DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 02: Daniel Hemric, driver of the #11 Cirkul Chevrolet, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway on September 02, 2023 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) | Getty Images
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 02: Daniel Hemric, driver of the #11 Cirkul Chevrolet, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway on September 02, 2023 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Daniel Hemric teams up with Kannapolis-based Local Patriot Roasting Company to release new coffee blend

2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion and Kannapolis, N.C. native, Daniel Hemric, has partnered with Kannapolis-based Local Patriot Roasting Company (LPRC) to release a new coffee blend titled Head Down, Fin Up. A portion of the proceeds from each bag of Head Down, Fin Up coffee sold will be directed to the Daniel Hemric Be The Change Scholarship at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC), which is awarded to two students annually.

The coffee’s title, Head Down, Fin Up, is a saying that Hemric has told himself throughout his racing career as a way to swim through rough waters with a determination to persevere, no matter the obstacle. Hemric and his wife Kenzie hand selected the blend of Colombian and Nicaraguan beans to create a coffee that reminds the couple of their 2017 wedding in Jamaica.

“Creating a coffee blend is certainly one of those things I never thought I’d have on my resume,” said Hemric. “But, I’ve always been a coffee drinker and this process has been fun the whole way through. From the moment Kate (Falconer, owner of LPRC) and I started talking, we both knew we wanted to make great coffee and we both wanted it to benefit the Kannapolis community. Kate thought it would be a good idea to support the Be The Change Scholarship that Kenzie and I started in 2019 with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, and we’re certainly thankful for her willingness to do that. Hopefully, we can sell a lot of coffee and continue to increase the scholarship’s endowment.”

The Daniel Hemric Be The Change Scholarship formed in 2019 and is awarded annually to two students from Rowan or Cabarrus County that qualify for financial aid and have chosen a field of study in motorsports, welding, or mechanical engineering.

“Daniel, being a Kannapolis native with a passion for the community and giving back, made this a no-brainer for us,” said Falconer, who co-founded LPRC in 2021. “We consider ourselves a community-driven coffee shop, so giving back is something we stand for as well. We’re very excited Daniel was down to do the collaboration.”

Customers can purchase 12-ounce bags of Head Down, Fin Up for $14.99 at LPRC’s location in downtown Kannapolis, or online at www.localpatriotcoffee.com/category/danielhemric

— PROSPORT Management —