Hemphill started the Actionline 300 from the eleventh spot after Saturday's qualifications. After ASA rookie Greg Edwards took the pole position, it looked like a weekend where rookies might steal the show from the ASA veterans. With eight rookies starting in the top fifteen, another rookie win was not an unlikely possibility.

"We were really struggling in practice. We kinda found something at the very end of practice," explained the nineteen year-old Hemphill. "We found something that kinda worked for us that was a 100% different setup. For qualifying, we made a couple changes for our qualifying package according to what we had found in practice. It was just a thing where I went out and drove the fire out of it and got a pretty good time."

When the green flag flew to start the 300 lap event, Hemphill held his spot in the top fifteen for the first portion of the race. Following the second early caution, Hemphill, who had been slowly falling back after the race's first caution, pitted for two right side tires. During a lap 76 caution, the remaining leaders who had not previously pitted made their stops, leaving Hemphill in the lead for the first time in his young ASA career. Battling with the likes of Joey Clanton and defending ASA ACDelco Series Champion Gary St. Amant, Hemphill held the top spot for eighteen circuits (78-95) before slipping in turn four and losing the point position.

"It was a wonderful experience," exclaimed Hemphill. "It's just like leading any other race except that you've got some of the best guys in country breathing down your neck! It was a lot of fun leading and being out front. But you have to have an awesome car and be an awesome driver to stay there. We didn't have the car at the time. I got freight-trained and that was it. But it was a lot of fun being out there and I learned a lot to apply to the next time I'm out front."

The BFGoodrich Traction T/As gradually gave up on the No. 02 Vortec-Powered Chevrolet, and forced Hemphill to make an unscheduled stop on lap 125. Dropping two laps down because of the tire change, the race went downhill from there for the Hemphill Racing team. Near the two-thirds mark of the race, the brakes on the car began to fail. Eventually, the car was retired from the event.

"It wasn't a failure. It was just that the brakes were getting hot and the fluid was boiling. The brakes were real soft and the pedal would go to the floor real far," illustrated the driver of the Argo Packing Chevrolet. "About twenty or thirty laps before we retired, I was pumping the brakes every straightaway making sure they'd work for the next turn. I was coming up on a lap car going high and forgot to pump them going down the straightaway. When I got to the turn and hit the pedal, it almost went to the floor. It didn't really slow me down and my car washed up and I got in the loose stuff. Luckily I was able to save it enough that it was able to only hit the right rear corner. It wasn't something where I fully lost the brakes, I just didn't have full brakes."

Regardless of the 26th place finish that the final standings show, the No. 02 team ran much better and surpassed landmarks that many new teams take full seasons to reach. With that in mind, Hemphill reiterated the fact that the team is still a rookie team with much to learn.

"We all realize that we've got a lot of work to do. There's so much to still be learned about ASA, the cars, race procedures, and pit stops. We've all gotta lot of work to do," stated Hemphill. "We all learned so much the whole day. Whether we did good or bad, we learned so much throughout the whole day, and that's the most important thing. We didn't finish the race, but we learned a lot, and we've got a lot of work to do. I've got a lot of work to do driving, the crew chief has a lot of work to do, and our crew has a little bit of work to do. Once we get that worked out, and go test a little bit, we've just got to keep digging and try to get some good finishes."

Even without the brake problems, it looked like Hemphill might have a shot at his fifth consecutive top-twenty finish. However, the track was not conducive to much passing throughout the entire day. In his opinion, it resembled more of a parade and a game of chance.

"That was such a weird race. It seemed like everyone kinda had the same car. There was only one groove on the track and you had to hit it lap after lap, turn after turn. It seemed like they had the exact same car, but wherever you were at the end was kinda where you were gonna finish," Hemphill revealed. "But my crew did a kick-butt job during pit stops and during the entire weekend -- practice, qualifying, and the race. They worked their butts off getting that car ready for me."

The team's next race will be the Nashville event on June 2. Quite possibly this could be the last ASA event on the famed .596 mile oval. Hemphill's mind is still on Montgomery and what could have been but even in his actions one can tell he is encouraged about the team's future events, including Nashville..

"I'm not too happy about the whole weekend. I'm a little disappointed about the race," remarked the dejected driver. "It was a big learning experience for me. I learned so much in that race and I was fortunate to run most of the race. I wasn't very happy about the finish of it but I learned a lot and that's the most important thing."

Without full-time primary sponsorship, Hemphill Racing could possibly be unable to remain in ASA for a full 2002 season. The team is still searching for primary sponsorship for both their 2001 and any 2002 ASA endeavors. Unless a full-time sponsor is found, Argo Packing will be funding the team during their limited eight-race effort this year. More information about Ryan Hemphill and Hemphill Racing can be found at http://www.ryanhemphill.net.