Joe Nemechek has three consecutive top-10 finishes in the fall race at Lowe's. Credit: Autostock

MB2 drivers feel right after good night at LMS

CONCORD, N.C. -- Joe Nemechek headed off to board a plane for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, following Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and he'll wing southward with some good news under his wings.

Nemechek finished ninth, his best finish of the season despite several runs where something always seemed to go wrong at exactly the wrong time.

Sterling Marlin Credit: Autostock

Bank of America 500 Official Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Kasey Kahne Dodge 2. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 3. Jeff Burton Chevy 4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 5. Bobby Labonte Dodge 6. Kyle Busch Chevy 7. Tony Raines Chevy 8. Carl Edwards Ford 9. Joe Nemechek Chevy 10. Brian Vickers Chevy 11. Sterling Marlin Chevy • Complete results, click here • Official standings, click here Victory LaneKasey Kahne celebrates his Bank of America 500 victory Top finishersBurton, Johnson and Kenseth talk about their night Final lapsKasey Kahne drives away from the field down the stretch Smoked outJeff Gordon retires after car goes up in smoke Hard HitYeley clips Martin sending him full speed into the wall Early cautionDenny Hamlin involved in big wreck first lap of the race Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"The trip to Guantanamo to meet the troops is going to be a lot more fun after our performance [Saturday night]," an elated Nemechek said following the race. "Finally, we had some luck go our way."

Right off the bat, that luck saved Nemechek a long night's effort, and a gutsy pit call by crew chief Ryan Pemberton with less than 100 laps to go made it stand up for a top-10 finish.

"We got spun out on Lap 1 [a nine-car melee triggered when Robby Gordon got loose off Turn 4] but didn't have any damage," he said. "That was a huge break. We also got another big break [Lap 243] when Ryan made a good call to stay out a few extra laps during green-flag pit stops.

"It paid off because a caution flew [for Mark Martin's crash in essentially the same spot] and all of a sudden we're back on the lead lap and running fourth. From that point on, we fought hard and came away with a pretty good result."

Nemechek has a string going at Lowe's, finishing fifth, fourth and now ninth in the last three fall races at Lowe's.

"This track is fast and you had to race smart," he said. "It was nice to see both MB2 cars running up front. Everyone on this team is working hard to get it right. I really feel the future of this team is bright."

Pemberton, who has seen the team through a difficult season, echoed his driver.

"[It] was a total team effort," Pemberton said. "Joe drove a great race and the pit stops were excellent. The key is that we took advantage of a couple of good breaks. It's been hard year, but I think we can end it on a positive note."

Nemechek's MB2 teammate, Sterling Marlin, added his second-best finish of the season by coming home 11th.

"It was a great night for this MB2 race team," Marlin said after climbing out of his Chevrolet. "We started 15th and consistently ran in the top 10 all night. Slugger [crew chief Richard Labbe] made great calls on the pit box to get us some track position and the Ginn Clubs & Resorts Chevy drove so good we were able to stay there."

Unlike his teammate, Marlin got caught by a caution during green-flag stops, and had to wait on the Lucky Dog to get back on the lead serial.

"If that caution hadn't come out in the middle of a green-flag pit cycle we would've been in even better shape," he said. "Unfortunately we had to hang out until we could get the Lucky Dog award and by then we didn't have enough time to get past all the lapped cars to pick up some spots.

"But an 11th-place finish feels good. Slugger's come on board and really gotten some things clicking. It felt great to run up front and I'm excited about the future of this team."

Labbe, who came on board midseason to lead Marlin's team, praised his group's improvement.

"I'm real proud of this team," Labbe said. "They've been working their tails off trying to make this car better and better each week. Sterling drove as hard as he could and the guys stayed on top of it in the pits. We've improved a ton over the last month and I think it's just going to keep getting better.

"It's a lot more fun to run up front and have a car that you can work with. Our goal's been to be competitive each and every week and we're making good strides toward that."