Las Vegas Police still looking into Gordon-Conway incident: [Las Vegas] Police are still investigating a scuffle between NASCAR drivers Robby Gordon and Kevin Conway last week that prompted the racing series to place Gordon on probation. Las Vegas police Officer Bill Cassell said Friday that no significant injuries and no damage resulted from the March 4 altercation in a garage parking lot at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Cassell says no witnesses were immediately identified after Conway filed a police report alleging misdemeanor battery. The results of the police investigation will go to the Clark County district attorney. Conway briefly drove for Gordon in the Sprint Cup Series last year, and the drivers are suing each other.(ESPN/AP), see past news/updates on the #7 Team News and Links page.(3-12-2011)
Robby Gordon, Conway have altercation in garage UPDATE 4 probation: #7-Robby Gordon has been placed on immediate probation for an unspecified period after a post-qualifying incident in the Sprint Cup Series garage Friday evening at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR wouldn't specifically say what Gordon did, but described its probation move as an "emergency action." "His actions were brought to our attention early last evening," NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. "We met this morning and reviewed the situation, and have reacted accordingly. We will continue to look at this situation involving Robby Gordon." NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton described the incident as a "heated discussion" but wouldn't confirm it was a physical confrontation because he didn't personally witness it, nor did any NASCAR officials. "You'll have to find somebody that actually saw it," Pemberton said. The incident was brought to NASCAR's attention by Conway, Pemberton said. Conway will not be penalized. Gordon and Conway didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The two have had recent battles in the legal system over money.(SB Nation)(3-5-2011)
UPDATE: Neither Gordon nor Conway would talk about the incident, but Conway said he had filed a police report about the incident - giving the indication that it was physical - and said all comment would come from the police or NASCAR. Gordon said he couldn't comment because of the legal issues that already had existed between the two. Conway drove for Gordon in six races last year and they are involved in lawsuits with each other - Gordon has sued Conway sponsor Extenze in California while Conway has sued Gordon in North Carolina. Gordon said Saturday that Conway is asking for $27,000 in money from winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie award from last year. Gordon said Saturday that he would pay Conway once he gets the $690,000 from Extenze.(Scene Daily)(3-5-2011)
UPDATE 2: "It's simple," Gordon says of the financial dispute. "I'll pay him his money when he pays me my money….because he couldn't have earned that money if I hadn't put that car out on the track." The two men are making court depositions in that dispute. Conway declined to discuss the situation. Gordon described the confrontation as verbal: "He got in my face...and I told him...well, if he wants to go to the police, that's, well..." Gordon actually used slightly more colorful language in describing the encounter.(MikeMulhern.net)(3-7-2011)
UPDATE 3: Kevin Conway released a statement Monday evening: "I don't mind stiff competition, but I want to make sure the hard facts are told. First and foremost, I love being a part of NASCAR and have worked very hard to earn the privilege of competing in the Sprint Cup Series. On Friday night, Robby Gordon, who has a long history of issues in NASCAR decided to ambush me in the garage area at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, completely unprovoked. Robby even confronted Joe Nemechek, my car owner, on pit road during Cup Series qualifying shoving him and telling him that he was looking for me and going to assault me. We have many witnesses including a crew chief that signed a police report documenting the truth of his physical attack on me. Situations like this are not good for our sport. It's one thing if we were racing each other and I wrecked him or he wrecked me, that's an entirely different situation. It's very unfortunate that he chose to physically attack me to address his rage. Our fans, sponsors and NASCAR expect and deserve more from our competitors than this bullish, illegal behavior that was displayed by Robby against me."(ExtenZe Racing)(3-8-2011)
