Joe Nemechek

Nemechek at Darlington Raceway in 2019.

Joseph Frank Nemechek III is an American professional stock car driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Pepsi Cup Series driving the No.27 and No.15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports in 2019.

Nemechek is the father of John Hunter Nemechek, and is the owner of NEMCO Motorsports.

He is nicknamed "Front-Row Joe," which was coined by former teammate Wally Dallenbach for his tendency in the late 1990s to be a regular contender for a front-row starting position.

## Career

### 1993: First Starts

In 1993, Nemechek made his Pepsi Cup Debut, driving the No.87 Dentyne Chevrolet for his own team NEMCO Motorsports. Nemechek turned 119 laps before the rocker arms gave out and put Nemechek out of the race in 46th.

Nemechek and the 87 returned three weeks later for the 1993 Budweiser at The Glen at Watkins Glen.  Nemechek completed his first Pepsi Cup race in 21st.   Nemechek returned the following week at Michigan. However only 95 laps into the race, Nemechek’s no.87 had rear end issues, and took Nemechek out of the race.

Six weeks later, Nemechek was announced to drive for Morgan-McClure Motorsports and their No.4 Kodak Chevrolet at Charlotte and Rockingham.  Nemechek finished 25th at Charlotte and 23rd at Rockingham.

### 1994: Larry Hedrick Motorsports

In 1994, Nemechek joined Larry Hedrick Motorsports to drive the team’s No.41 Meineke Discount Mufflers Chevrolet full time.

Nemechek began the year, 47th in the Daytona 500 after being collected in a lap 79 crash with Todd Bodine, Ted Musgrave, and Jimmy Spencer.  In the following race at North Carolina Speedway, Nemechek placed 46th after , he then finished 32nd at Richmond.  He then finished inside the top twenty in the following three races with his first top twenty being 18th at Atlanta. However the top twenty streak ended at North Wilkesboro when Nemechek finished 42nd.

Seven races later, following two DNF’s and one top twenty at Dover, Nemechek scored his first top ten after finishing 7th at Michigan.  After finishing 46th at Daytona and 19th at New Hampshire, Nemechek finished 3rd at Pocono Raceway for his first top five finish.  After that Nemechek got one more top ten at Watkins Glen and three more top twenties.  Nemechek finished 27th in his first year as a full-time driver.  Additionally Nemechek had two consecutive top-five qualifying runs.

However after the season, Nemechek departed from the team.

### 1995-1996: Independent Run

In 1995, Nemechek moved his No. 87 team back up to the Pepsi Cup series with sponsorship from Burger King and was going to run full time.

Nemechek began ‘95, 49th in the Daytona 500, followed by a 29th at Rockingham, then a 32nd at Richmond, followed by his first top twenty of the year with a 16th at Atlanta. A few weeks later, Nemechek claimed his first top ten of the season with a 10th at Dover.  Five weeks later, he scored another top ten with a 9th at Pocono. However, the following seven races saw only one top twenty (16th at Bristol), followed by a top five with a 4th at Dover, and one more top ten at North Carolina Speedway, placing 28th in points.

In 1996, Nemechek’s performance declined further with only two top tens at North Carolina Speedway and Watkins Glen, ultimately falling to 34th in points.  After two years of disappointment with his independent team, Nemechek abandoned NEMCO Motorsports’ Pepsi Cup program, opting to be just a driver, rather than a owner-driver.

### 1997-1999: Team SABCO

After opting to be a driver, he took over the No.42 Chevrolet at Team Sabco, replacing Kyle Petty.  Additionally, a new partnership was formed at Team Sabco with Bellsouth coming on board to sponsor.

Nemechek began 1997, failing to qualify for the Daytona 500, but was moved to Barkdoll Racing’s No.73 Chevrolet, to which Nemechek ended up finishing the 500 in 27th.  The next three races saw Nemechek finish 35th At Rockingham, 39th at Richmond, then suffered a crash at Atlanta.

