Two separate incidents halt Nemechek's run

LOUDON, N.H. -- Joe Nemechek said the U.S. Army team had what it needed to go to the front in Sunday's Sylvania 300 Nextel Cup race. However, two separate incidents halted Nemechek's momentum, resulting in a frustrating 25th-place finish at New Hampshire International Speedway.

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Nemechek, who started from the 11th position in the 300-lap race, quickly moved into the top 10 and maintained his position until an incident on Lap 146 ended the progress.

"Something happened with the No. 50 car and he got into the wall," explained Nemechek. "I turned sideways trying to avoid it and everyone started wrecking and ran into me. That was the beginning of a long day."

Just 45 laps later as the U.S. Army Chevrolet worked its way back through the field, Nemechek and Mike Bliss collided, ending any hopes for Nemechek to come home with a top-10 or better finish.

"I don't really know what happened out there," said Nemechek. "The zero car (Bliss) got into me and turned me around. I don't know what that was all about -- I gave him a lot of room but he still managed to run into me."

Following the incident, Nemechek made several trips down pit lane where the Amy of One crew worked on the crippled racecar, managing to keep the 01 Chevy from losing a lap.

"The U.S. Army team worked hard in the pits all day trying to get a wrecked machine ready to race," continued Nemechek. "We had what we needed today, but in the end, things just didn't work out for us. We have the Army spirit and we'll be ready and tuned for next week's battle in Dover."

The Dover race will be contested Sunday, Sept. 25 at Dover International Speedway.