SWR In The News

Veteran Driver Will Also Pilot BCR's No. 27 in Stand-Alone Events at Nashville and Kentucky

April 21^st, 2010 - Baker Curb Racing announced today that Scott Wimmer will drive the team's No. 27 Red Man Moist Snuff Ford in Saturday's Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. Wimmer will also pilot the No. 27 for Baker Curb Racing in the upcoming stand alone events at Nashville Superspeedway and Kentucky Motor Speedway.

The Wausau, WI native has finished in the top 10 in each of his two starts on the NASCAR Nationwide Series this season and has also led a lap in each race. Wimmer drove previously for Baker Curb Racing during the 2006 season and collected four top-10 finishes in 16 starts.

"Scott Wimmer has a solid resume in NASCAR and when given the chance this year he has proven that he can run up front and compete for wins," Baker Curb Racing president Matt Crews said. "He had some strong runs in our car in 2006 and we look forward to continued success with him behind the wheel of the No. 27 Red Man Moist Snuff Ford Fusion."

The 34-year old's resume includes six career Nationwide Series victories, including four during the 2002 season, and a third-place finish in the 2004 Daytona 500. In 2007 he and Jeff Burton teamed-up to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner's Championship for Richard Childress Racing.

NASCAR Nationwide: Wimmer Deserves a Chance

Bleacher Report.com

Written by Ashley McCubbin

April 5^th, 2010

Scott Wimmer is a talented driver in the Nationwide Series – yet continues to lose rides despite how successful he is for the team.

In his past two starts with JR Motorsports (JRM), he has finished seventh both times. Though come Phoenix, Wimmer won’t be in the No. 7 car. That ride has been given to Landon Cassill, a young star who has a development contract with Hendrick Motorsports, a team closely affiliated with JRM.

This isn’t the first time that Wimmer has made considerable contributions to a team and been set aside on the curb.

In 2007, Wimmer was pegged by Richard Childress Racing (RCR) to drive part of the schedule while veteran Jeff Burton was to run the other races. The end result of both of their success combined was to equal the owner’s championship for RCR.

In his 23 starts, Wimmer had no wins yet had a pole at Gateway, seven top fives, 14 top 10s and an average finish of 11.6. Though Wimmer did his part as combined with Burton’s finishes, they won the owner’s championship for RCR.

In 2008, the same package was put together and Wimmer once again had success. He won a race at Nashville, had a pole at Bristol, five top fives, 13 top 10s and an average finish of 10.5.

In 2009, Wimmer joined up with Curtis Key Motorsports, an under funded team to try to help them, while also running six races for JRM. In those six races, he finished ninth, 18th, ninth, 31st (engine), and 18th. In his 24 starts for Curtis Key Motorsports, he got them a top 10 with a seventh place finish at Memphis.

In 2010, JRM once again called upon Scott Wimmer and as said earlier, he delivered with back-to-back seventh place finishes.

When JRM announced that they’d be trying to run the No. 7 all year long, the first thought was Wimmer would be driving that car all year long. Though that didn’t happen as during the Memphis weekend, JR Motorsports announced Cassill would be driving the car for the next four races.

In comparing their stats, the obvious choice though would be Wimmer. In 201 Nationwide starts, Wimmer has six wins, 29 top fives and 73 top 10s while Cassill has only six top 10s in 26 starts.

Plus add in the contributions that Wimmer had made to both RCR and JRM, he’s most deserving of a full-time Nationwide Series ride that has good funding behind it.

Though in discussing Wimmer, you also have to fault RCR for not giving him a full-time ride after he had success running part-time with Burton.

Since letting Wimmer go, RCR’s Nationwide drivers have yet to match his success, besides Austin Dillion.

In his six starts, Dillion managed to get one top five finish. Though if you look at the other drivers, their stats don’t compare.

Since Wimmer left RCR, they’ve had three non-Cup drivers, besides Dillion, run their car: Stephen Leicht, Sean Caisse and John Wes Townley.

In 71 Nationwide starts, Leicht has one win (2007 Kentucky with Yates Racing), three top fives and 16 top 10s.

In three races with RCR, Caisse’s highest finish was 22nd at Loudon.

In 34 races, Townley’s highest finish is 15th at Las Vegas this year.

If I was RCR, I’d be looking to bring Wimmer back into the picture.

There are many talented drivers who have got pushed off to the curb and left without rides, slowly being forgotten.

Hopefully Wimmer is not the next driver added to that list because if I was starting a team and looking current free agents, he’d be one driver that I’d pick-up.

