Joe Nemechek Race Quotations

My team is definitely capable of being in the Chase. Any Nextel Cup race you can win is big. It's the most competitive thing I've done.

I got in the right place at the right time and had success. It gives all the drivers at all the race tracks something to shoot for. It wasn't that long ago that I was running there.

The pit crew was incredible tonight, we gained on almost every stop and towards the end of the race when we really needed a couple of quick stops, the guys came through with flying colors.

Since we didn't make the Chase, our goal right now is to finish 11th and we can do that. We have some race tracks coming up that we like and can run well at. We proved that last year, and if we can repeat that performance, we'll be contending for 11th place and the one million dollar bonus that goes with it. We have that Army spirit of never giving up.

Not a great finish but an outstanding effort. We struggled in practice yesterday and I had concern. But Ryan (crew chief Ryan Pemberton) and the crew put a whole new setup in the car for the start of the race and let me tell you -- the Army Chevy was bad to the bone. One of the best cars I have ever driven. It was just incredible, I mean incredible on how good the car drove.

As a driver, it would mean a lot. But I don't think it defines a driver. Daytona is a big race, but any Nextel Cup race you can win is big.

We had the right package today. But not having a shot at the victory after starting from the pole and leading a number of laps is disappointing. I thought this was the race we were going to win for our soldiers, who are protecting our freedom here and abroad. We'll get that victory for our troops and I have a gut feeling it's going to happen soon. But for now, we'll take the eighth-place result and go on to the next race.

I don't think the race was 10 laps old when I heard a thump. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it turned out to be very costly. I don't know what hit us, but whatever it was, it caused extensive damage to the right-front fender and the air dam.

There are a lot of other things I could be doing out there, but I love to race. I'm fortunate to have the opportunity, to have the team and to have the resources to be able to do this.