However things then took a tragic turn, when Nemechek’s younger brother, John, was killed in a Sierra Mist Truck Series accident at Homestead-Miami Speedway.   Nemechek then sat out the following race at Darlington to attend his brother’s funeral.  Nemechek originally wanted to stop racing, but his family encouraged him to continue his career.   Later in June of 1997, Nemechek had his son, who he named after John, as John Hunter Nemechek.

He retuned the following week at Texas and ran the rest of the year, nabbing three top tens with a best finish of 6th at Richmond, alongside two poles at California and Pocono. Nemechek finished 28th in points.

In 1998, Nemechek returned to SABCO and got three top tens and his first top five in three years after finishing 4th at Texas Motor Speedway. With those four top tens, it pushed Nemechek to 26th in points.

In 1999, Nemechek only had two top tens, but it was accompanied by his first win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway along with three poles at Daytona in July, and the fall Talladega and Martinsville events.  After the win, Nemechek revealed he would not be returning to the 42 in 2000, being replaced by Kenny Irwin, Jr..   He finished 30th in points.

### 2000-2001: Andy Petree Racing

When the new millennium began in 2000, Nemechek signed with Andy Petree Racing’s no.33 Chevrolet.

In 2000, Nemechek had one of the best years in the Pepsi Cup with three top fives, nine top tens, and one pole at the fall Talladega race, with his best finish was second at New Hampshire.  Nemechek finished 15th in points.

In 2001, Nemechek was expected to repeat the great performance for the season by many, and it was proven true through the first eleven races of the season with six top twenties and one top ten at Talladega.   However during a test session at Dover International Speedway, Nemechek wrecked and ended up with an elbow injury, causing him to miss the next five races.

He returned at Daytona in July and closed out the year with two top tens and his second win in the 2001 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at Rockingham.   Nemechek finished 28th in points.  After the season, Petree's team began to run into financial problems, and Nemechek's team was left without a sponsor, culminating in Nemechek being released from Andy Petree Racing.

### 2002: Multiple Rides

Beginning in 2002, Nemechek joined Haas-Carter Motorsports to drive their No.62 Ford for the full season.   However much like Petree, financial issues were a harbinger of doom for Nemechek, as the No.62’s sponsor,  Kmart filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on January 22, 2002.   Despite it, Kmart remained on the car. The first six races of 2002, were absolute disappointments with Nemechek only getting two top twenties at Las Vegas and Darlington.   After finishing 50th in Food City 500, HCM opted to put Nemechek out of the car in exchange for Frank Kimmel.  After three weeks Nemechek retuned to the No.62 at California where he finished 25th.

The following week at Richmond, he drove the No.10 Valvoline Pontiac for MB2 Motorsports after the team’s usual driver, Johnny Benson suffered broken ribs in a crash during the Mnt. Dew Grand National race the day before.  Nemechek bough the No.10 to a 12th place finish.

But then the following week, Nemechek was announced to drive Hendrick Motorsport’s fifth entry the No.52 Chevrolet for the rest of 2002, after the 52’s original driver, Jack Sprague, was unable to meet standards for HMS. Nemechek’s driving duties for HMS began at that year’s Coca Cola 600, where he finished 30th.  The rest of the year saw Nemechek being unable to make a decent finish with only two top twenties at Sonoma and Indianapolis, until the 2002 Protection One 400 at Kansas, where Nemechek finished 4th in the event.  He also got two more top fives with both being 2nd place finishes at Atlanta and Homestead. Nemechek placed 34th in points.

### 2003: Return to Full Time

In 2003, Nemechek went full-time with HMS in their No.52 Chevrolet.