UPDATE 4 - OFFICIAL Probation: NASCAR announced that Robby Gordon, driver of the #7 Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been placed on probation until Dec. 31 for a rule infraction he committed March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gordon was penalized for violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing; involved in an altercation in the garage area with another competitor) of the 2011 NASCAR rule book.(NASCAR)(3-8-2011)
Nemechek's plans for 2011: NEMCO Motorsports will be back for a third season in the Sprint Cup Series. Planning on sending two cars to Daytona, the team will field Kevin Conway in an ExtenZe sponsored ride for the #97 entry. With just a little under three weeks in preparation, NEMCO and crew are working hard to get ready to head off to Daytona. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and we have some good stuff going on with both the 87 … and the 97,” says owner driver Joe Nemechek. “[Kevin] made a phone call to me, saying he needed help, and I said OK.” Right now, the team’s two car operation is a one race deal, but future races could be added to Conway’s schedule. Sponsorship past Daytona looks uncertain for Joe Nemechek’s car. “We have picked up sponsorship for Speedweeks,” said Nemechek. “We have HeatRedefined.com back with us for our Cup car, and DAB Constructors is helping us out with our Nationwide car for Daytona, but we’re still trying to seek sponsors for Phoenix, and California, and everywhere else after that.” In regards to his Nationwide schedule, “We’re going to try and run the whole [schedule], but it all depends on sponsorship,” said Nemechek. “Unless you have some financial help, it’s pretty much impossible to do on your own.”(The Racing Experts)(2-4-2011)
Conway driving for NEMCO at Daytona: Kevin Conway, and ExtenZe Racing announced on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio's 'The Morning Drive' show that they have teamed up with driver/owner Joe Nemechek and Nemco Motorsports to kick-off the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Conway will be behind the wheel of the #97 ExtenZe Racing Toyota at this year's Daytona Speedweeks. He will compete in the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade Duels where he will attempt to make the 43 car-field for the 53rd running of the Daytona 500. "After Daytona we hope to be able to work out some further details to add some additional races with Conway," said Joe Nemechek.(ExtenZe PR)(1-24-2011)
Nemechek Shows Support for B.R.A.K.E.S./EAA Young Eagles: Joe Nemechek and NEMCO Motorsports are showing support for B.R.A.K.E.S., and the nonprofit’s mission of promoting safe teen driving, this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The charity’s logo will be featured on both the #87 HeatRedefined.com Sprint Cup Series Toyota and the #87 Gator.com Nationwide Series car. B.R.A.K.E.S., which stands for Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe, was started in 2008 by NHRA drag racer Doug Herbert when he lost his two sons in a tragic car accident. The charity aims to prevent teen driving injuries and deaths by training and educating teen drivers and their parents about the importance of safe and responsible driving. For the final race of the 2010 season at Miami-Homestead Nemechek’s #87 Gator.com Nationwide Series car will be powered by a High Energy Engine provided by Doug Herbert and his company Herbert Performance Parts.
AND The EAA Young Eagles program, which is already the largest youth aviation education program in history, is reaching an even higher profile this weekend as a featured sponsor on Joe Nemechek’s entries in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races at Homestead. The NEMCO Motorsports entries in the season-ending Ford 300 Nationwide Series race and the Ford 400 Sprint Cup series event carry the logo of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s youth program, which has introduced aviation through free flights for more than 1.6 million young people since its founding in 1992. The sponsorship was donated by Nemechek for the annual “Gathering of Eagles” fundraiser auction during the EAA AirVenture fly-in in Oshkosh, Wis., last July. Florida businessman and EAA supporter Bill Bachschmidt won the bidding and donated the race sponsorship to Young Eagles.(NEMCO)(11-20-2010)
