Talladega: Joe Nemechek race report

Final Lap Accident Spoils Nemechek's Strong Performance at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 27, 2008) -- A potential top-10 finish turned into a 25th-place result for Joe Nemechek, who was collected in a 12-car wreck on the final lap of Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Nemechek, who put his No. 78 National Day of Prayer/Furniture Row Racing Chevy on the pole, was in the lead draft as the race was winding down on the ultra-fast 2.66-mile oval.

"After the white flag waved, we were in good position to get into the top 10," said Nemechek. "But then came the big wreck. I thought I had missed it, but at the last second the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson's car) came across my hood. We had a lot of damage to our Chevy Impala SS and I could barely get it to the finish line."

Though Nemechek was disappointed with the result, the veteran driver was proud of the effort by the Furniture Row Racing team.

"Yeah, we're a little frustrated right now," noted Nemechek. "But looking at the big picture, we had a great weekend of racing. Qualifying No. 1 in the National Day of Prayer car gave us a big lift and we backed that up with a solid performance in the race. We continue to improve and that's what it's all about. We're a team on the move."

After taking the green flag to start the 500-mile race, Nemechek ran in the top five until the first caution came out on Lap 19 of 188. He dropped to the back of the field, but came on strong and was running again in the top five by Lap 85.

"This is Talladega -- you can go back and forth in a hurry," explained Nemechek. "But the good news for us, we were running with the lead pack for a good portion of the race."

"Jay (crew chief, Jay Guy) called a great race and the pit crew also did an excellent job on pit road," added Nemechek. "It was a solid team effort."

-credit: frr