffs later on down the road.”

About Poppy Bank

Since opening their first branch in January 2005, Poppy Bank has grown to over $3 billion in assets and is recognized as one of the strongest financial institutions in the country. Poppy has branches throughout California and provides loan services throughout the nation including commercial and multi-family, small business and PACE (green lending) products. Their commitment to providing the best products and services has propelled their success and garnered national recognition of their performance. Poppy Bank is 5-star rated by BauerFinancial, the nation's leading independent bank and credit union rating firm. The Bank is governed by a strong team of Executive Officers and a dedicated Board of Directors formed entirely by accomplished business leaders. Poppy Bank exists to meet the banking needs of their clients and to make a positive difference in the communities they serve.

-JGR-