Drivers visiting Walter Reed: NASCAR's annual visit to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center is set for Thursday, with a total of 10 drivers scheduled to attend along with NASCAR President Mike Helton. Drivers expected to visit include #43-AJ Allmendinger, #16-Greg Biffle, #2-Kurt Busch, #38-David Gilliland,#17-Matt Kenseth, #12-Brad Keselowski, #98-Paul Menard, #87-Joe Nemechek, #39-Ryan Newman and #82-Scott Speed. Show cars on display are expected to be #39 U.S. ARMY Chevy, #88 National Guard Chevy, #99 Scotts Ford, #2 Miller Lite Dodge, #11 FedEx Toyota, #24 National Guard Chevy, #10 Sprint show car and a NASCAR/Walter Reed Army Medical Center car.(NASCAR)(9-22-2010)
Washington Music Center to Sponsor Nemechek: For the 2nd Year in a Row, Wheaton, MD based Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center is proud to be the Qualifying Sponsor for Nemco Racing's #87 NASCAR Sprint Cup entry in the Air Guard 400 Race to be held on Saturday September 11th at Richmond International Raceway. The #87 is driven by veteran owner/driver Joe Nemechek. "We're fortunate to have members of several NASCAR teams as customers of the store, and several members of our staff are avid Nascar fans, so sponsorship of a car seemed like a natural idea for us" said Brian Meader, Guitar Salesman and Director of Internet Marketing for Washington Music Center. "The Nascar fanbase reflects a very diverse group of people, and the opportunity to put the Chuck Levin's brand in front of such a wide audience really appeals to us". Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center has been serving musicians since 1958 and is the largest single independent retail music storefront in the United States.(Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center PR)(9-8-2010)
Nemechek gets sponsor for Daytona: UPDATE: HostGator.com, a leader in web site hosting services, has announced a sponsorship with #87-Joe Nemechek in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide races at Daytona International Speedway for the July 4th weekend. HostGator.com will become the main sponsor of the #87 Toyota piloted by Joe Nemechek of Nemco Motorsorts in time for the Coke Zero 400. The sponsorship also extends to Nemechek's Nationwide Car for its upcoming races at Chicago, Gateway, and O’Reilly Raceway Park. “We are honored to have HostGator.com on board, and that they picked Nemco Motorsports to see what NASCAR is all about. It’s always great to bring a new company into NASCAR,” said Joe Nemechek. “It also means a lot at Nemco Motorsports to have an environmentally friendly, green sponsor such as HostGator.com.” Earlier this year, HostGator.com announced a renewed commitment to keep more than 1,800 of its web hosting servers green through Renewable Energy Certificates for wind farms in the state of Texas. “We are very excited and proud to become a part of Nemco Motorsports and support a veteran driver like Joe. Many of our current customers and staff are huge fans of NASCAR, and we look forward to serving the many NASCAR Fans in the future.” stated Lance Custen, CEO for HostGator.com.(HostGator)(6-28-2010)
UPDATE: NEMCO Motorsports announced the return of a previous sponsor for driver Joe Nemechek in Fridays Jalapeño 200 and Saturday's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. England's Stove Works, Inc. will advertise its website, heatredefined.com, on the #87's NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series entries.(NEMCO PR)(7-2-2010)
Nemechek has sponsor for Texas: during Friday's Sprint Cup practice for the Samsumg Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, it was mentoned and shown that #87-Joe Nemechek has a sponsor on the hood of the #87 Toyota. Crosby Roofing, a Texas based "full service" roofing company that handle everything from a new roof installation, restoration and maintenance to re-roofs and repairs. More info about Crosby Roofing at crosbyroofingusa.com.(4-18-2010)
Sponsor does well with Nemechek: Looking for a statement on the economy and how hard even big Cup teams have to scramble? From the entry lists for Las Vegas, to this weekend at Atlanta, no less than 22 cars had primary sponsorship changes. Good news is only six cars are unsponsored. How can social media and the Internet work for you? Joe Nemechek got last-minute sponsorship for his Daytona 500 effort from England's Stove Works. The final figures weren't in, but within a couple days of the Great American Race, the company did more than $500,000 in business and its Web site had trouble handling the traffic. "Bravo Joe" for providing a real return on investment.(NASCAR.com)(3-5-2010)