One Economic Indicator Is Positive: Few Worthy Drivers Are Without Rides

Written By Jim Pedley

Sportingnews.com

Feb. 10, 2010

The economy still stinks. The signs of a stinking economy are everywhere. Perhaps the worst of those signs of stink are the unemployment numbers. But one of the lone exceptions to that could be in the very restricted demographic of NASCAR drivers.

In that category, things look, well, decent.

I did a little surfing on that subject the other day and came to the conclusion that based on my limited research (20 minutes on the internet) there was only one driver out there who has no full-time ride this season who really, really deserves one.

That driver is Scott Wimmer.

Wimmer, in recent years, has shown enough to warrant a ride in one of NASCAR’s three premier touring series. He was very good when he was driving the No. 29 Nationwide Series for Richard Childress Racing. He played a big part in winning RCR the team championship.

He was better than his Key Motorsports equipment last year in Nationwide. He had two top 10s in six races in JR Motorsports cars in 2009.

After Wimmer, the list of ride-worthy unemployeds thins out.

John Andretti has a partial ride and probably deserves a full one -- and J.J. Yeley, I think, is worthy of getting another shot, especially in Nationwide.

Maybe the two drivers with the highest profiles out of full-time work right now are Reed Sorenson and David Stremme.

Those are two great kids, but there is no denying that they have had their shots at proving themselves with top Cup teams. These days, as teams are in full-scramble mode to win trophies and I mean right now, good shots are limited to one per customer – even if you call within the next half hour.

Kenny Schrader is out there, though perhaps not available. He says he is happy racing dirt tracks these days, though he was lured back to Cup for the Shootout.

Scott Riggs? You would think a good Nationwide team would at least have a look but then again, he is getting up there in age.

Kyle Petty is still available, but, he is really getting up there in age and has a lot of potential distractions coming along with him.

Tony Raines? Nah.

The way it looks, very, very few established veterans are being left behind as NASCAR fires engines this week.

I guess that’s good – unless your are one of those drivers.

Jim Pedley is managing editor of Racin’ Today. Read more NASCAR news at racintoday.com.

Wimmer Gives Back To Community

Scott Wimmer has always been known as a NASCAR driver that has always given back. Most recently Scott participated in a charity snowmobile ride that benefited a memorial established in the honor of his close friend Philip "Flip" Merwin.

The ride, hosted by the Decker family of Eagle River, WI and was held in conjunction with the World Championship Snowmobile Races. Over 60 fellow riders paid to hit the trails in the celebrity ride which also features, Bobby Unser, Dale Loritz, and Danica Patricks father, TJ Patrick.

The ride wound through the forests and across the frozen lakes of northern Wisconsin. The trip include a stop for lunch at the Sayner Pub and concluded back in Eagle River after covering roughly 70 miles of snow covered trails.

The end of January would find Scott back at the snowmobile race track again. This time he was at the Wausau 525 Snowmobile Championship. Wimmer is a native of Wausau, WI and is eager to come home anytime he can. The Wausau 525 is a race weekend that was established to memorialize another Wausau racer, Scott's close friend Flip Merwin.

Held on Man Made Lake, the event attracted drivers from several states and Canada. Proceeds from the event directly benefit "Flips Fund". The fund was established after Flip Merwin passed away after a snowmobile accident at the Eagle River Snowmobile Derby in 2003.

"It is such an honor to be a part of these events year after year. The support continues to grow and the community really embraces Flips memory. The money raised is given back in scholarships and is also used to aid families with critically ill children. I really want to thank the Decker family for hosting the snowmobile ride and all of the organizers of the 525. They put on a great events. Flip would have been proud" Scott reflected.

Scott also teamed up with his father in late 2009 and purchase State Park Speedway in Wausau, WI. Scott and his brother Chris grew up racing on the local short track and is excited to bring racing back to his hometown.

In the upcoming months, the track and grounds will see massive improvements. The changes will make the venue for desirable for drivers and fans alike. It wasn't too long ago when Thursday nights in Wausau came to life with the late models at the 1/4 mile track and Wimmers look to once again make the track a local favorite.

“There’s still a lot to do and we are just in the beginning phase,” says Scott Wimmer, “There are a few races we would like to get or keep at State Park and all the specifics will continue to fall in to place.”

