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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
NEMECHEK: Mission Accomplished
This time last season we were sweating getting in the Daytona 500, but now we are locked into this year’s race...
Joe Nemechek  | http://www.FrontRowJoe.com  |  Posted February 11, 2010   Daytona Beach, FL
The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season marks the 17th year of competition for veteran driver and team owner Joe Nemechek. (Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images for NASCAR)
What a difference a year makes...

This time last season we were sweating getting in the Daytona 500, which we eventually missed by one position in the Gatorade Duel at Daytona. But now we are locked into this year’s race by virtue of our time in last Saturday’s qualifying session.

The No. 87 Nemco Motorsports Toyota still will compete in Thursday’s Duel but regardless of what happens, we are guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday’s 500, a huge accomplishment for a team on limited funds. To secure a spot in the Daytona 500 on such a restricted budget and with a small number of crew members is a major achievement.

Locking into the biggest race of the year was crucial for our team and our prospects for the remainder of the season. It’s no secret that the race pays a lot, so it’s a welcome payday for our organization. Unfortunately, when you have nothing coming in, that paycheck goes pretty quickly. But at least it will help us recoup some of what we’ve doled out to race for two weeks at Daytona. Additionally, although we are in talks with a number of companies, we still haven’t signed a sponsor, and a Daytona 500 starting spot is a great selling point.

Our goals have changed this week since we met the first objective, which was simply to make the starting grid. Now we can go out and race Thursday instead of being so worried about what could go wrong. The goal in the Duel remains to not tear up our car because there is no sense in wrecking a perfectly good car when we have very few of them to begin with.

We have to be smart but we still want to be competitive and see what our Toyota can do. Getting it to handle well in the qualifier will be crucial to having a good run on Sunday. I want to race well both days and show everyone that we can do a lot with a little. In lieu of a sponsor for the Duel, we have opted to promote www.frontrowjoe.com on the hood but still are actively searching for sponsorship for Sunday.

But getting through the 500 unscathed will be a challenge after how the Bud Shootout and our practice sessions unfolded. It’s going to get tricky out there and you’ve got to be aware of who is around you, who is pushing you and whether that guy is prone to boneheaded moves.

And as always, it’s going to get interesting at the end. But I’m not eager to be a part of “interesting” because that usually translates to involvement in a multi-car pile-up on the last lap or two. It’s imperative that our team finishes the race in one piece because we’re currently outside the top 35 in points and need to rack up all the points we can. We’ve made the first race of the year and now need to capitalize on that opportunity.

My team has improved by leaps and bounds over the past year. That time under our belts really has helped us learn more about our race cars and improve our communication as a cohesive unit. Additionally, in 2009, we started preparing for Daytona two weeks before it started but we had more time this year and were much more prepared. I think that readiness shows and hope it continues to do so throughout the weekend and the rest of the year.

Joe Nemechek, driver of the No. 87 Nemco Motorsports Toyota, celebrates his 17th season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2010. In 2009, he climbed behind the wheel of his own Cup car for the first time since 1996, making him one of a small number of current independent owner/drivers in NASCAR’s top division. Since his 1989 debut in the sport, the 1992 Nationwide Series champion has claimed four Sprint Cup and 16 NASCAR Nationwide Series victories. His uncanny knack for snagging pole positions earned him the nickname “Front Row Joe” years ago, and he has proven its validity by collecting 10 Sprint Cup and 18 Nationwide Series pole positions. Nemechek, 1990 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, was voted Most Popular Driver in ’92 and ’93. The Florida native cut his racing teeth in motocross at age 13, claiming more than 300 wins in six years, and since has gone on to post victories in every series in which he has competed. For more information on Nemechek, please visit www.frontrowjoe.com.

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Joe Nemechek

FrontRowJoe.com

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