Nemechek Puts End to Drought

It took Joe Nemechek two years and 70 races to prove he can still win in the Winston Cup Series and he did it Sunday with a dominating performance in the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at Rockingham, N.C.

Nemechek, who won his only other Winston Cup race in 1999, was never challenged over the final 100 laps and beat Kenny Wallace to the finish line at North Carolina Speedway by 6.285 seconds.

He led 196 of the 393 laps to win his first race for car owner Andy Petree in their final season together. Petree is losing the sponsor of the No. 33 Chevrolet and Nemechek, afraid the team might fold, is rumored to be driving for Travis Carter next season.

Wallace, the replacement driver in the Chevrolet driven to victory by Steve Park on the same track in February, completed a stellar weekend with his highest finish of the season.

Wallace, filling in at Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the Cup car while Park recovers from a head injury, captured the pole for this race and won the Busch Series race Saturday.

Johnny Benson was third Sunday, followed by Dale Jarrett and Jerry Nadeau. Ward Burton was sixth and was followed in the top 10 by Tony Stewart, Ricky Rudd, Bobby Labonte and Matt Kenseth.

Series leader Jeff Gordon finished three laps down in 25th place. It allowed Rudd, his closest competitor in the title chase, to gain 54 points on Gordon.

But with three races remaining, Gordon leads by 326 points and can clinch his fourth Winston Cup title by finishing 28th or better in all of them.

Nemechek salvaged what has been a rollercoaster season. He sustained severe injuries in May when he crashed his Busch series car while testing it, causing him to sit out five races.

And with his situation with Petree up in the air, he had been limping along and began the race 33rd in the points standings.