State Park Speedway begins its search for sponsors for the 2010 race season. There are many different opportunities including billboards and sponsorship nights at the track. For more information on sponsorship or to set up any interviews or media opportunities with either Ron or Scott Wimmer please contact Jana Jurkovich at (612) 819-4564 or jjurkovich@gmail.com

For more information regarding State Park Speedway, please visit www.stateparkspeedway.com

For more information regarding Wausau 525 Snowmobile Championship, please visit www.wausau525.com

Flips Fund Donations;

Flip's Fund

c/o M & I Bank

500 3rd St.

Wausau, WI. 54402

Wimmer Signs With P1 Groupe

P1 Groupe,one of the premier motor sports management companies have been retained Scott Wimmer. Under the agreement, P1 Groupe will provide full management services for one of NASCAR’s most dynamic and hottest racers. Wimmer began his NASCAR racing career in 2000 and has 6 nationwide wins and 71 top 10 finishes in NASCAR. Scott Wimmer Racing’s partnership with various teams and owners in NASCAR has resulted in over $14 million in winnings. P1 Groupe will put a special emphasis in branding Wimmer that when people think NASCAR they think Scott Wimmer.

“We are very pleased to have been signed by Scott Wimmer as his professional management company and intend to provide him the management to take him to the top of the NASCAR circuit,” said Eric Burch, President of P1 Groupe. “Scott is already known to thousands of fans and we intend to manage Scott’s brand that over time, to fans and non-fans alike Scott Wimmer is synonymous with NASCAR.”

“I am excited to start working with P1 Groupe. It has been a struggle the last few seasons to find a competitive ride and sponsorship needed to go with it,” said Scott Wimmer. “I am hoping to build a lasting relationship with Eric and his team and feel confident that they have the resources needed to get me back to where I belong- being competitive and racing towards a championship.”

“Even with an owner's championship and wins under my belt I have not been able to find the stability and lasting relationship I have wanted with a team,” continued Wimmer. “I have finished in the top 20 in driver's points the past three seasons without running a full schedule and for this reason I want to get back to running a full schedule to become a contender for the championship.”

Scott Wimmer originally hails from Wausau, Wisconsin. He carved his mark on the short tracks in the Midwest throughout the 1990’s and became recognized as the dominant force in racing throughout the Midwest. Wimmer captured the eye of top NASCAR owners after he entered the American Speed Association (ASA) and claimed victories in the first two races he competed in. Wimmer tallied up two top five and eight top 10 finishes in his rookie year of the Busch Series that put him 11th in the championship standings. In the 2007 season, Wimmer (along with teammate Jeff Burton) won the NASCAR Busch Series season owner points championship for Richard Childress Racing. The duo finished 3rd in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings in 2008, while Wimmer posted his 6th career NASCAR win. In 2009, Wimmer ran races for Curtis Key Sr. and Key Motorsports as well as Dale Earnhardt Jr., and JR Motorsports. He resides in North Carolina with his wife, Jody and son, Hayden.

P1 Groupe is a premier motorsports management company representing some of the top drivers around the globe. The company provides management, marketing, design, and branding for its drivers, so the drivers can concentrate on what is most important – winning

Hope and nostalgia will ride with Wimmer in Sharpie 500

GREGORY MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
Published: August 19, 2009

ABINGDON VA- Scott Wimmer appeared to be at home Monday morning as he roamed the sprawling headquarters of Morgan-McClure Motorsports. Wimmer joked with old friends, chatted with new associates and examined the fleet of No. 4 MMM Chevrolets. The old band might not be fully intact, but the essential pieces are in place for the reunion of a team that last competed in the 2007 fall Cup event at Martinsville Speedway. Wimmer, 33, will attempt to qualify for Saturday's Sharp ie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in a car sponsored by Alpha Natural Resources, an Abingdon-based coal producer.

"People are always asking when this car is going to get back on the track," Wimmer said. "I'm really thankful to have the opportunity to make that happen." Wimmer drove 23 races for the MMM team during the 2006 season, recording a top finish of 19th in the Food City 500 at BMS. "I've kept in contact with everybody up here quite a bit," Wimmer said. "I knew they were working on some stuff for Bristol, and I'm surprised at how fast it all came together. There are a lot of drivers out there they could have chosen to drive this car, but they gave me a chance." MMM team co-owner Tim Morgan said on Monday that the selection of Wimmer was based both on compatibility and skill level. "We've had a good relationship with Scott, and we think he's got a lot of ability," Morgan said. "He's great with sponsors, and I think he's good on the racetrack. Scott is just a very talented person."

