Race 2 Win: Dodge/Save Mart 350 - Scott Wimmer Notes

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Dodge/Save Mart 350 - Scott Wimmer Notes

Scott Wimmer No. 22 CAT Racing Event Preview

Track: Infineon Raceway (1.95-mile road course) in Sonoma, Calif.
Race: Dodge/Save Mart 350 Date: 06.26.05

NASCAR Nextel Cup points position: 34th (moved up one position from last week)

Notes:

The No. 22 Caterpillar Dodge Charger at Infineon Raceway this weekend is Chassis No. 54. It was run as the No. 22 Dodge in the past but has since been rebuilt to comply with the new 2005 rules.

Testing wrap-up … Scott Wimmer and his No. 22 CAT Racing team tested at Chicagoland Speedway on Monday and at The Milwaukee Mile on Tuesday. The team also visited Virginia International Raceway Tuesday, June 14 in preparation for this weekend’s road course race.

Wimmer takes a time out for G.I. Joe’s … Wimmer will meet race fans and sign autographs at the Johnson Creek G.I. Joe’s store located at 9600 SE 82nd Avenue in Portland, Ore., Thursday, June 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PT.

Younger Wimmer to take on The Milwaukee Mile … This weekend, Scott Wimmer’s younger brother, Chris Wimmer, will get in on his own racing action at The Milwaukee Mile. Chris is on tap to compete in The Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 Friday night, June 24. Chris will pilot the No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado as part of a joint-team effort by Wimmer Racing and Green Light Racing. This will be the first venture between Wimmer and Green Light Racing’s Bobby Dotter and Gene Christiansen, who field the No. 08 Craftsman truck. Qualifying for The Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. ET Friday, June 24. The Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 race is scheduled to start at 9:15 p.m. ET that same evening and will broadcast LIVE on SPEED (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Radio. To learn more about Chris Wimmer’s racing career and updates, go to www.wimmerracing.com.

Wimmer to race more than once back home … After Scott Wimmer races in Sunday’s Dodge/Save Mart 350 in Sonoma, Calif., he will head to his home state of Wisconsin to race in the Miller Classic – “Return of Champions” event at Madison International Speedway on Tuesday, June 28. Wimmer isn’t the only NASCAR driver who will be competing at the Madison track in the Miller Classic 150. Chris Wimmer, Ted Musgrave, Todd Kluever, Tim Sauter, Johnny Sauter and Rich Bickle are slated to race as well. Then, after running in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway next weekend, Wimmer will return to Wisconsin to compete in the 25th Annual Larry Detjens Memorial Race. His younger brother, Chris, will be competing, as well. Both brothers are past winners of the event that is named after their late uncle who was fatally injured at Kaukauna International Speedway in 1981. To learn more about both upcoming race events and the Wimmer boys’ schedules, go to www.wimmerracing.com.

Catch the action … Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge/Save Mart 350 is scheduled to start at 6:10 p.m. ET Friday, June 24, and will broadcast LIVE on SPEED (TV), PRN (radio) and XM Radio. The Dodge/ Save Mart 350 is scheduled to start at 3:35 p.m. ET Sunday, June 26, and will broadcast LIVE on Fox (TV), PRN and XM Radio.

Q&A with S. Wimmer on heading to Infineon Raceway:
Do you look forward to the first road course race of the year? What have you done to prepare yourself for the racing weekend ahead? “I always look forward to heading to Sonoma. It’s just beautiful out there and a nice area to get to visit every year. As far as racing, this will be my second time competing at Infineon, and I will admit road course racing isn’t my strong suit, but it’s a lot of fun to run and I’m determined to master it.

“My CAT Racing team and I went up to Virginia International Raceway last week to give me some time to get back into the swing of road course racing. It is an adjustment to go from racing these oval tracks and then going and maneuvering around a road course. We took our CAT Racing rear tire changer, Tom Hubert, with us up to Virginia. He is a real accomplished road course racer, so we took him with us to help with the car setup, like the brakes, shocks and springs. It was a really good test for us. Tom was a big help. It turned out to be a very productive day.”

You have a busy three weeks ahead of you, and a baby boy on the way. What’s your game plan? “Yeah, it seems like the next few weeks are going to be pretty crazy travel-wise for me, but Jody [Wimmer, Scott’s wife] and I knew it would be tricky. Luckily, we have a sister-in-law who lives close and is our Plan B in case I am not around when he decides to arrive. I’m really hoping I get to implement Plan A, because it is our first, and I just want to be there for her and him. He isn’t due until July 18, so we’re hoping he is right on time. If so, with weather permitting in New Hampshire, I’ll be home that Monday and ready to roll.”

Looking back on Michigan, what are your thoughts? You guys had a solid weekend the entire time you were there. “We had a really good car at Michigan. I told my crew chief I thought the car would race better than it qualified, and it did. We may have over-adjusted a little bit there toward the end of the race, but we had a nice, solid run.

“Although this past weekend was the first time our finish showed it, our cars are really getting better every week. We had good runs going in Dover and Pocono but crazy things happened, and we didn’t get the results we wanted. We’ve made a lot of changes in the last few weeks and learned a lot about tires and springs. It’s definitely paying off. You can see it at the track and back at the shop: things are really starting to come together for us. I just want to thank the guys on my team and everyone back at the shop. They’ve all worked so hard this year and are keeping a really tough schedule over the next few weeks with test sessions, West Coast racing and Saturday night racing. We all will be spending very little time at home, and I know it’s hard on them and their families. I just want them to know I really appreciate everything they do, and want to get them a win so bad. They really deserve it.”

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