WATKINS GLEN, New York (September 15, 2024) – “Front Row” Joe Nemechek pulled off a winning rebound from a flat tire in Saturday morning’s qualifying race for a come-from-behind victory in that afternoon’s HSR NASCAR Classic presented by Petty’s Garage feature race at Watkins Glen International in his 2007 No. 45a Chevrolet Silverado prepared by Nemechek Motorsports & Engineering.
The victory was the first for Nemechek in just the second event ever for the new NASCAR Classic series, which debuted last month at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). Nemechek’s win made up for a retirement in the VIR race, Saturday morning’s tire issue and an early exit in last year’s debut HSR historic stock cars race on the Go Bowling at The Glen weekend.
“It feels really good,” Nemechek said. “We came up here last year, and I believe I had an engine issue, so to finally get it all together, coming from the back in the last race, it was a lot of fun.”
Nemechek started picking off positions from the drop of the green flag and was soon in second-place overall behind Ryan Gemmell in his Nemechek Motorsports & Engineering his 2009 No. 6 Toyota Camry.
Gemmell led the majority of the race from the pole after his own comeback feat in the qualifying race. Unable to take part in Friday’s group qualifying session while focused on a successful series debut and eighth-place finish in that afternoon’s ARCA Menards Series race, Gemmell stormed from the back of the field in the qualifying race for the victory.
The win put Gemmell on the pole for Friday’s feature, and he led the majority of the race before a late battle with Nemechek in the closing stages. Nemechek pulled off what proved to be the winning pass three laps from the finish and took the checkered flag with a 1.855 seconds margin of victory as Gemmell pressured to the finish.
“These weekends are so much fun,” Gemmell said. “For someone like me, who is trying to build a career in racing, this is such a great place to build a foundation and gain experience and get laps. When you are out with professionals like Joe Nemechek and Justin Marks, it is great experience, great seat time. I have a blast every time I come.”
Nemechek and Gemmell were joined on the overall and Pro-class podium by Justin Marks in the same Petty’s Garage 2006 No. 45 Victory Junction Dodge Charger that Mike Skeen drove to the overall and Pro victory in the NASCAR Classic debut race at VIR. A former NASCAR national series driver, Marks is now best known as the owner and founder of top NASCAR Cup series team Trackhouse Racing, but he began his motorsports career at the top levels in sports car racing. He co-drove to a GT-class win in the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and one of his NASCAR Cup drivers, Ross Chastain, starts from the pole in today’s Go Bowling at The Glen NASCAR Cup race in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
Mirroring his results from the VIR opener, Patrick Womack finished fourth overall and first in the SCA class at The Glen in his 2014 No. 11 Toyota Camry campaigned in its prime by Joe Gibbs Racing and Denny Hamlin. Womack finished second in the same car in last year’s HSR stock cars race on the Go Bowling weekend.
Kurt Vogt completed the overall top-five and won the SCB class in his first race in his recently acquired ex-Valvoline Racing and Mark Martin 1997 No. 6 Ford Thunderbird, which was one of three 1990’s era stock cars entered and prepared by his Cobra Automotive team at The Glen.
Gary Moore also left The Glen with a Cobra Automotive victory in the SCC division in his 30-year-old 1994 No. 12 Ford Thunderbird, which was driven in contemporary competition by Derrike Cope, while Scott Dolfi joined Nemechek as winner wheeling a classic stock car truck (SCT) with an SCT class win in his 2016 No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado. Like Nemechek’s Silverado, Dolfi’s Chevy pickup was driven in contemporary NASCAR Truck Series competition by Nemechek’s son, John Hunter Nemechek.
Eligible NASCAR Classic stock cars include those built to previous NASCAR rule book specifications for Cup, Xfinity, Truck and ARCA competition. Current editions of the rules-eligible cars in each series, such as the Cup series Generation 7 chassis, are not eligible in NASCAR Classic competition.
Next up on the HSR NASCAR Classic schedule is HSR’s first appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the NASCAR Bank of America ROVAL 400 race weekend, October 11 – 12. For more information, please visit the official HSR NASCAR Classic Charlotte Roval event page by clicking here.
Meanwhile, HSR’s full-season schedule of endurance and sprint race competition continues next weekend with the annual HSR Fall Historics at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, September 19 – 22. For more information, please visit the official HSR Fall Historics event page by clicking here.
About HSR: Now an IMSA property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the race cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions 10 vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/
