Nemechek

A year ago, Joe Nemechek was riding on top of the world. He had just finished a two-year stint driving for team owner Andy Petree and was headed to another team, Haas-Carter Motorsports, with the promise of a lucrative sponsorship from Kmart and a team that might have been one of the most underrated in NASCAR.

It appeared to be a perfect marriage: the team needed Nemechek, and he needed the team. Along with new teammate Todd Bodine, Nemechek was on the verge of going from being known as "Rront Row Joe" for his reputation as a strong qualifier to "Consistent Winner Joe."

When the annual preseason media tour stopped at Haas-Carter headquarters in suburban Charlotte earlier this year, Nemechek beamed when he talked about the potential he and the No. 26 team had.

"We're starting a whole new career," Nemechek said. "This team has the promise of being the best I've ever been with. It has all the resources to win races and challenge for the Winston Cup championship."

Well, it did have that promise -- until Kmart unexpectedly pulled its multimillion dollar sponsorship three weeks after the company filed for bankruptcy, just two weeks shy of the season-opening Daytona 500.

The action devastated the two-team operation, and it struggled to find funding to keep the operation going. Bodine was benched after four races, to be brought back near midseason when Discover Card assumed sponsorship for the rest of the year on the No. 66 Ford.

Nemechek, meanwhile, managed to remain with the team and compete in the season's first six events before he was laid-off. That's where the story takes a significant turn for the better.

"My wife was more worried about things than I was, wondering where the next check would be coming from," Nemechek said. "I wasn't as worried. I knew I could still drive a race car, and the Kmart situation was something that was out of my hands. It was just a matter of hoping that something might happen later in the season, like a driver change."

Fast-forward to mid-May and Nemechek's hopes came true. Jerry Nadeau was released from Hendrick Motorsports' No. 25 Chevrolet, and Nemechek was brought in on what was planned to be a tryout. But after the debacle with the No. 26 team, Nemechek found himself a home with one of the best teams in racing and as teammates with two former champions, Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte.

Heady company, for sure, but that's where Nemechek will continue to drive in 2003, as Hendrick announced before Sunday's season finale at Homestead, Fla., that Nemechek would stay behind the wheel of the No. 25 next season.

	Nemechek has a shot to run a full season with Hendrick in 2003.

That announcement gave Nemechek not only a personal boost, but also may have had a direct impact on his performance, as he impressively finished Sunday's Ford 400 in second -- he even led the race for 72 laps, most of all drivers. It was the second time Nemechek had performed that feat in the last four races, and the finish gave the team a positive lift going into the off-season.

"I remembered how to drive about eight weeks ago," Nemechek said. "I've got a good job for the next year. I think I'm in the prime of my career. I turned 39 years old not long ago and I know I can get it done on the racetrack. It's a matter of getting all the right pieces to the puzzle -- crew chief, team, the whole deal is what makes you go fast out there."

Nemechek admittedly struggled during the first part of his tenure earlier this season with the Hendrick team. In his first eight starts behind the wheel of the No. 25 Chevy, he was absolutely miserable, with one last-place finish, two 41st-place outings and a total of six races of 33rd or worse.

The worst that Nemechek got, the more rumors started growing that he was not long for his seat. But when the team brought in new crew chief Peter Sospenzo and car chief Ed Guzzo (who was car chief on three of Gordon's championships) in September, it was as if a bell went off.

Sure, Nemechek had three straight finishes of 39th through 41st from Talladega, Ala., to Martinsville, Va., in the second half of the season, but he also had a fourth-place outing at Kansas City, as well as the runner-up showings at Atlanta and Homestead. He also started in the top-12 five times in his last nine starts, including fourth at Homestead.

It's no wonder that, even though the team still has a lot of work to do on its consistency, the Nemechek-Sospenzo-Guzzo partnership has clicked enough that Hendrick is bringing the trio back in its respective positions for next season.

"I like the positive direction of the team," Hendrick said. "Over the last few months, I've seen improvement in our practices, qualifying efforts, pit stops, race performances -- you name it. We're excited about the group we've assembled and the progress they're making."

Nemechek, who finished 34th in the standings even though he started just 33 of the season's 36 races, agrees.

"Right now, we're on a roll," he said. "The last eight weeks, my season has turned around. We've been leading races, we've been up there in the front. Homestead is a tough racetrack and we ran really good all day long. I've got to thank Papa Joe Hendrick (Rick's father and team co-owner) for kind of turning the fire up under Rick and the rest of the guys and giving me an opportunity to come back next year and show what we can do.

"I'm very excited about this opportunity. We're headed in the right direction with great leadership, an amazing sponsor and awesome talent on the crew. Everything is in place for success next season. I believe (his finish at Homestead) is just a sign to come. We just need a little bit more luck. I think we're showing them that we're coming on strong, and next year is going to be a really good year for us."

Rick Hendrick will vouch for that, saying, "I believe this team is going to be very competitive and turn a lot of heads in 2003."

Nemechek couldn't say it better, and with an added caveat -- he won't have to worry about another sponsorship debacle again next season.

"Rick has promised me that UAW and Delphi are not going to go bankrupt next year, so we're going to be in very good shape come Daytona," he said.

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com.