Wimmer qualified for 106 Cup races from 2000-07, with his last start coming in 2007 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Richard Childress Racing team. Wimmer currently drives in the Nationwide Series for the JR Motorsports and Key Motorsports teams. He ranks 17th in points. "Competing in the Nationwide series will help get me used to the track a little bit this weekend, but I've got to learn these guys a little bit and just f igure these cars out since they haven't been on track in a while," Wimmer said. Like most drivers competing for independent Sprint Cup teams, Wimmer plans to draw off the advice of friends as he adjusts to the unique qualities of the Car of Tomorrow at the smoother and wider version of Bristol. "I'm fortunate that I did a lot of the COT testing for RCR," Wimmer said. "I've got friends down there [at RCR], and they are going to help us out as much as they can. "As far as the race at Bristol, it's really going to be different with the double-file restarts. I think we're going to see a lot different racing than we've ever seen."

Of course, the immediate concern for Wimmer comes Friday afternoon, when he must qualify for the Sharpie 500 based on speed. A total of 48 cars are on the entry list for the 43-car field. "That's our main focus," Wimmer said. "I'm sure we're going to have some bugs to work through, but hopefully we will be fast by qualifying time. We've qualified and run really good in the past at Bristol." Morgan said he plans to rent the pit crew members of the No. 24 Rensi-Hamilton Hefty Ford driven by Abingdon's Eric McClure. Longtime Morgan-McClure Motorsports employees Steve Gray, Todd Cooper and Robert Larkins will also assist Wimmer.

Gray has served as car chief for the MMM team, while Larkins was the crew chief for the team's last win in 1998 with the late Bobby Hamilton at Martinsville Speedway.&n bsp; Wimmer, who spent part of Monday touring a coal mine operation with Alpha officials in Clinchco, Va., pointed to the pride factor evident on Southwest Virginia's lone remaining NASCAR team. "There are very few teams that are not based in the Charlotte area now," Wimmer said. "It's feels good to have a Virginia-based company like this supporting us. The way the economy is right now, you just have to get your name and car out there and show that you can be competitive. "Hopefully we will run real strong this weekend, and it could maybe lead to more races this season and some sponsorship for next year." Food Country USA, an Abingdon-based grocery chain with a long history in stock car racing, is serving as an associate sponsor for the MMM team.

The Morgan-McClure team won 14 Cup races from 1983-2007, and Wimmer said he feels it's only natural that the familiar No. 4 car returns to the sport. "This team has had so much success in the past, and it hasn't quite felt the same without their car on the track," Wimmer said. "I know it's hard to hang on to all this equipment and keep hoping that you can get sponsorship, but everybody here has done that. "Hopefully, this weekend will be the start of something good."

Scott Wimmer NASCAR Interview with

Tracy Judd

Scott Wimmer recently sat down with interviewer Tracy Judd and reflected on past seasons, the current season, and his future. The following transcript from the interview has been provided by NASCARmedia.

TRACY JUDD: This year you're back as the defending winner with a different team. Can you talk about the changes you've gone through since the end of 2008, and your path so far in 2009?

SCOTT WIMMER: Well, it's been a struggle this year. It's about a week before Daytona, I didn't have a ride secured. I was fortunate that enough that Curtis Key came along and gave me the opportunity to drive his car, and to be driving it this week and in Nashville.

Our season hasn't been going that well. We've missed two races. We've run good in the other ones, but had two unfortunate missed races. But going back to Nashville, hopefully I can lean on some of the notes I've learned there for the last two seasons with Richard Childress Racing.

You know, I'm excited about the race there. It's been a special place for me for a long time. Hopefully I can go back there and run strong.

TRACY JUDD: A little added incentive for you guys in this race this weekend. It's the inaugural dash for cash race from Nationwide Insurance. $25,000 on the line as a bonus for the eligible driver if he wins the race. How hard do you think guys will go after that money?

SCOTT WIMMER: I think they're definitely going to go after it hard. That's quite a program that Nationwide has put together to help teams cope with the cost of racing right now and the way the economy is with the lack of sponsorships.

So I'm excited to be part of it. I've got a pretty good track record at Nashville, so hopefully we can be up there and compete for the win and take a little extra money home, too

TRACY JUDD: The last several seasons you've raced with RCR, and most teams would fall short on a resource level of that team, but you've been there. So as a driver, how much do you bring to Curtis Key's team in terms of helping them maybe in directions they need to go to lift up the entire program?

SCOTT WIMMER: I feel like I bring quite a bit. I'm very fortunate I get a lot of support from RCR. I also get a lot of support from John Dysinger and everybody up at Triad Engine Development. My brother-in-law has worked up there since the start of that, so they really help us out a lot.