England Stove Steps Up to help Nemechek: NEMCO Motorsports signed a co-primary sponsor for driver Joe Nemechek in Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. England Stove Works, Inc. of Monroe, Va. will adorn the hood of Nemechek's #87 Camry. England Stove Works, Inc. is a family-owned company and a major manufacturer of wood stoves and pellet stoves in the U.S. “I heard Joe’s story and felt compelled to help him,” said England Stove Works Chairman, Ron England. “Our company was founded on hard work and Joe’s a worker. He’s doing the best he can with what he has." England Stove Works, Inc. joins D.A.B. Constructors as co-primary sponsors for Nemechek’s Daytona 500 effort. For more information on available products, please visit www.heatrefined.com.(PR)(2-14-2010)
Nemechek gets assoc sponsor for Daytona: NEMCO Motorsports announced a partnership with Waverly Property Group of Daytona Beach, which includes associate sponsorship of driver Joe Nemechek’s entries in this month’s Speedweeks events at Daytona International Speedway. Waverly Property Group, an independent real estate company with a focus on waterfront properties, will serve as associate sponsor on Nemechek’s #87 NASCAR Sprint Cup and #87 Nationwide Series cars throughout the events in Daytona. The partnership marks Waverly Property Group’s first venture as a team sponsor with NEMCO. Nemechek, a four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winner and former NASCAR Nationwide Series champion, spent the majority of the 2009 season qualifying for races in the hopes of finding funding to race. Fielding both NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series cars out of his family-owned NEMCO Motorsports shop again in 2010, Nemechek says they’ll take it one race at a time. “We had a lean staff at NEMCO over the off-season but our guys put in the extra hours to get ready for Daytona,” Nemechek explained. “Our hope is if we can have a good effort, a potential sponsor may take notice and find NEMCO to be an appropriate and affordable fit. For now, we’re coming to Daytona to race 300 miles in the Nationwide race (Feb. 13) and 500 miles in the Daytona 500 (Feb. 14). We’re thankful for the support of Waverly Property Group in helping us kick off the 2010 season.(NEMCO Motorsports)(2-5-2010)
Nemechek Fans Show Their Support: #87-Joe Nemechek fans are once again calling upon all fans to start yet another Fans On Board campaign. Fans of Joe from the interactive forum website, www.joenemechek.net, have organized this campaign specifically to help Nemechek run the Sprint Cup race at Talladega. So far members of these forums have raised close to $1000 of their own money and are asking all fans to show support in any way by donating. Nemechek is very appreciative of the support of his fans and is looking forward to giving them a good show at Talladega. More info at www.joenemechek.net.(NEMCO)(10-9-2009)
Nemechek gets sponsor for RIR qualifying: Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center will be the Qualifying Sponsor for Nemco Racing's #87 Toyota driven by Joe Nemechek for the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 Race to be held on Saturday September 12th at Richmond International Raceway.(Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center), see an image of the scheme on my #87 Team Schemes page.(9-11-2009)
- Nemechek gets sponsor for Chicago: Joe Nemechek has secured sponsorship for both his Sprint Cup and Nationwide entries at this weekend's NASCAR races at Chicagoland Speedway. NYC Bagel Deli, a Chicago-based deli/restaurant known for its kettle-boiled bagels, cream cheeses, smoked fish and Boar's Head premium meats and cheeses, has agreed to be a primary sponsor on Nemechek's #87 Chevy in Friday night's Nationwide Series race and his #87 Toyota Camry in Saturday night's Sprint Cup event.(DMF Communications PR)(7-9-2009)
- Speed to race the #87 car at Infineon: Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye worked a deal with #87-Joe Nemechek, who qualified 31st, to put Scott Speed in his car for Sunday's race. Nemechek races in old Red Bull cars, and qualified in one of their Toyotas from last season. Red Bull, which also borrowed his car for Speed at Darlington last month, will cut Nemechek a later deal as payment for the Sonoma favor. "I came here to race, but I told them 'Hey, whatever you need me to do,' " Nemechek said of turning over his ride. Speed, a former Formula One driver with a tremendous amount of road course experience, was having a strong run that would have solidly put him in the field when he overdrove his car and went off course. Although he saved it from a wreck, it sunk his qualifying chances.(ESPN/AP)(6-20-2009)
- G.P.'s Enterprises return to sponsor Nemechek: Joe Nemechek said that G.P.'s Enterprises, which sponsored his #87 Toyota Camry Sprint Cup car in Charlotte last week, will continue the primary sponsorship this weekend at Dover International Speedway.
