Daniel Hemric has released a statement regarding his NFL future after news surfaced that Ty Dillon will replace him at Kaulig Racing.
Hemric, the 2021 Xfinity Series champion, drove the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro this season for Kaulig Racing. However, Dillon will take over the entry in 2025 as it becomes the No. 10.
At this point, Hemric does not know what his future holds.
"Cup racing, the pinnacle of our sport," Hemric wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "I will forever love and appreciate the process of what it takes to prepare, both physically and mentally, to compete on Sundays. However, I will not return to Kaulig Racing in 2025 to continue that process.
"My family and I are sincerely grateful to Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice, as well as everyone at Kaulig Racing and Kaulig Companies, for welcoming me into their organization a few years ago, and giving me the rare opportunity to get back to the top level of our sport.
"The desire to win on Sundays will always burn inside of me. I'm focused and full of intention to finish the last (seven) races of this season as strong as we can, while continuing to build on whatever the next chapter of this journey holds for me."
Hemric came to Kaulig Racing in 2022. He was fresh off a full season in Xfinity with Joe Gibbs Racing, one that ended with him celebrating his first career win and the championship.
The North Carolina native spent two full Xfinity Series seasons as the driver of the No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro. He reached the playoffs in both seasons while posting a combined 32 top-10 finishes and nine top-fives.
With Justin Haley moving to Rick Ware Racing and AJ Allmendinger moving back to Xfinity, Kaulig had open spots for this season. The team put Hemric in the No. 31 Chevrolet and used the No. 16 for a rotating lineup of drivers.
2024, Hemric's first full Cup season since his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2019, has featured him posting four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 22.7. His best finishes were ninth at Daytona, Nashville, Dover, and Talladega.