But right now where I'm at with Curtis Key's team started about a week ago and we're trying to build cars and get people lined up. Once we can get rolling we can run fairly competitive and get the car in the race, and start getting it up towards the top 15 and top 10. But it's just so hard to build a team on such short notice.

I'm fortunate that RCR they really help me out a lot with anything that I want. You know, they pretty much have a good relationship with me and some of the guys on the team. So they try to help us out as much as they can.

TRACY JUDD: It seems like what would you say has been the most pleasant part of these first five races starting in the circumstances that you did? And what's probably the one biggest area that you guys still need to get caught up in?

SCOTT WIMMER: You know, we made opener at Daytona, and I thought that was a rally big accomplishment for the team. We were the last car to make it. We struggled through practice and were able to ask a few of my friends over at RCR to help us out, and they did that and got us in that race. We finished 11th at Vegas.

There have been some really good bright spots. The disappointment has probably been missing the races. The last race I missed was probably in 2000, and then the race at California, and missed the race last weekend at Texas.

But you've got to be optimistic. It's a start-up team. We've got probably three guys in the shop working on the car. Trying to get motors lined up, trying to get cars lined up. So you've kind of got to sit back and look and say there are going to be some bumps in the road. Hopefully we can get those straightened out and get back to where we can get up front and compete.

TRACY JUDD: You've certainly got experience in that area. Have you yourself been working in the shop at all to pitch in and help out?

SCOTT WIMMER: Yeah, I definitely have been. It was an area I really missed about racing. Growing up I used to build my own cars, engines and everything. When you start driving for RCR and places like that, they've got such a work force that you're not needed in that capacity.

But I've been down there. I try to get down there at least once a week, depending on my schedule, just to go through shock stuff and look over the cars and see anything that I think might help us run better.

So I think if we get another few weeks under our belt, get some more employees in the shop and can compete up front, we'll have a good shot at running the rest of the season, and hopefully running towards the front.

TRACY JUDD: Can you talk a little about the emotions of winning there at Nashville last year and what that felt like after all the ups and downs you've had?

SCOTT WIMMER: It was huge emotions. I've been going to Nashville since as long as I can remember, I think, competing down at the old fair ground speedways since I think '95, and I've been out there since it opened in 2001. I've been close several times, you know, just never could quite get it done.

We just had a great race car, we had a great race. We did everything right. We're fortunate enough to win that day.

It was probably I'd say my biggest win, it took me a long time to get back to Victory Lane. I came close a few times in '07 with RCR, but never could get it done and go to the fifth race of the year, fifth or sixth race last year. To win the race really made me feel good. I know the team felt good.

They were working really hard to build me great race cars. You know, just after waiting so long it felt good to get back into Victory Lane and to do it at Nashville.

TRACY JUDD: How tough or frustrating is it when you've tasted victory and you know what that feels like. How tough is it to struggle as you have at point this is season?

SCOTT WIMMER: It's a real struggle. A lot of times you just question what you're doing. What your role is in the sport and how far you're going to keep going. But I'm fortunate I've been through situations like this before where you're maybe not with the many most competitive team, but if you keep building and working hard you can eventually get that team more or another team to look at you and say, well, he maybe deserves another shot.

I got that with RCR. You know, Curtis who was good enough to give me an opportunity to drive his car before I drive Dale Jr.'s car at Darlington. So I've really got to thank him because he's getting me into some races before that I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to do.

TRACY JUDD: As a final question, something you mentioned there, looking ahead to your upcoming races in the JR Motorsports car, how tough is it not to sort of look ahead to that knowing that you're going to probably be in maybe a little better equipment over there?

SCOTT WIMMER: It's really hard. You know, especially after having a disappointed weekends where things didn't go the way we needed them to go. You know, it would be pretty easy just to say, well, I'm not going to drive anymore until I get in that car.

But I think it's really important to be in a car each and every weekend. I look back at really my last two seasons. I think I've ran 36 races in the last two years. And the guys that have won championships and won races, they're running anywhere from 70 to 80 a year. So there is something to be said about running laps and just being there each and every week.

Now I want to be as good a driver as any to get in that car, and I think running these races, even though we're struggling and we're not real competitive right now, just running them is going to keep me fresh. Hopefully, I can get in that car and show that I deserve to be in that kind of equipment and can run up front.

TRACY JUDD: At this stage of your career are you sort of content to make your mark in the Nationwide Series from here on out? Or are you still looking at Cup in the back of your mind?