G.P.'s Enterprises is a highway construction company based in Auburn, Ga., specializing in site development, new roads, bridges and road grading. LubePro's, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary as the pioneer of the fast and professional oil change, will carry a major associate sponsorship on Nemechek's Cup car. The Cherry Valley, Ill. quick lube company has more than 30 locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Tennessee. Huckleberry's BBQ and Motorsportcruise.com will also grace the #87 Toyota with an associate sponsorship.(NEMCO) See an image of the scheme on my #87 Team Schemes page.(5-29-2009)
- Nemechek gets sponsor for Coke 600: Joe Nemechek's #87 Toyota Camry will have primary sponsorship from G.P.'s Enterprises, Inc. in Sunday's 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte. G.P.'s Enterprises, Inc.is a highway construction company based in Auburn, Ga., specializing in site development, new roads, bridges and road grading. Nemechek's Toyota, owned by NEMCO Motorsports, will also have associate sponsorships from Huckleberry's BBQ, LubePro's and Motorsportcruise.com. "We've been working hard to secure sponsorships in this tough economy and it is sure gratifying to see results," said Nemechek. "G.P.'s Enterprises is celebrating it's 25th year in business and hopefully we can give the company and its president George Flanigan a strong showing." (NEMCO PR)(5-24-2009)
- Speed to run #87 for Nemechek: Scott Speed will drive Nemco Motorsports' #87 Toyota tonight in the Southern 500, a Red Bull Racing spokeswoman confirmed Saturday afternoon. Speed failed to qualify his #82 Toyota for the Sprint Cup race on Friday at Darlington after crashing in practice and going to a backup car. Red Bull worked out an arrangement with Nemco to have Speed replace driver Joe Nemechek. Speed already seemed to rebound well from not qualifying for the Sprint Cup race, as he finished 13th in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Nationwide Series race Friday night at Darlington. Speed is driving a part-time schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing in that series. By putting Speed in the car, which will keep its regular logos, Red Bull will get the rookie valuable experience and Speed will earn the driver points. Team owner Joe Nemechek will get to keep the owners points. Depending on the financial arrangement, Nemechek also likely got some money for his unsponsored team to continue to go to races.(SceneDaily)(5-9-2009)
- Nemechek Announces 2009 Driving Plans: Joe Nemechek is gearing up for the 2009 NASCAR season. The driver and owner of NEMCO Motorsports said that he is planning to run the full Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series schedule, beginning with next month's season openers at Daytona International Speedway -- the Daytona 500 and Camping World 300. Nemechek will drive the #87 Toyota in the Cup Series and the #87 Chevy in the Nationwide races. "We are confident about acquiring sponsorship for 12 Cup races," said Nemechek. "We're working to secure sponsorship for the remaining 24 events and also for a number of Nationwide races. We have an excellent opportunity for a company interested in pursing a cost-effective motorsports sponsorship. Anyone interested can e-mail us at sponsorship@joenemechek.com. We want to race and put people back to work in these tough economic times." Veteran crew chief Philippe Lopez has joined NEMCO Motorsports and will oversee the competition side in both series. "We have a lot of exciting things happening at NEMCO," added Nemechek. "Having Philippe join us is a huge plus for our program. We were also able to acquire excellent equipment and are in position to run an economic yet competitive program."(NEMCO Motorsports PR)(1-23-2009)
- Many New Teams for 2009 UPDATE: NASCAR says that 15 new teams have submitted Sprint Cup cars to be certified this year. According to Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby and other recent announcements, those teams would include Tommy Baldwin Racing [#36 Toyota], TRG Motorsports [#71 Chevy], Nemco Motorsports [#87 Chevy], Mayfield Motorsports [?-Toyota], R3 Motorsports [#23-Chevy], Germain Racing [#13-Toyota]], Phoenix Racing [#09-Chevy] and others.(SceneDaily)(1-22-2009)
UPDATE: Jeremy Mayfield is among 15 people who have applied for ownership in the Sprint Cup series this season, NASCAR officials said on Thursday. Among the others are Tommy Baldwin, Joe Nemechek, Kevin Butler, Buddy Cisco and Larry Gunselman. A full list was not available. NASCAR officials have no idea how many races the teams will run or under what manufacturer they will run. Only Tommy Baldwin, a former crew chief, has said he plans to run a full season with Toyota support. "It could be a one-shot Hail Mary for the Daytona 500," Cup series director John Darby said of the others.
