Chat Transcript: Joe Nemechek
November 14, 2001
12:02 PM EST (1702 GMT)
[NASCAR_Host3] Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Joe Nemechek!
[Joe_Nemechek] Welcome to everybody! Let's start answering your questions.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [bklmusic] Question for Joe: Congratulations on your two wins. What do you think about the new superspeedway rules? Do you think they will help spread the pack out?
[Joe_Nemechek] Yes, and thank you. We have been working very hard to win a race for a long time in Winston Cup and hopefully before the year is out we can get another one.
The new speedway rules I think are going to spread the field out. It is not going to be three-wide all the time. I think there will be two-wide racing. Hopefully it will still make for a good show for the fans.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Nascar-Sunny] Question for Joe: What is your favorite track to race at, and what do you think of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
[Joe_Nemechek] My favorite track to race at is wherever I am racing and you have to have a good attitude about where you are going in order to make yourself run well. Indy is a really neat race track. It is very fast and very flat. A good engine and good aerodynamic body there is a definite advantage.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [spider] Joe: In light of the pit road accident on Sunday, should NASCAR mandate the wearing of helmets for all pit crew members?
[Joe_Nemechek] Well the way things are going I would probably say they are going to mandate helmets. We have seen that in IRL and CART and that will be a good thing. It will keep them that much safer if anything like that happens again.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [harvickrulz] What's your favorite series, Craftsman Truck, BGN, or Winston Cup?
[Joe_Nemechek] That is a hard question to answer because they are all fun, especially when you have a good-handling race vehicle. We have run well in the truck series, and we haven't won there, but we ran well there. We have run well in all 3 and they are all fun, which is why I keep doing this.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [bklmusic] What has been you favorite memory of this year?
[Joe_Nemechek] I would have to say my favorite memory for this year is the win at Rockingham in the Winston Cup car and being so dominate. I never expected it to be like that but our car was very good and I had a good day on the race track also.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [gogogo87] Joe, what do you have planned for the off season?
[Joe_Nemechek] Well there is definitely not a lot of time in the off season. Seems like it gets shorter and shorter every year. We are going to go snow skiing and take the kids. That will take up a good part of it, and we have some testing going on in the offseason, so that will probably take up the other part of it.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [tonyfan] Joe, congratulations on your wins! What did you do to celebrate both wins?
[Joe_Nemechek] After the Winston Cup win there was quite a few people over at my house when I got home that night and we went up and cooked lunch for the team and did some team things. The Busch win, it is still too early! All the guys went to lunch today, so that is about it.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Anna Budisalich ] Congratulations on your recent win! This past weekend my husband and I participated in the Jarrett/Favre Driving School at Talladega. What a rush! Do you ever help in any of those type events or make appearances?
[Joe_Nemechek] I haven't so far but it has been talked about especially with the Jarrett/Favre driving experience. It is something that could happen quite soon.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [gojoe] Joe, do you follow any other sports other than racing?
[Joe_Nemechek] I just keep up with them on all the sports programs. We watch a little bit of everything, football, baseball, etc. Living up here in the Carolinas we have to pull for the Panthers, but we just really pull for all of them.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Front_Row_87] Have you ever considered putting a full time driver for NEMCO Motorsports in either the BGN or Truck Series?
[Joe_Nemechek] We have a full time driver with Randy LaJoie in the second car that we run out of our shop, but other than that, no. I still enjoy driving and as long as I enjoy it, I will stay in my No. 87.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Dalefan] What does it take for a driver to get ready for a race such as Daytona or Talladega?
[Joe_Nemechek] As far as a driver, you just have to be mentally prepared because those races are pretty stressful. It is a high-speed game of chess. With the aero changing, I think that will change some of the strategy. There is going to be some other advantages and disadvantages with the new package.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [HarvickFan] Do you think your kids will follow in your footsteps?
[Joe_Nemechek] I am not sure. John Hunter, this is all he has been around, and he likes to race. He is pretty much a wildman on whatever he gets on and he likes to go wide-open. If he wants to do it, I will support him.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Chevy_BBR] Joe, with the R.A.D. program dominating the superspeedways with the new rules package for Daytona, do you think R.A.D will dominate like it has in the past?
[Joe_Nemechek] I am not sure. It all depends on how the rules end up turning out. The R.A.D group being involved in that, that was a good aero program but I think as they changed the rules, I think the other brands will become better.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [beav] With all the success of Ron Fellows in your cars and trucks, any plans to give him a shot on an oval? Will we at least see Ron on the road courses in your equipment next season?
[Joe_Nemechek] We are currently talking about all that right now. As soon as we get something decided, we will let everybody know.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [racecarchic47] What is your advice to up and coming drivers, or young adults that have dreamed of driving a racecar?
[Joe_Nemechek] It is a tough sport to get into, and it seems like it is getting tougher and tougher. You have to be very dedicated and you have to very much want to do this.
It seems likes the expense just keeps getting greater and greater, and you need to be in the right place at a right time to get hooked up to a great sponsor is also important.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Wburton22addict] What is your take on the recent display of the "overly" aggressive racing and intentional "ramming" that has been going on?