SCOTT WIMMER: I'm still looking at Cup. You know, I'd like to start running full-time again, and I think the Nationwide Series is a great place for me to do that. You know, maybe look at just starting to get back into cup racing like on a four or five race basis.

But, you know, it's really tough right now. This winter was a hard off-season for me. I didn't know what I was going to do of the where I was going to go. We're fortunate that JR Motorsports put some races together for me, and then Mr. Key came along and wanted me to help him start this team up, too.

So I'd love to be racing. I want to do it full-time, I want to be competitive. Whether it's the Nationwide Series or the cup series, it doesn't really bother me, I just want to be in there each and every week and running up front.

TRACY JUDD: Along those lines a couple weeks ago Jeff Burton was saying when he was a kid he idolized like Jack Ingram and Tommy Ellis. Do you think you can still build a strong fan base today in the Nationwide Series alone?

SCOTT WIMMER: I think we can. I think the biggest thing is we need to go out and beat the guys that are winning right now. We need to go out and beat Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer. Back when those guys were racing, they were. They were beating Dale Earnhardt, and Bobby Alison.

You know, right now with the way the Cup teams are the super teams, they take all their information down to the Nationwide programs. It's hard to beat those guys.

Hopefully in the near future here we can start doing that. And I think it would start building some identity back in the sport. When I got in it, it was Jeff Green, and Jason Keller, and Todd Bodine was running full seasons back then, and those guys were the name of the sport. So I'd like to see it get back to there where these guys, this is what they run and this is their series.

TRACY JUDD: Is it any easier to compete with them now that they run in a vastly different car on Sundays?

SCOTT WIMMER: I don't really think so. I think it boils down to track time. I think a lot of it is confidence, these guys are running good in their Cup cars and they come down to the Nationwide cars and at times they make it tough to win races, whether it's tires or other things to do.

But if you can run good on Saturday, I'm sure it helps you on Sunday. So I think they just really have a lot of confidence and have a lot of feel for the track by the time they start racing the cars. I think that's what makes the difference.

TRACY JUDD: Do you consider adapting one of your most important skills in racing on and off the track?

SCOTT WIMMER: I definitely think it is. I've been in this going on eight seasons now. The way it kind of changes and the way the sport changes and the cars change, you really have to adapt a lot. I think a lot of guys have seen it with the C.O.T. car coming in to the Cup series, that they've really had to adapt the way they drove. I think we're going to see that in the not too distant future with the Nationwide Series, too.

So, the way I've dealt with sponsors in the past and deal with them now is vastly different than it was three or four years ago. So it's definitely, you know, a sport you have to adapt to. You have to change a lot and kind of keep your eye on which direction it's going and you try to keep yourself going in that direction.

TRACY JUDD: Do you still get a big charge in every race when you get the opportunity to race at this level in every race?

SCOTT WIMMER: I definitely do. There is nothing like going out on pit road and hearing all these cars fire up and sitting behind the wheel. Just trying to figure out how you're going to beat 43 other cars each and every week. It's definitely exciting.

I think that's what keeps you going in the sport. You know, there's a lot of drivers that have called it quits or said they're never going to get another chance. It keeps you wanting to go out there and do better, and get that ride to where you can compete each and every week.

TRACY JUDD: When that helmet goes on is it for all drivers, is it a totally different world, do you get a new personality or is it the same old guy, different circumstance?

SCOTT WIMMER: Yeah, I think a lot of people they all have their own way of looking at the race and what they're thinking and how it plays out in their head.

I try not to let my emotions come over the radio or to my guys too much. I try to keep it inside and talk to them after the race. Some drivers have a lot of emotion during the race. I think it's just how you deal with things and how you get your point across.

TRACY JUDD: Scott, we appreciate you taking the time. I know you've had a busy day, safe travels home and we'll see you at Nashville this weekend.

SCOTT WIMMER: Sounds great, thank you.

Will run at Bristol and Nashville with more races possible

By David Caraviello, NASCAR

March 19, 2010

The No. 7 Nationwide Series transporter looked the same as it has all season, adorned with bright green and orange sponsor logos and Danica Patrick's name printed in bold letters across the side. Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway, though, there was one slight difference with the JR Motorsports truck -- Scott Wimmer walking out of it, wearing a generic black firesuit.

Patrick may be on hiatus from NASCAR, off to compete in open-wheel cars for four months, but her race team is continuing on. JR Motorsports decided last week to try to run the full season with the No. 7 program, rather than simply the 13 events in which Patrick is scheduled to compete. A first step was bringing back Wimmer, who drove six races for the organization last year but is currently without a ride, and will pilot the vehicle at Bristol and April 3 at Nashville Superspeedway.

