Telcel Motorola 200 pres. by Banamex - NEMCO Motorsports Notes

NEMCO Motorsports takes two road course specialists to Mexico City - Chris Cook (No. 7) and Ron Fellows (No. 87). Car owner Joe Nemechek plans to attend in support of his drivers.

Chris Cook comes to NEMCO from a career as a professional driving coach and with a diverse racing resume including stints in late model action and ice racing championships in the Alaskan Grand Prix. With his company Shift Into Gear, Chris has instructed such notables as Tony Stewart, Jeremy Mayfield and Dave Blaney.

Together with supporter Chris Evans, a Western Pennsylvania entrepreneur, Cook will compete with NEMCO in the two Busch Series and two NEXTEL Cup Series road course events this season.

Gary Putnam and Nemechek’s regular Cellular One crew will support Cook’s effort.

Fellows first ran with NEMCO in 1998 when they picked up the win in the Busch Series race at Watkins Glen. The NEMCO/Fellows combination went on to grab two poles and two additional wins in the next three years at The Glen. The 1998 win made Fellows the first Canadian to win a NASCAR Busch Series event.

Former NEMCO crew chief Eric Phillips will head up Fellows’ one-time effort in Mexico City. Phillips is crew chief for Morgan Dollar Motorsports and driver Dennis Setzer in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Fellows’ pit crew will be a combination of members from the MB2/MBV NEXTEL Cup teams.

CHRIS COOK QUOTES:

“Obviously I’m thrilled to be going and honored to be driving for Christine Marie Motorsports (supporter Chris Evans' race team) and NEMCO Motorsports. The equipment speaks for itself, but the people involved in this team and the skill level is very confidence inspiring. I expect a lot of myself since I have this group of people behind me.

“The competition in the Busch Series is very stout, but I feel like the "no testing" factor will play to my advantage. In my role as a driving coach, it’s a typical experience for me - hopping into a car with no testing. You have to learn the track and learn the cars quickly, so this will suit my style very well.

“The personality of the Mexico City track is relatively basic. It appears to be very flat. It looks like you’ll be in the corners for a very long time so it’s going to be important to have excellent grip. The importance of grip between the front and the rear is crucial. Too much front grip or too much rear grip and you won’t be able to maintain the corner speed, which is what separates the competition in road course racing. From a driver’s standpoint, you have to be unbelievably disciplined as to how you enter the corners and I think that could be an advantage for us.

“I’m very confident going in, especially with the relationship I’ve built with Joe and the whole NEMCO team. I can say comfortably that Gary Putnam (Nemechek’s Busch Series crew chief) is probably the best that I’ve worked with in my life. Joe (Nemechek) and I are very parallel on our driving styles and the communication has just been phenomenal.

“This is the first time in my career that the people have been number one in an organization that I’ve worked with. Chemistry is so hard to find and we’ve only been a part of this deal for three months or so, but it’s all there. That’s very confidence-inspiring overall.”

RON FELLOWS QUOTES

“Just being involved in the first NASCAR race in Mexico City is exciting enough, but to be going back with Joe (Nemechek) and the NEMCO team - it’s going to be pretty cool. There’s obviously some good history here and Joe putting me in trusty old No. 87 is a great opportunity. I just hated to miss this event so I gave him a call and here we are.”

“It’s a fun track and I’m really happy to be a part of this. We sat on the pole and I can’t remember whether we finished second or third, but we had a podium finish for the Trans Am race back in 1991. While I’m sure the track will be a little different, the character is still the same.

“Even with no testing, there’s plenty of practice time and I’m sure we’ll figure out what we need from the chassis standpoint very quickly. I’ve worked with Eric Phillips before at NEMCO and it’s cool to be back with a lot of familiar faces. We’ve got some great Busch Series wins in the 87 car, so… I wouldn’t be against us.

“I think from what I remember of the track, the corners are fast and it’s dead flat. There’s no elevation there, unlike Watkins Glen or the sharp elevation at Infineon. It’s wide and the corners are fast - especially the last one.

“From the fan perspective, I remember the Mexican people were crazy over the Trans Am cars so I can’t imagine what it will be like with NASCAR. It should be good fun.”