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SuperAdmin Super Admin Joined: Sep 14, 2007 Posts: 20 Location:	Gateway International Raceway Post Race Posted Jul 21, 2008 4:19 PM Promising Run Cut Short for Wimmer, Holiday Inn Chevy at Gateway Race/Date: Missouri – Illinois Dodge Dealers 250– July 19, 2008 Location: Gateway International Raceway – Madison , Ill. Start Position: 28th Finish Position: 30th Owner’s Point Standing: Fifth (Dropped two spots) Scott Wimmer showed signs of a promising performance but was sidelined just past the halfway point after the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet suffered heavy damage in an incident of another driver’s making during Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Missouri – Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway. The 30th-place finish was Wimmer’s first finish outside the top 18 in 13 races behind the wheel of the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet this season and, as a result, the team dropped two spots, to fifth, in the NNS owners’ championship point standings. The team is now 470 markers behind Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 machine. At the same time, Wimmer’s 36-race streak without a DNF (did not finish), dating back to Phoenix in November 2006, came to an end. In time trials, the Wausau , Wis. , native was the first car on the track and navigated the 1.25-mile egg-shaped Gateway oval in 34.595 seconds (130.077 mph), posting the 28th-fastest qualifying time. The field took the green flag shortly before 9 p.m. Central Daylight Time after a partial power failure at a neighboring substation caused a brown-out at the speedway, knocking out power to infield facilities and the caution lights surrounding the track. The field got underway with a backup generator powering the stadium lights. Wimmer was quick to make his move up the leaderboard and had made his way to 19th when a competition caution came out on lap 20. Crew chief Pat Smith called for a track bar adjustment and a full tank of fuel for the Holiday Inn Chevrolet, the decision to not take tires netted the team 12 positions on pit road. Wimmer restarted seventh on lap 25 but was quick to note that the blue and green Chevy was tight coming off of turn two. Despite the handling issues, he continued to race in the top 12 over the next 39 laps. The yellow flag was displayed on lap 62 for a spin in turn one and Smith called his driver to pit road. The over-the-wall crew went to work bolting on four fresh tires with air pressure adjustments to three of them, and making a track bar adjustment. A lightning-fast stop knocked off four positions on pit road. Wimmer restarted seventh on lap 67 and maintained the position over the next 40 laps despite a continued struggle with the tight-handling Holiday Inn Chevrolet. The evening’s fourth caution came on lap 112 for a spin on the backstretch and the 32-year-old driver followed the leaders to pit road for four fresh tires with an air pressure adjustment to the right-front tire, fuel and a wedge adjustment. The field went back to green on lap 115 and the top-10 cars jockeyed for position. Unfortunately, Wimmer’s top-10 run ended there. Landon Cassill’s No. 5 Chevy tapped the No. 29’s left rear bumper, sending the Holiday Inn Chevy hard into frontstretch wall and collecting three other cars in the melee. A wrecker took the green and blue Chevy to the garage and the team was credited with a 30th-place finish. Carl Edwards notched his second victory of the season, by nearly seven seconds ahead of second-place finisher Joey Logano. Jason Keller, Jason Leffler and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five finishers. Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer finished eighth. Next weekend, the NNS travels to O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis . The Kroger 200 benefiting Riley Hospital for Children will take the green flag Saturday, July 26, with Wimmer behind the wheel of the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. Race coverage will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and will also broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 22nd of 35 races on the 2008 Nationwide Series calendar will air live on ESPN2 the same day beginning at 4:30 p.m. EDT. SCOTT WIMMER QUOTE: “It’s been a while since I have taken a hit like that. The Holiday Inn Chevrolet was pretty good today. We started toward the back and we got ourselves up front. It was some tough racing on the restart and I think I got a little help there from the No. 5. It looked like we were going to have a good night of clean racing but we didn’t. I was racing Reed (Sorenson) and the No. 5 tapped me a little and that turned me in to the wall. It’s not a hit that you like to take and I saw the wall coming pretty quick. Fortunately all my safety equipment held up and did good. We’ll go racing at ORP from here.”
Danagirl n00b! Joined: Jul 21, 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Athens WI USA	Re: Gateway International Raceway Post Race Posted Jul 22, 2008 1:26 PM Good thing he is alright. I didnt get to watch the race but when I went to NASCAR.com and seen the picture of him hitting the wall I was not a happy camper. When I watched to see what happened I was not a fan of Landon after that. A little too jumpy on the restart. >^( Go get 'em this next week!!! :-)