Mayfield, who made the Chase in 2004 and 2005 at Evernham Motorsports, is optimistic he'll be at next month's opener in Daytona Beach and many more races. "We've applied and we're 99.9% sure it's going to be a really, really good deal and work out for us," he said. "I always said I didn't want to own my own team. But everything that has come together, I feel like it's an opportunity I cannot do."
(ESPN.com)(1-23-2009)
- Kenny Wallace to run the #87...sorta: On ESPN2's RPM 2 Night, Kenny Wallace mentioned that the team he runs BGN and Cup with, Innovative Motorsorts [#48 Stacker2 in BGN and #98 Stacker2 in Cup), is leasing the NEMCO/Joe Nemechek road course car that Ron Fellows has driven in the past on the road courses in Cup races (as the #87 Chevy)(8-6-2002)
- Fellows - no ride at The Glen? Ron Fellows' chance of racing in this weekend's NASCAR road race at Watkins Glen is down to "a glimmer of hope." Fellows yesterday morning expecting to sign to drive A.J. Foyt's #14 Conseco Pontiac, only to find out he didn't have the ride. "I came down here planning to get fitted for the car (yesterday) and then take part in a test day (today) at Virginia International Raceway," said a disappointed Fellows. "But they decided to put someone else in the car instead of me." Former open-wheel racer P.J. Jones will be in Foyt's car. Fellows has driven a #87 Joe Nemechek entry the past three years at The Glen and was a close second to winner Jeff Gordon in 1999. However, Nemco Racing could not come up with a sponsor for this year's race. "There's still one more possibility,'' said Fellows. "It's a glimmer of hope. But right now it's not looking good."(Toronto Star)(8-6-2002)
- Fellows at The Glen? Ron Fellows, who was scheduled to test the #87 Nemco Racing Chevy at Watkins Glen on Monday and Tuesday, instead spent his time networking among the teams there, looking for any available rides [no sponsor for the #87]. Some opportunities for Ron Fellows to compete at the Glen surfaced Tuesday. "The word kind of got out yesterday," Fellows said Tuesday afternoon. "Since yesterday, I've had some calls this morning, but nothing's come together yet. I'm pretty sure it will though." Later in the day, after he returned to his home in Toronto, Fellows said, "I'm optimistic that we'll get something for the Glen." Fellows said he had conversations with a few potential rides for the Glen race, including two full-time Winston Cup teams.(Star Gazette - one day link)(7-31-2002)
AND Fellows helped yesterday with the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated team of [#15] Michael Waltrip at Watkins Glen, site of next week's Winston Cup race. Fellows, in an interview from the Glen yesterday, said he has a couple of deals close right now and could have a new race package in place if not today, then by the end of the week.(Toronto Sun)(7-31-2002)
- Fellows at Watkins Glen, NEMCO? or another team? Ron Fellows, who drove for Joe Nemechek at Sonoma last weekend [#87], plans to race in the Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen.in August. However, Fellows has been keeping his options open. While it is most likely that he will drive for Nemechek again at Watkins Glen, he might drive for another team if a better opportunity arose. As for Sonoma, Felllows went out early in the qualifying runs and the times. were all slow in the first few runs; the engine was fine but they had a carburetor problem during the race; and they did not get the car set up right and they had handling problems.(Race Fan TV)(6-25-2002)
- Nemechek to the #44 rumor...again UPDATE 2 to field his own team? No: Kyle Petty's decision to release Buckshot Jones as [the #44] driver raises the possibility that Petty may hire Joe Nemechek to take the ride. Petty has veteran Steve Grissom in the car here [at Talladega]. Petty says he has talked with Nemechek, but both men say that sponsorship conflicts - Sprint [on the Petty cars] vs. Cellular One [on Nemechek's BGN #87 car] - probably dooms any possible job offer.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-20-2002)
