Dodge/Save Mart 350 - Joe Nemechek Notes

NEMECHEK READY FOR SEASON'S FIRST ROAD RACE

SONOMA, Calif. (June 23, 2004) - When it comes to road-course racing, Joe Nemechek has the same opinion as he does for oval-track competition. "If my car is running well, then I like the track - I don't care what the configuration is."

With that said, Nemechek, driver of the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, doesn't have any qualms about the season's first road race, which will take place this weekend (June 27) here at Infineon Raceway.

"This is all part of the schedule and road racing is fun," said Nemechek. "Over the years we've all gotten better at it and from my standpoint I'm just as confident about going into this weekend as any other weekend."

Nemechek has proved that he can maneuver the twists and turns of the demanding 1.99-mile northern California circuit. In eight starts at Infineon (formerly known as Sears Point), he has had two top-10 qualifying efforts - sixth in 1999 and ninth in 1996. His best race finish was 11th in 2000.

If Nemechek needs any advice about the Infineon Raceway, he won't have to look far to get an expert's opinion. His teammate this weekend will be road-racing guru Boris Said, who will be driving the No. 36 Team CENTRIX Financial Chevrolet for MB2 Motorsports.

"Boris has tutored a number of drivers and it is sure nice to know that he's my teammate," said Nemechek. "We would be fools not to listen to him - he is one of the best road racers in the world. We tested together at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) and it was a good learning experience."

Nemechek is looking to snap a jinx that plagued the Army team in last week's race at Michigan International Speedway. He was running comfortably in the top five until his engine broke with 27 laps remaining.

"That hurt, but we showed once again that we can run up front," said Nemechek. "We just need to have a clean race. If we can do that, our finishes will be good."