Nemechek started 2003, 22nd at the Daytona 500, then a 23rd at Rockingham.  However those two finishes were followed by two ninth place showings at Las Vegas and Atlanta, then a 13th in the Carolina Dodge Dealers Rebel 400 at Darlington.  Following Darlington Nemechek suffered three consecutive DNF’s, before nabbing a 15th at Martinsville, only to finish 32nd at California.However in the following race at the Pontiac Excitement 400, Nemechek started second, fell back, rallied from mid-pack to the front, and later took the lead before the race was called on Lap 493 due to rain, giving Nemechek his third Pepsi Cup victory.   Then the following seven races after an 11th in the Coca Cola 600, Nemechek struggled, having seven consecutive finishes outside the top twenty with his highest finish in that seven race span being a 21st at Michigan, but it ended after a 7th place finish at Pocono, only for a DNF at Indianapolis.   After that, Nemechek was only able to nab four top twenties, and only one top five at New Hampshire in the next twelve races.  After finishing 20th at Martinsville, Nemechek lost his ride in the No.52 to Brian Vickers.

However with four races left in the year, Nemechek was able to get a ride with the no.01 Army Pontiac for MB2 Motorsports to close out 2003, where his best finish was 10th in his first start with MB2 at Atlanta, ultimately finishing 25th in points.

### 2004-2005: The MB2 Motorsports Days

In 2004, Nemechek was signed by MB2 to be the new permanent driver for the 01 at the team as Nemechek was one of six drivers who rotated in the 01 in 2003.  The car was now a Chevorlet after Pontiac pulled out of NASCAR following 2003.  And plus it seemed like it would be work well with Nemechek being possible help as a veteran and teammate to rookie Scott Riggs and fellow veteran, Elliott Sadler.

Nemechek began 2004, 6th in the Daytona 500, and recorded six top twenty finishes in the following sixteen races with a highest finish of 14th at Texas and the Coca Cola 600 before finishing in the top ten for the first time since the Daytona 500 in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona by finishing 10th, followed by an 8th at Chicagoland.   The rest of 2004 saw Nemechek gain six more top twenties, three more top tens, two top fives, and two poles at Talladega and Kansas.   And at Kansas, Nemechek held off Ricky Rudd to win his fourth career race. It was a very emotional victory and Nemechek would say in a post-race interview that it was the biggest win of his career.

In 2005, Nemechek had a feud with rookie Brandon Miller, after Miller caused a multi-car crash involving Nemechek during practice for the 2005 Daytona 500, with Nemechek and former HMS teammate, Jimmie Johnson, being outspoken about their displeasure with Miller.

Despite the issues, Nemechek started off 2005 with a solid 13th in the Daytona 500, and quickly followed it up with a pole at California, and led the most laps, but an engine failure left Nemechek in 46th. He rebounded the following week with a 19th at Las Vegas.   Following two low finishes at Atlanta and Bristol, Nemechek achieved his first top ten of 2005 with a 10th at Martinsville, then a 17th at Texas, then another 10th at Phoenix. Following a 31st place finish at Talladega after sustaining damage in a crash, Nemechek began a streak of three top twenties in the following three races, with most notable highlight being his lead he had late in the 2005 Coca Cola 600 after numerous crashes took out most of the field, but Nemechek spun in turn four on lap 392, forcing the 22nd and final caution of the race, however he was able to finish 18th after that spin.   The rest of 2005 saw Nemechek finish in the top ten five times and two top fives with a best finish of third in the Dunder Mifflin 500 at Pocono, ultimately pushing Nemechek to 16th in the points to cap off the 2005 season.

### 2006: MB2 Motorsports to Ginn Racing

In 2006, Nemechek returned to MB2’s No.01.

The year was expected to go as well as 2005, however things went horribly wrong, as Nemechek began 2006, 33rd in the Daytona 500, followed by a 27th at California, then two top twenties at Las Vegas and Atlanta,  what followed thereafter was six consecutive finishes outside the top 23 before nabbing two top twenties, with his best finish being 13th in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.  After his two top twenties at Darlington and the Coke 600, Nemechek was only able to squander two top twenties at Daytona and Pocono in the eight races that followed.

Starting at Indianapolis, resort and real-estate developer Bobby Ginn bought out MB2 Motorsports, renaming the team to Ginn Racing to hopefully push the struggling organization in the right direction.  Unfortunately, the renamed organization didn’t help the team, as Nemechek continued to finish outside the top 24 until the UAW-Ford 500 when he finished 18th. He then finished inside the top twenty in the last seven races and had two top tens at Lowe’s and Atlanta.  The poor performance slumped Nemechek to 27th in points.