[Joe_Nemechek] It is all "heat of the battle" stuff. We are all friends away from the racetrack. If you have a good car one day and something happens, you just get really frustrated, so things happen.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Front_Row_87] I read on your bio page at joenemechek.com that you suggest that racing hopefuls should start young. In your opinion, what is too old to begin racing as a career?
[Joe_Nemechek] I would have to say that it needs to not interfere with school. I know with my son his education is going to be number one and as long as he does well in that, he will be allowed to do the other things he likes. That is how my parents brought me up.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [87Fan] I thought I saw or heard something about another kids book coming out. Both of my kids love "Racin' Buddies" - is there another one in the works? (Our copy of "Racin' Buddies" is extra special to us because it is signed by your Mom.)
[Joe_Nemechek] Right now we just have the one. We do have plans to get some more out there, but we are just trying to get distribution for this first one. As soon as that happens, there will definitely be more to follow.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [FollownJr] Hi Joe! Congratulations on your Busch and Winston Cup wins this year. What are your feelings on a new package for Daytona and 'Dega? Most fans think something needs to be done for the driver's safety. Do you have any ideas that might help the present problems? Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and stay warm in NH =)
[Joe_Nemechek] NASCAR is working on a lot of technology as far as impact zones in the racecar, which is going to be very beneficial. They are still working on softwalls for some of the different racetracks. There is a lot of work being done right now, but I do feel safe in a racecar. In the future I think they are going to make the cars even bigger to give the drivers some more room.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Marlene2 ] Hi Joe! Congratulations on your big wins at Rockingham and Homestead! Who were your racing idols growing up? Who was most instrumental in giving you your big break into racing?
[Joe_Nemechek] I would have to say my first racing idol was a guy named Hurricane Bob Hannah. He was a motocross champion back in the 1970s. That is how I kinda got inspired into racing.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [prtvucrw] What goals have you set for yourself and how do you plan for a new season?
[Joe_Nemechek] The goals are to win races. You want to go out there and win races every year. We are going to try and go out and do that next year and work out a plan to make that happen.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [racingbusch] Joe, will you make any personal appearances in Atlanta?
[Joe_Nemechek] There are none that I am aware of. If the souvenir hauler is there, I will try to get out there sometime during the ARCA race.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [#1fan] Joe, after eight weeks of being unable to race, what did you do to mentally and physically prepare yourself for the rest of the season?
[Joe_Nemechek] Mentally it was tough coming back because you have to have confidence getting back into the racecar, but I knew I could get it done. Physically, I did an intense rehab program to get all my muscles back into shape.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [HarvickFan] Are you planning to stay on the same race team next season?
[Joe_Nemechek] I will give you more info about that at the end of the chat.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [GO87flames] What are the major differences (if any) when racing in the Winston Cup and Busch series and which do you find the most challenging?
[Joe_Nemechek] They are both very challenging. Every weekend is something different and you are trying to get your car set up to go as fast as it can for as long as it can, and that separates the good teams from the not so good teams. You have to have the setups. There is not a lot of difference between the Busch and Winston Cup. You just have to hit the setup.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [akp2445 ] What do you think of the new engine rule for 2002? How do you think that will affect the competition?
[Joe_Nemechek] I am not sure, and I don't think anyone knows until we start running the engines. Hopefully reliability won't be a big issue, and the teams that figure that out will have an advantage. It is going to save money by not having qualifying engines, but on the other hand if people start breaking a lot of engines during the race, it won't be so good.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [prtvucrw] Do you think it gives you an advantage getting ready when you are racing both Saturday and Sunday?
[Joe_Nemechek] Sometimes it does but most of the time each car is different enough that it takes different setups. Trying to find the setups is different for each team.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [cardman] Joe, what changes, if any, do you feel NASCAR needs to make in order for all 4 manufacturers to be on a more level playing field, especially at a track like Talladega?
[Joe_Nemechek] The only way they can be on a level field is that everyone has to have the same bodies. I know a lot of manufacturers don't want that, but if you want them equal, a lot of stuff has to be the same. Then it comes down to who is working the hardest.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [bode1] What is the most important factor about Atlanta?
[Joe_Nemechek] There is always more than one important factor, but I would say the most important factor would be keeping the car balanced properly. In doing that, you won't bind the car up in the corner, you run the tires better, and it will run faster.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [duyujeff] Joe, how have the recent deaths and injuries in NASCAR affected your views on safety on the track or in the pits? Is NASCAR doing enough?
[Joe_Nemechek] I think NASCAR is doing a good job at looking at each individual accident and making changes based on that. You just can't go out and make wholesale changes because it effects so many different things. You might make a change that helps one thing and hurts another, so you have to be careful how you make changes. All the things NASCAR has changed are definitely for the good.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [go_joe_go] Joe, my mother won the autographed cardboard cutout on your web site. Did you come up with the idea of having auctions?
[Joe_Nemechek] I didn't actually come up with that idea, and I don't know who did, but we auction off quite a lot of different stuff.
[NASCAR_Host3] Joe, thank you! That's all the time we have this evening, do you have any final thoughts?
[Joe_Nemechek] Thanks to everyone for coming online and talking and chatting. One thing you can look out for this weekend is news from Atlanta as we will be making a big announcement and everybody will then know where I will be driving for 2002. Thank you again and good night.
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