UPDATE: During the BGN race coverage on Fox Saturday, Mike Joy mentioned that Joe Nemechek will not be running the #87 team in the BGN series any longer and that Nemechek is getting ready to move the team to Winston Cup for a limited schedule starting at Lowes Motor Speedway in May. Joy also said Nemechek's contract with Travis Carter (in addition to the sponsors conflict) might have gotten in the way of Joe taking the #44 ride with Petty Enterprises, but will not keep him from fielding his own car. Nemechek is also supposedly going to field the #87 car for road course ace Ron Fellows at Sears Point and Watkins Glen as he has the past few years.(4-21-2002)
UPDATE 2: Folks from NEMCO report to me that the only Winston Cup races they have scheduled to run from Nemco Motorsports are Sears Point and Watkins Glen with Ron Fellows. Nemechek's BGN schedule will continue to be the same as it is posted on his website, www.joenemechek.com. When it was mentioned on Fox's broadcast of the BGN Race that Brian Pattie had remained at our shop to work on Winston Cup cars, those Winston Cup cars in question were Ron Fellow's Winston Cup #87 cars which he was preparing to take to the Sears Point test this week.(4-22-2002)
- WayMoreSports.com: Fellows looks for Winston ride by Rick Matsumoto(10/2001)
- What Happened to at Sears Point? #87-Ron Fellows got wrecked with 10 laps to go and went from the top 10 to a 38th-place finish. Terry Labonte suffered the same kind of sad fate, finishing 36th after some of his best racing of the season because he got mussed up in a Turn 11 dog pile on the next-to-last lap.(That's Racin') AND John Andretti ran 11th entering the final lap but ran out of gas and finished 30th(Richmond Times Dispatch)(6-25-2001)
- Fellows and Nemechek: NEMCO Motorsports announced today plans to compete in three NASCAR events with driver Ron Fellows this season. Fellows, who won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in February, will pilot the Nortel Networks #87 Chevy in next weekend's Savemart 350 Winston Cup Series event at Sears Point Raceway. From there, the team will move on to Watkins Glen for the BGN race on July 8, and the Winston Cup Series race on August 12. Bully Hill Vineyards will be the primary sponsor for both events at The Glen. Over the past three seasons, Fellows and Nemechek's team, led by Crew Chief Brian Pattie, have tallied two wins and a second in three tries in the BGN event at Watkins Glen, as well as a second-place finish in the 1999 Winston Cup Series race. Newcomers to the Sears Point event, Fellows insists the team's goal remains the same regardless of venue or series. "As always, whether it's Winston Cup or Busch, the main priority is to make the race," said Fellows. "I've raced at Sears Point in the Trans Am Series and in the Corvette, but this will be my first time in a Winston Cup car. We came out to Sonoma to test and were quite pleased with the result," Fellows added. "It's a very different track than Watkins Glen. It's a fun track because of the elevation changes, but generally, the corners are slower. You've really got to have a handle on shocks at Sears Point and Brian (Pattie) was able to accomplish that during the test." A Toronto, Ontario native, Fellows competes in the American Le Mans Series driving the GM Racing Corvette, as well as select NASCAR events with NEMCO Motorsports. Currently he is in France, competing with the GM Racing team in the 24 Hours of Le Mans(NEMCO Motorsports PR)(6-13-2001)