### 2007: Ginn Racing

In 2007, Nemechek returned to Ginn Racing, but he was moved the No.13 team after Elliott Sadler left for Gillette-Evernham Motorsports.

Nemechek began 2007 with a 9th in the Daytona 500 after avoiding a huge crash on the final lap, followed by a 14th at California, but suffered a crash on lap 156 at Las Vegas, causing him to finish 44th.  He rebounded from the Vegas DNF with a 17th at Atlanta, only to finish 41st at Bristol, after a smack to the wall in turn 2 knocked him several laps down, and his engine later gave out.    Nemechek’s performance by the mid-way point of 2007 looked nearly identical to the year prior, but the top twenty count decreased from six to five with that one top ten.   The performance only fared worse after Ginn Racing’s switch to having a technical alliance with Dale Earnhardt, Inc starting at the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis, as Nemechek’s performance went from mediocre to horrible as he suffered extremely low finishes and multiple DNF’s due to mechanical issues or crashes in the last sixteen races of 2007, ultimately knocking Nemechek down to 37th in the standings.

Later in December 2007, Nemechek was released from Ginn Racing after not enough sponsorship could not be obtained for 2008.

### 2008: Furniture Row Racing

After being released from Ginn, Nemechek signed a three-year contract with Furniture Row Racing to drive the organization’s no.78 Chevrolet to help expand the team alongside being teammates with rookie Tony Roper in the team’s new No.79 Chevrolet.

Nemechek began the season 48th in the Daytona 500, then 34th at Auto Club Speedway.  The following six races saw Nemechek finish in the lower 30’s or upper 40’s, until the 2008 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega where his first highlight of 2008 came, in which he won a pole, and which was his 10th and (later) final Pole position start of his career. He finished 25th in the race. The rest of 2008 was pretty much the same as it was in the early parts with low finishes, but Nemechek was able to notch three top twenty finishes at New Hampshire in June, Daytona in July, and Talladega in the fall, with his best finish being 11th at Talladega.  The three top twenties finished pushed Nemechek to finish 37th in the points for the second consecutive season.

However in November 2008, Furniture Row Racing announced that they were planning on running a limited schedule in 2009 or perhaps not even participate in any of the races in 2009 in light of the Economic Crisis of 2008.   The day after this announcement Nemechek was released from his contract, and as a result, he was free to pursue other opportunities for 2009 and beyond.

### 2009: Second Independent Run

Shortly thereafter, Nemechek announced that he would be bringing his NEMCO Motorsports team back to full competition in the NASCAR Pepsi Cup Series with the no.87 Toyota Camry.

Nemechek began the year, 44th in the Daytona 500.  The following seven races saw numerous mechanical problems with the fuel pump giving out at Auto Club, transmission failure at Las Vegas, wheel problems at Atlanta, Rear End issues at Bristol, brake failure at Martinsville, electrical problems at Texas,  and the rear axle broke at Phoenix.  In the next race at Talladega, Nemechek was able to finally finish a race, completing all 188 laps and finishing in 14th.   However the rest of the year continuously saw mechanical issues put Nemechek out of the races excluding the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, which Nemechek successfully placed 35th and completed the race, several laps down.  At season’s end, Nemechek only scored one top twenty and had a total of 34 DNF’s resulting in Nemechek finishing 40th in the standings.

### 2010-2012: Start and Park Driver

Following all those DNF’s due to and lack of sponsorship, both factors pushed NEMCO Motorsports into funding issues to the point where they wound up in a start and park situation, as due to the funding issues, they began to start in park until NEMXO could get sponsors the could provide enough funding.

During Speedweeks at Daytona in 2010, Nemechek was able to secure sponsorship from England Stove Works to sponsor both him and the 87 for the Daytona 500.  However the year began off with a wreck and a last place finish.

The rest of 2010 were nothing more than start and parks excluding the Talladega race where Nemechek finished 27th with sponsorship from HostGator.com.  He closed out 2010, 38th in points.