"Scott is a great guy," said Tony Eury Jr., JR Motorsports co-owner and crew chief on the No. 7 car. "He's a great short-track racer, and we want to give him an opportunity. We may look at some other drivers in the future to kind of look at maybe broadening it out a little bit, but for right now, Scott's our guy. We know he can run good here. We know he can run good at Nashville and get the car top 30 in points so when we go to Texas, we can be locked in the show."

For Wimmer, who hasn't raced since last season's finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the opportunity was a welcome one. The Wisconsin native started six races for JR Motorsports last year, scoring top-10s at Darlington and O'Reilly Raceway Park, and has been in regular contact with the organization ever since. For the first time in 10 years he went to Daytona as a visitor and not a driver. He's spent the last few months doing some testing for Richard Childress Racing and restoring his home-town short track, a facility he bought along with his father and where greats like Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, and Dick Trickle once competed.

"I'm honored they asked me to drive this," said Wimmer, who finished third in the 2004 Daytona 500, and has won six Nationwide events. "There are a lot of drivers out there they could pick from. They looked at it that I usually run really good on short tracks and don't tear up cars and can get good feedback. That's all what this is about, getting this team up and running, getting them back full-time, getting them some good notes. Hopefully we can start right here."

Friday, when Wimmer ranked 13th and 14th in a pair of Nationwide practice sessions, was a promising start. Eury Jr. said JR Motorsports has all but about three races sponsored for Kelly Bires' No. 88 car, a situation that made them comfortable enough to try and run the whole year with the No. 7. The vehicle has no sponsor for Bristol -- GoDaddy.com is on the car for Patrick's starts -- and can run about six or seven races out of pocket, Eury added. The hope is that during that span the car can turn in enough good performances to attract a sponsor and gain a more solid foothold in points.

But whether Wimmer will remain in the car beyond Nashville is yet to be determined. If a sponsor comes aboard, the company will have a say in who winds up behind the wheel. "We're going to kind of leave that up to it," Eury said. "I think Scott is really open to it. Whatever the sponsor wants. There are a couple of other guys out there also available. All that will come into play."

All Wimmer, who teamed with Jeff Burton to win the 2007 Nationwide owner's championship for RCR, can do is point to his credentials and hope to turn in good results.

"I don't think I have to prove to anyone what I can do," he said. "I've won races, and won owner's championships and things like that. It's just getting everything to match together. The first part is having a good team, and they've got that, and then it's about getting a driver in there who can get the job done. I'm excited. I feel real good being in this equipment, and hopefully we can make the best of it."

Wimmer has had offers, but he's decided against trying to compete in an underfunded car. He did that for much of last year, filling out the balance of his Nationwide season in vehicle that failed to make three races and often struggled to crack the top 20. He'd rather wait on a good ride than spend time in a poor one.

"Last year I did that," he said. "I ran Junior's car and I ran with an underfunded team, and I just didn't feel like it really helped me. Top-quality equipment is so much different than some of the underfunded stuff, and you get used to driving that, and it's hard to jump back into good cars. So I wanted to focus on real good equipment. I understand teams have to do things just to survive. I'm fortunate that I can fall back on some other stuff. It's all about timing and putting yourself in the right spot. I just didn't think it was the right spot to get hooked up with a team I didn't think was competitive."

Later this year, he may get a chance to wheel a really good car -- the No. 48 of four-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. Johnson's wife Chandra is due to give birth in July to the couple's first child, and Wimmer is in line to be the stand-by driver. Rick Hendrick, who owns the Hendrick Motorsports team that field's Johnson's car, also owns a share of JR Motorsports.

"You know, you always want to be there for your first one, or you'll get executed," Eury said with a laugh. "That will be good for Scott."

Wimmer said the details are still being worked out.

"I know they're really excited. I know Jimmie wants to be there for that," he said. "I remember when my son was born, it was in between races, so we got real lucky with that. They're talking about just having me there in case they need to practice or quality or something like that. I'm sure he'll race the race, although I wish real hard that he wouldn't."

JRM's Decision To Run Full Time Provides Opportunity For Wimmer

Will run at Bristol and Nashville with more races possible

By David Caraviello, NASCAR

March 19, 2010

All Wimmer, who teamed with Jeff Burton to win the 2007 Nationwide owner's championship for RCR, can do is point to his credentials and hope to turn in good results.

