UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 - Scott Riggs Notes

Scott Wimmer CAT Racing Event Preview
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) in Las Vegas, Nev.
Race: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
Date: 03.13.05

NASCAR Nextel Cup points position: 25th (gained seven positions after racing at California Speedway)

Notes:

The No. 22 Caterpillar Dodge Charger at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend is Chassis No. 86 . The team tested this brand-new race car earlier this year during pre-season testing at Las Vegas and California.

Earlier this week . The No. 22 Caterpillar team is spending the first part of this week testing at Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 7 and 8).

Wimmer will go to highest bidder . Scott Wimmer will go to the highest bidder Thursday, March 10, as the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities holds its annual NASCAR Driver Auction at the Sam's Town Hotel and Hall in Las Vegas. Many other drivers will join Wimmer during the Thursday night auction to help raise money for the children's charity organization. Winning bidders will get to meet the drivers and take part in the pre-race ceremonies Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by riding with the drivers around the track during driver introductions. Other drivers who will join Wimmer include Kyle Petty, David Green, Stacy Compton, Clint Bowyer, Jon Wood, Ashton Lewis, Jason Keller, Randy LaJoie, Aaron Fike, Shane Hmiel, Brent Sherman, Ryan Hemphill and Kim Crosby. The list is expected to grow as the auction date draws near. NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and NASCAR team co-owner Jim Kelly also will make an appearance. All proceeds will go to the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities, which supports the increased quality of life for the children of southern Nevada. Last year, Wimmer and 18 other NASCAR drivers participated in the auction, which raised more than $213,000 for the children of Las Vegas and southern Nevada. Last December, the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities granted $275,000 to 51 local children's causes during its annual grant distribution ceremony. Tickets for the event are available at $35 and may be purchased at www.tickets.com or at the Sam's Town Live! box office. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and the evening festivities will begin at 6 p.m. For more information please call (702) 450-8300 or (702) 632-8242.

CAT Chopper on the prowl . On March 4, Caterpillar Inc. and Orange County Choppers, Inc. unveiled a custom chopper to more than 1,200 employees and guests at Caterpillar's Building Construction Products Division in Clayton, N.C. The "Cat Chopper" build will air on Discovery Channel's hit "American Chopper" series on April 4 and April 11 at 10 p.m. EST. Caterpillar will also launch a "Cat Chopper Tour" on May 1, with more than 30 appearances already scheduled at Cat dealers across the country. The "Chopper Tour" will make additional stops at Caterpillar facilities and community events over the course of the next year. For more information regarding the Cat Chopper, including locations and dates for the Cat Chopper Tour, please log onto www.cat.com and www.cat.com/chopper (coming soon).

Not too shabby Busch Series stats at Vegas . Wimmer raced three times at Las Vegas during his Busch Series career and scored one top-10 finish (started fourth, finished 10th in March 2003) and two top-15 finishes at the Nevada track. Both times he didn't finish inside the top 10, he finished just outside of it in 11th place (started 35th) and 13th place (started 38th) in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

Catch all of the action . Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is scheduled to start at 3:10 p.m. PST (6:10 p.m. EST) Friday, March 11, and will broadcast LIVE on SPEED (TV), PRN (radio) and XM Radio. The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is scheduled to start at 12:05 p.m. PST (3:05 p.m. EST) Sunday, March 13, and will broadcast LIVE on FOX (TV), PRN and XM Radio.

S. Wimmer on heading to Las Vegas:
"I am excited about heading to Vegas, mainly because we had such a good run in Daytona and a decent day at California. We're still working on digging ourselves out of the hole we fell into after getting caught up in the big wreck at Daytona, but we're just trying to be consistent and are focusing on gaining as many points as possible. When a team starts off the season like we did where we were running so well in the 500 and then fell out at the very end-at no fault of our own-you still make winning the goal, but you also just have to be extra cautious and make gaining more points positions the main goal. Winning definitely gains points, but if we don't win then we want to finish clean and strong on a consistent basis. It's like climbing a mountain: when you slip or trip, you don't give up on getting to the top. You just come back more determined and become a little more selective and cautious with the path ahead of you.

"The good thing about returning to Las Vegas is we did have a good test out there last month, and I like the track and the new car we are taking with us. It is one of those tracks that's similar to a lot of the tracks we go to-the mile-and-half length. The track has seen some really good racing over the last few years, but we haven't seen a lot of the side-by-side racing. I keep thinking back to California. It was so different. Usually it has multiple grooves, but that wasn't the story there a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, we can get a second groove in at Vegas, though it hasn't been a common trait for the speedway in the past. I know it would make a lot of us happier because it will create more exciting and fun racing for the drivers and fans."

D. Finley on heading to Las Vegas:
"We were a little tight when we tested at Vegas earlier in the year, but it didn't seem to really affect our speed. Same thing as Scott said, California has been notorious for having two- and three-groove, side-by-side racing, but we didn't see that. It was a one-groove track. Yeah, that may be a premonition of what we are going to see this weekend, because we are heading to a place that has been notorious for one-groove racing, so I don't see how that is going to be any different. It is definitely going to be harder to pass, and qualifying will be crucial, as well as pit stops come race day.

"I will admit out of all of the pre-season testing we did, I walked away most happy from the Vegas test. I feel good going back there. I wish we were a little higher in the standings right now, but the season is still young, and we have time to make it up. I know we need a top-five or a few back-to-back top-10 finishes to offset the Daytona mishap, but I would like to make it all up in one swoop with a win. That would definitely get us back on track. If we don't win, then we need to be consistently in the top 10 and stay away from DNFs."