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Bristol II: Joe Nemechek preview

INSPIRED BY SOLDIERS, NEMECHEK HOPEFUL OF ENDING BRISTOL JINX BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 23, 2005) -- Always inspired by the bravery and dedication of soldiers, U.S. Army driver Joe Nemechek will carry even more inspiration into Saturday night's race ...

INSPIRED BY SOLDIERS, NEMECHEK HOPEFUL OF ENDING BRISTOL JINX

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 23, 2005) -- Always inspired by the bravery and dedication of soldiers, U.S. Army driver Joe Nemechek will carry even more inspiration into Saturday night's race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Before arriving at the half-mile Bristol bullring, Nemechek was scheduled for a couple of up-close-and-personal activities with the men and women of the United States Army.

On Tuesday (Aug. 23) Nemechek will be at Texas Motor Speedway greeting and giving rides to soldiers from Ft. Hood, Texas, who recently returned from Iraq. And on Wednesday, Nemechek will do a live radio interview on Sports Byline USA, which will originate from Mosul, Iraq with soldiers acting as guest hosts of the nationally and globally syndicated radio network.

Nemechek will join a number of celebrities on the Sports Byline Iraq shows, including Bobby Knight, Mike Kryzewski, Phil Jackson, Bob Costas, Bill Belichick, Cal Ripken Jr., Steve Young, Tony LaRussa and Roger Staubach.

"It's no secret that Bristol Motor Speedway hasn't been one of my better tracks," said Nemechek, "But this weekend I am looking for a different result. On my schedule before I get to Bristol is to be with and talk to a group of people, who are the best when it comes to lifting your spirit. And I am talking about our soldiers. They're fired-up about our Army race team, and they'll have me fired-up for Bristol."

Nemechek will also be taking some recent momentum to Bristol with back-to-back top-10 finishes in Watkins Glen (ninth) and Michigan (eighth). He also claimed the pole in Michigan last week in his No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet.

"Except for only a few races this year, we've had good cars at every Nextel Cup event," said Nemechek. "We've had our share of bad breaks, but we continue with the fight. Like our soldiers, we never give up. Never!"

Nemechek and the NASCAR racing world all know that having a strong performing car in Bristol doesn't always translate into a solid finish. It's a survival of the fittest race that usually resembles a crash 'em up demolition derby affair.

"Bristol is no different than restrictor-plate racing -- if someone makes a bad move it can cause a big wreck that can pile up a whole bunch of cars in a short period of time," explained Nemechek. "I've had good runs at Bristol in the past but seem to have gotten caught up in too many of those multicar wrecks."

That's exactly what happened to Nemechek at the last two Bristol races. He was involved in an accident in the March race, and at last year's night race in August, Nemechek was forced to retire from the event early when his Army Chevy slammed hard into the concrete wall.

"We are due in Bristol," said Nemechek. "Hopefully the jinx has run its course."

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