"You know, you always want to be there for your first one, or you'll get executed," Eury said with a laugh. "That will be good for Scott."

Wimmer said the details are still being worked out.

Wimmer Eyes Another Shot At Cup Success

High Point Enterprise

By Greer Smith

If he had been racing at Auto Club Speedway this weekend, Scott Wimmer would have spent Thursday heading for the greater Los Angeles area.

Instead, he spent the first part of the day bush hogging his land up near Oak Ridge before taking his four-year-old son ice skating.

So it goes these days for the High Point resident currently out of a ride after competing the last nine seasons in either the Cup or Nationwide levels. But, he isn’t complaining publicly.

After spending most of the 2009 season driving for Curtis Key’s underfunded and uncompetitive Nationwide cars in which he finished in the top 10 just once, the six-time winner on the Nationwide Series decided not to return when Key lost his sponsor. W immer also turned down similar rides from other teams.

“I’ve had opportunities to drive for some teams that were underfunded,” Wimmer said. “Curtis doesn’t have the funding to be competitive. I’d rather work hard and get the right funding for the right team so we can build something that is lasting instead of year to year.”

Wimmer said one of the rides he turned down was with the new Cup team owned by Key’s son Raymond. That team is 0-for-2 in qualifying after failing to make today’s show in California and faces uncertainty after the first six races.

“We had discussions but they didn’t have the money to sustain that car,” Wimmer said.

“At this point in my career, I’m not one of those guys who wants to go to the track just to make a living. I helped win an owners championship for Richard Childress and I won a race for him. I don’t think I have to take a ride just to prove I should be out there.

“I could get a ride, but a lot of teams cut corners and don’t have enough money to buy all the tires. The way the economy is, a lot of teams are doing that because they don’t have the sponsors. That’s something I’m not interested in doing. I want to win and be up front.”

So instead of racing, Wimmer keeps knocking on doors, trying to come up with sponsorship that will put himin a top-flight car.

“That’s just the way things are now with the economy the way it is,” Wimmer said. “If you have a sponsor, you can get a ride.”

His goal is to get a ride by the second half of the season and be with a team when the Nationwide series switches to its new-generation car in 2011.

“I think we may be close to something,” Wimmer said. “Unfortunately for me, it probably won’t happen until the second half of the season. To have something for the first part of the season, you had to have something well before Daytona. We’re talking to some teams about their cars at some of the races that aren’t scheduled with Cup races. I just want to get back where I was when I was with RCR,” Wimmer said.

Wimmer isn’t idle while waiting for the phone to ring. He and his father bought the short track in the town of Wausau, Wis. where he grew up. Wimmer started his racing career there.

“I remember going there as a kid and watching guys like Dick Trickle and my uncle Larry Detjens (a Wisconsin legend) race,” Wimmer said. “Rusty Wallace and Bobby Allison raced there. The track’s gone through some tough times recently. I could have bought it four years ago, but I was still running Cup and didn’t think I would have time for it. Some old friends of the our family owned it. When it came up for sale again, we decided the timing was right to buy it.

“It was built in 1951 and almost everything needs updating or refurbishing. So we’re fixing it up and trying to give back to the community.”

The track, which features late model cars, will host eight races in a season that opens May 20 and ends Sept. 9.

“The biggest industries around Wausau are paper mills and window manufacturers, and neither has done well in this economy,” Wimmer said. “We just didn’t think it was a good time to be a weekly track. So, we’ll have eight races and pay a really good purse to draw a lot of cars. If we have the cars, the fans will come.”

Wimmer has been getting advice about how to run the track from legendary promoter and former Charlotte Motor Speedway president H.A. (Humpy) Wheeler. And yes, that means after talking to Wheeler, Wimmer is considering things that go boom as part of his racing programs.

“Humpy has stressed I have to think of racing as entertainment,” Wimmer said. “I watched all sorts of tapes of stunt men. I remember when I was a kid, the track would have things where cars blew up or there were fireworks. We hope to have some of that.”

He’ll go up in the next couple of weeks to help get the track ready. He’ll be at opening night because it is an open date on the NASCAR level, but after that he isn’t sure because he isn’t totally staying away from the race track.

He was in Daytona last week to make contacts. Because of the travel expense, he didn’t go to California and won’t go to Las Vegas next week. When the Nationwide Tour goes to Atlanta on March 6, Wimmer plans to be there.

“I went to Daytona to talk to people and tell them I am available,” Wimmer said. “You want to be seen just in case a team may reevaluate its situation after five races.”

Wimmer is ready to go as long as he has a shot at winning again.