Daniel Hemric's No. 18 JGR car arrives late to Phoenix after hauler breakdown

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota for Saturday’s Xfinity Series championship was a late arrival Friday at Phoenix Raceway, riding into the garage on an alternate hauler after the team’s primary transporter broke down in Texas.

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The team quickly unloaded the primary car that Daniel Hemric will drive in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale (8:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The team began its preparations shortly after its approximately 5:30 p.m. ET arrival. That prep included an initial technical inspection by NASCAR officials and the car hit the track shortly after the 6:05 p.m. ET start of the series’ lone practice.

According to a team representative, the No. 18 crew will use tools and other equipment from JGR’s ARCA Menards Series West operation. That series will hold its season finale at the 1-mile Arizona oval Saturday (3 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Gold TrackPass).

Hemric is vying for his first Xfinity Series championship, battling fellow title contenders AJ Allmendinger, Austin Cindric and Noah Gragson in Saturday’s 200-miler. He has made the Championship 4 field in each of his three full-time Xfinity seasons.