Joe Nemechek with his son, John Hunter. Credit: Autostock

10 Questions: Nemechek

During January's Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona, Joe Nemechek sat down to answer 10 questions not specifically directed at his racing career.

1. What's your dream vehicle that you don't already own?

Wow. I guess I'd like to get a Hummer.

We got a road rage question coming up later. It doesn't have anything to do with that, does it?

I didn't know you were going to ask one.

I'm glad to hear that.

No -- it's just for me, driving for the Army -- you see the military guys driving these things all the time and it's cool. It's big, it's boxy -- it kind of shows a little muscle out there.

One of these days I'll have one.

So rather than just having the guys come to the racetrack and cheer on the U.S. Army Chevrolet -- you get to take 'em cruising in the Hummer, eh?

Absolutely. That would be cool.

2. If time on the road weren't an issue, what would be your ideal pet?

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I'd like to have me probably a couple Boxer dogs. Don't have any dogs, but we got a lot of kids. We need dogs -- we need some pets.

But just being gone so much, it's hard -- it's hard.

3. What's your biggest pet peeve driving on the road?

I'm actually a pretty calm driver, but when slow guys drive in the left hand lane, that's not a good thing. People need to decide which lane they want to use.

Do you think you could write a book on maintaining a calm demeanor on the road -- because I am tipping my hat to you for your ability to stay calm and patient.

I probably could. That's one of those things I probably could do. But you learn things. I remember back when I was 25, if someone was in the wrong lane you'd do different things.

But once you get more experienced, you learn what's important in life. You learn what you can get away with and what you can't. But it's tough.

When I have my family in the car and I have three little kids in the back, you think about things a little bit differently.

4. Racing means travel, so what is your worst hotel experience?

Only one comes to mind -- actually there's quite a few. But one of our first trips we went to Dover, Del. We stayed in some -- it wasn't a very good motel.

One of the guys that worked for me was walking across the room and ended up going through the floor. Not good. Not good.

Bobby LeSieur and I had the exact same thing happen to us in Dover, back in about 1984. I hope it wasn't the same place.

Not good. The whole deal was a pretty scary experience. I mean, there's no hotel rooms left and you're at the mercy of whatever you could find.

It was one of those things we could find. I think by the end of the night we were all out sleeping in the transporter.

5. What's your favorite food?

I'd have to say spaghetti.

Some other guys said the same and they made their own concoctions. Where's the best place on the road to get spaghetti?

	Credit: Autostock
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The best place for spaghetti, that I know of, is right here -- a little Italian joint down on the beach. The most awesome spaghetti and spaghetti Parmesan you'll ever get.

Daytona Beach Shores? Is it Portofino, by any chance?

I can't remember the name, but it's right across from the Hampton Inn down there, so is that the Portofino? Portofino it is, then.

6. If you had to choose, would it be being honest or being nice?

I'd probably have to say going with honest. Just for myself, and the values I was brought up with, honesty is the best policy.

7. What's your fondest childhood memory?

Tough question, tough question, because there were so many of them. As you get up in -- let me rephrase that.

As you have more memories of things that happened -- all good things -- it's harder to remember all those childhood things that happened.

I would have to say probably one of the best things was myself and both my brothers racing motorcycles. We all three of us had a great night at one of the racetracks we were at -- I don't even remember where it was.

But I also remember the three of us coming home in the station wagon after a race and all having torn up knees.

8. What would be your dream date: Where and with whom?

Dream date? Right now, just taking my wife somewhere, where it's just the two of us for a couple of weeks would be really cool. When you have three little kids running around all the time it's pretty tough.

But I wouldn't trade my family for anything right now. It's an awesome time in my career, watching my kids grow up.

But I'd have to say my dream date would be just taking my wife and maybe getting out of the country for a couple weeks.

How tough a balancing act is that, operating NEMCO Motorsports, driving for MB2 and having three young children?

It's definitely tough, but I want to make sure I watch my kids grow up. You hear so many stories of other racecar drivers that -- man; they never really got to see their kids grow up. And to me, that's scary.

I mean, my kids -- they're my life. It's just cool. My son's seven now, and he goes like a madman whether it's a go-kart, a motorcycle or whatever it may be.

My daughter, growing up and taking gymnastics and all the different things that she does. She's getting so smart. And my nine-month-old little girl, just trying to walk now and starting to talk.

It's just incredible, but it's tough. In the business side of it you have to have the right people because it's a people sport.

If you have the right people working for you and you have the right budget to get the job done that you need to get done, it all works -- and it works well.

9. Racing and pranks seem to go hand-in-hand, so what's the worst prank that you either perpetrated or had played on you?

Man. That's a tough one. I'm not really a guy that gets into playing cranks on guys, but the most recent one I got everybody with was one of these pens that to make it work you've got to click it -- but when you click it, it shocks you pretty good.

I've got quite a few people with that. But I really don't do that, and because I don't do it, I don't get it done to me. They try once in a while, but you've got to be smart.

I worked with Tony Glover there for a while. I know Sterling -- he's a crankster, and Ken Schrader. Those guys probably have some good stories. But I try to stay out of that.

10. What would you consider your "Welcome to NASCAR moment?"

My welcome to NASCAR moment -- what do you mean?

If it was the NFL, it might be a big hit, or a game-winning home run in baseball. In this sport, it might have been Earnhardt coming up to you in a Busch race and tattooing your back bumper -- I don't know.

Again, that's a tough one to answer because there's been so many. When I got started in NASCAR, in 1990, Dale Earnhardt kind of took a liking to me and he would come over and help me out.

In 1992 Dale Sr. and myself, we had some knockdown, drag-out races. Probably one of the biggest ones was at New Hampshire -- and I beat him by a fender.

He was second that last lap. I had made up a lap that day, took the lead and going into the last corner, he drilled the tar out of me and turned me sideways.

I just stood on the gas and slid all the way around the corner and still beat him back to the start/finish line.

Afterwards he comes up and gives you a high five and chokes you around the neck and says 'good job' -- and that means a lot.

When I won my first Cup race there in Loudon, N.H., Dale Sr. come up and gives you the chokehold and says 'good job.' That kind of stuff means a lot.