Inside Interview
© 2004-5 Dwight Drum

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Photos and story © 2005 Dwight Drum

Web work by Gary Larsen

Joe Nemechek
Driver, No. 01 US Army Chevrolet

“You get good people around you, you’re going to run well.”

Time: Late season 2005
Place: Season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway

No better place to feel military camaraderie than under a big tent with enlisted and officer Army personnel. Add several hundred prospective Army recruits, high school students, and you have even more group involvement. Pitch that giant tent in the hospitality area for US Army Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the finale of the NASCAR season and you add the excitement of racing to the high energy of solidarity.

The US Army expends great effort in preparation for the ultimate teamwork needed for the chaos of combat. Before we take fans to our one-on-one interview with US Army driver Joe Nemechek and his explanation of great team effort in racing we take you to a few good words by a dedicated soldier. Please plant your feet and listen up while we focus on a special sergeant who gave an inspiring speech to recruits that day – under the big tent.

Attennnnntion!

“I love being a Drill Sergeant. It's the second best job I will ever have in my life, behind being a father to my two little girls."

Dwight asked Joe Nemechek:

“It’s hard to identify any one. They are so many. You have different things happen to you every day that you have to learn from. The day you quit learning is the day you need to find something else to do. I think that’s more evident in racing only because the technology changes. Things change very quickly and if you’re not up-to-speed on everything you get left behind.”

“Racing is very humbling sport. You can be on top one weekend and be at the bottom the next. It’s a sport that we get graded on a weekly basis. I think that’s probably one of the toughest things as far as learning how to deal with it. I think a lot of the new guys, the young coming into this deal driving and if something happens it’s devastating. You have to learn how to deal with all that stuff. That’s part of the driver responsibility.

“I want to win a NEXTEL Cup championship. This year has been one of the best years that I’ve ever had only because we have run so well but we’ve had so many little things come back and bite us. It’s taken a year that we thought we should have been in the Chase. Just a couple races and we had a bunch of them that we had problems, just a couple of races would have locked us in and would have made a difference in everything. You can’t go back and look on the past, you got to look to the future. We’re getting geared up for next year. I think we can have an incredible year. It’s the best crew I’ve ever worked with. These guys are dedicated, but they like to have fun. They’re serious but they like to have fun. When you have that, it makes it fun. This is all about people. This is a people sport. Between our two cars we have over 100 people working on our team. It’s about people. The majority of the businesses out there in the world today it’s about people. You get good people around you, you’re going to run well.”

“Describe myself. I consider myself a family person. I try to spend as much time as I can with my family but I’m very intense. When it comes to racing, I’m serious. I’m not out here to mess around. I’m here to run well and show what I can do and show what the team has given me. I’m very serious. I don’t know how else to describe it. There are just so many things. The biggest thing I think is No. 1, I keep my values right. I was brought up under good values, good morals and a lot of that has changed in society a bit today. I’ve seen it all change. I’m beating at my kid’s heads to do the right thing. That’s what it’s all about in this world.”

“They’re fun when your car is driving good, and they’re miserable when your car is not driving good. It’s an incredible rush that you get. You’re going around these corners at 180 mph, a lot of G forces pushing you down in the seat. It’s just awesome. When you can make that car go faster than everybody else it’s an incredible feeling.”

“I just race. I’m just like any individual out there. I’m just like you. I put my pants on every day the same way. I’m just trying to do the right thing and do the best I can do it every time I’m out there.”

“I’m very fortunate to have the Army as a sponsor. The Army is over a million strong and that’s an incredible number. When you’re representing that many people to me it hits close to home just because you are dealing with people again. These soldiers are proud of what they do. I’m proud to be representing them on the track. No matter where they are, if they fighting in battle overseas, whatever they’re doing I take a lot of pride in trying to make sure that race car is up in the front. Those guys are watching. The soldiers are watching wherever they are around the world. If they can get the information, they’re on top of it. It’s much easier for me running well, because I hear form them. Whether I run well or I run bad, I hear from them. I just like to give them whatever may be, ten minutes an hour however long they watch. Just to ease their minds. Man, I’m proud of what that guy is doing. He’s representing us well and that means a lot to me.”

Zoomster.com closing comment: We started out in NHRA and we frequently interview US Army sponsored racers Tony Schumacher, Angelle Sampey and Antron Brown. We always get that same proud Army story from them. Thanks Joe.

{Zoomster.com Editor Dwight Drum and Webmaster Gary Larsen as proud Veterans salute our troops and remind all in the USA that every day is a day for veterans in our corner of cyberspace.}