- Fellows back with Nemechek: Road Course ace Ron Fellows hopes to run the Watkins Glen and Sears Point Winston Cup Road Course races in a Joe Nemechek-owned Chevrolet as he has done the past few seasons(along with others in the BGN and CTS). "I really want to win a Winston Cup road race before I get too old or too slow, not necessarily in that order," said Fellows. "I really enjoyed working with Joe Nemechek's team. Right now we're tentatively talking about Sears Point and Watkins Glen and the Busch race at Watkins Glen." Fellows keeps hoping to do a Winston Cup oval race but he hasn't found the time in his schedule just yet(Speed Magazine)(1-7-2001)
- Fellows to Test at the Glen: Ron Fellows will be participating as the test driver for the new Corvette C5-R prototype, doing Goodyear Tire Tests on Tuesday, July 11th. Fellows is also scheduled to be testing his NEMCO Motorsports #87 Bully Hill Vineyards Chevrolet, a car NEMCO plans on entering in the August 13th Global Crossing @ The Glen NASCAR Winston Cup Series event(Watkins Glen PR)(7-7-2000)
- Nemechek and Fellows: Road-racing veteran Ron Fellows will race in three NASCAR events at Watkins Glen for Joe Nemechek this season. Fellows, who has driven equipment prepared by Nemechek's NEMCO Motorsports team in the past, will drive a Nemechek-owned entry in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the 2.45-mile road course
June 24, the NASCAR Busch Series event June 25, and the Winston Cup race there Aug. 13. The sponsor will be the same as 1999, Bully Hill Vineyards.(goracing and RPM2Nite) Fellows almost won the Cup race at Watkins Glen last year, finishing 2nd to Jeff Gordon. Fellows did win the CTS event there in 1999(3-30-2000)
- AJ visits? I hear AJ Foyt along with Waddell Wilson visited Joe Nemechek's shop on Wednesday. Supposedly just taking a look at Nemechek's operation(9-2-1999)
- Fellows: Road Course specialist Ron Fellows, who finished 2nd at Watkins Glen in the Cup race, mentioned on RPM2Nite Monday that he and his sponsor at Watkins Glen, Bully Hill Vineyards, may do some more races together in the future, probably in the NorthEast and could be Cup, BGN or CTS(8-17-1999)
- Ron Fellows/Nemechek: Ron Fellows will once again be teaming with Bully Hill Vineyards of Hammondsport, NY, for the Winston Cup Frontier at The Glen, August 15, 1999. This time Fellows will be driving the #87 Chevy's owned by Nemechek-McGraw Racing with sponsorship from Bully Hill Vineyards of Hammondsport, NY. Fellows' achievements at The Glen include three consecutive CTS poles and two wins; a BGN pole and a win; as well as two wins in the SCCA Trans Am Series. Should he achieve victory in the Frontier @ The Glen, he would become the first driver to win a race in each of NASCAR's three premier touring series' at one track. Bully Hill Vineyards was started by Greyton H. Taylor and Walter S. Taylor in 1958. The family has been either growing grapes or producing wine since 1878. In 1970 Bully Hill Vineyards, Inc. was formally incorporated. Located in Hammondsport, NY, it now produces over 200,000 cases of wine each year. Bully Hill Vineyards, Inc. prides itself on the production of the highest quality New York State wines and grape juices. Visit their web site at www.bullyhill.com(NEMCO Motorsports PR)(7-14-1999)
- Ron Fellows/Nemechek UPDATE: Ron Fellows' will be a semi-regular on both the BGN and CTS in 1999. Joe Nemechek, who will drive for SABCO racing next year, has contracted Fellows to drive about 12 races for him in 1999 including the Winston Cup event at Watkins Glen, which has become a favorite track for the Canadian(TSN Motorsports)(12-18-98) -- NASCAR Online reports that as of now, Fellows is contracted to run the BGN race at Watkins Glen and four truck races with AER Manufacturing as the sponsor. Fellows schedule could expand if he finds additional sponorship, which he feels confident about. Nemechek will run 13 BGN events in 1999 in the #87 Chevy. No mention of a Cup race at all in the story.(NASCAR Online)(12-21-1998)
