Crash ends Nemechek's day at Pocono

LONG POND, Pa. -- For a second consecutive week, a crash has led to Joe Nemechek's early exit from a race.

Nemechek, driver of the No. 25 UAW/Delphi Chevrolet, lost control of his car on lap 31 of the 200-lap race at Pocono Raceway. Coming through Turn 3, the car slowed after popping out of gear and then spun with the left rear making hard contact with the wall.

The car whipped around after hitting the wall, came down the track and into oncoming traffic. No other cars made contact with Nemechek, who had been running in the 33rd position.

Nemechek exited the car unharmed before it was towed to the garage area.

"I've got to apologize to Rick Hendrick and all these guys," a dejected Nemechek said while standing next to the car as the crew thrashed to make repairs. "The car was good, it was fast and we were coming up through there.

"It started to have transmission problems and they (crew) were telling me to pit. Just as I keyed the microphone to answer, it popped out gear then I ended up in the wall.

"We're just having awful luck. I'm not doing my job and we're not finishing race like we should."

Nemechek wrecked at Dover last week after making contact with Todd Bodine 42 laps into that 400-lap race. Since joining the Rick Hendrick Motorsports team, Nemechek has finished 30th, 43rd and 41st in the three points races he's driven the car.