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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Little Guys Fighting Back
Joe Nemechek will field his own car this year, the No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Toyota Camry along with a full-time Nationwide Series entry, but that car will be a Chevy...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted January 23, 2009   Concord, NC
Joe Nemechek, who was released from the No. 78 Chevrolet team at the end of last season, will field his own car in 2009. (LAT Photographic)

The well-publicized collapse of the U.S. economy and subsequent spate of mergers, downsizings and schedule cutbacks in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has created an opportunity for low-dollar teams to step up and fill the void.

Only about 36 of last year’s full-time Sprint Cup cars are returning this season, and many of the same people shuffled out of teams last year are going it alone this year, albeit on a much smaller scale. Joe Nemechek, who was released from the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet Impala SS at the end of last season, will field his own car this year, the No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Toyota Camry. NEMCO will also campaign a full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series entry, but that car will be a Chevy.

On board to oversee Nemechek’s competition efforts is the talented veteran Philippe Lopez, who was the first employee hired by the late Dale Earnhardt when he started Dale Earnhardt Inc. and the first employee hired by Hall of Fame Racing.

“We are confident about acquiring sponsorship for 12 Cup races,” said Nemechek in a release issued by the team Friday morning. “We're working to secure sponsorship for the remaining 24 events and also for a number of Nationwide races. We have an excellent opportunity for a company interested in pursing a cost-effective motorsports sponsorship. Anyone interested can e-mail us at sponsorship@joenemechek.com. We want to race and put people back to work in these tough economic times.”

Hiring Lopez was a particular coup for the team, according to Nemechek. “We have a lot of exciting things happening at NEMCO,” he said. “Having Philippe join us is a huge plus for our program. We were also able to acquire excellent equipment and are in position to run an economic yet competitive program.”

NEMCO is but one of several small, low-dollar teams to crop up in the wake of the off-season shakeup. Others include:

• Tommy Baldwin Racing, which will field a Toyota for Scott Riggs, with sponsorship T/B/A.

• Phoenix Racing, a longtime competitor in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, will run a full-time team with a driver T/B/A. Miccosukee Resorts will be on board for at least 10 races.

• Kirk Shelmerdine, who was the crew chief for four of the late Dale Earnhardt’s championships, said he’s going to run all the races in a Toyota.

• Jeremy Mayfield, a veteran Sprint Cup driver, is attempting to put together his own team.

NASCAR 39/10: Reviewing the 60th SeasonNASCAR 39/10: Reviewing the 60th Season A unique and comprehensive look at a historic season in the annals of stock car racing. For the first time ever, NASCAR fans will be able to relive the entire 2008 Sprint Cup Season, over the course of a 30-hour anthology. From Preseason Testing in Daytona, to the Postseason Banquet in New York, viewers will relive NASCAR’s 60th season, and one of the most important years in the sport’s history.
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