Starting and Parking continued with Nemechek in 2011.  Sponsorship was provided by AM FM Energy, and DAB Constructors for Daytona Speedweeks for Nemechek and the 87, but much like 2010, a wreck in the 2011 Daytona 500 left Nemechek in a DNF. The rest of 2011 was the same with only one full race run, which this time was at Daytona in July where he finished 30th.   He finished 2011, 37th in points.

In 2012, Nemechek finished two races which were the Daytona 500 (28th) and the Finger Lakes 355 at Watkins Glen (29th). The rest of the season was in fact the usual start and parks. He placed 39th in points.

### 2013: Return to Full Races

In 2013, Nemechek announced NEMCO Motorsports and Jay Robinson Racing have partnered up to run the No. 87.  The partnership included sponsorship from Maddie's Place Rocks and Royal Teak Collections, meaning that Nemechek would be able to run full races in for the first time since 2009.

He began the year dead last in the Daytona 500 after an engine failure took him out of the 500. But he followed it up with finishing the following six races with a highest finish of 29th in the Food City 500, before suffering several DNF’s at Kansas, Richmond, Talladega, Charlotte, and Pocono, but finished several races in between.

The rest of the 2013 saw Nemechek finish more races or DNF with his best finish being 25th at New Hampshire.   Nemechek finished 37th in points.

### 2014: Identity Ventures Racing

In 2014, NEMCO Motorsports’ Pepsi Cup program was re-branded to Identity Ventures Racing with a limited partnership from Micheal Waltrip Racing.

Nemechek began the year driving the No.87 Toyota to a 44th place finish in the Daytona 500.  The following week at Phoenix International Raceway, he drove Identity Ventures Racing’s no.66 Toyota to a 40th place finish, only to return to his old 87 Toyota the following week at Las Vegas, but finished 47th. He then took over IVR’s No.66 Toyota once again for the following six races where his best finish was 32nd at Auto Club, before he returned to the 87 for Talladega where he finished 45th. After finishing 31st at Kansas and 34th during the Coca Cola 600 in IVR’s no.66, Nemechek was absent from the following four races until Kentucky where he returned to the No.66, where he finished 38th.   The following week at Daytona in July, he drove the No.29 ToyotaCare Toyota for RAB Racing where he finished 46th.

He was then absent for the next two races until he returned for three races with Identity Ventures where he finished 40th at Pocono, 30th at Watkins Glen, and 35th at Michigan.   After skipping the Bristol Night Race, he drove Randy Humphery’s no.77 Ford at Atlanta where he finished 37th. He only made two more starts for Identity Ventures with a 40th at Richmond and a 36th at Chicago.  His last start of the 2014 season came at Talladega in RAB Racing’s No.29 Toyota. He finished 35th.

Nemechek’s abbreviated schedule led to a 45th in the standings.

### 2015: Two Appearances

In 2015, Nemechek returned to his No.87 after ending the partnership with Jay Robinson in 2014, with the NEMCO Motorsports name being restored.

He and the No.87 participated in the 2015 Daytona 500 where he finished 44th. The following week at Atlanta, he drove the No.51 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing as the team’s original driver, Brian Scott, decided not to participate in the race to focus more on Mnt. Dew Grand National Series efforts.  Nemechek finished 33rd.

### 2019: Final Starts

After being absent for four years, Nemechek made his return, driving the no.27 Chevorlet for Premium Motorsports in the 2019 Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington. He finished 31st.

He then participated in six of the last eleven races of 2019 across Premium Motorsports’ no.27 and no.15 Chevrolet with his best finish being 30th at Dover driving the no.27, while his best finish of the season was 29th at Texas in the no.15.

Also in the final three races of 2019, he raced against his son, John Hunter, including making motorsports history at ISM Raceway as being the first father-son duo to race in all three main series in one weekend.

He then participated in the no.15 in the season ending Steven Universe Future 400 presented by Ford at Homestead, finishing 38th.  As of this time that race remains as Nemechek’s last Pepsi Cup appearance.