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 TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) - Joe Nemechek is an unwavering optimist. Racing in NASCAR's top series full-time since 1994, Nemechek has won just four times in 366 starts and has never finished better than 15th in the season points. But Nemechek, who moved into the No. 01 Chevrolet late in the 2003 season, still believes he can be a championship contender.
Last year, his first full season with the ambitious MB2 Motorsports team, the 41-year-old Nemechek had a rebirth of sorts, running competitively most of the season, winning a race in Kansas City and finishing 19th in the points. It was his first time in the top 20 since that 15th with the now-defunct team of Andy Petree in 2000.
Last season's surge raised expectations — both Nemechek's and the team's. But the 2005 season has gotten off to a so-so start, with Nemechek 24th in the standings and his best showings in the first eight races a pair of 10th-place finishes.
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