Race 2 Win: Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Nextel Cup Series

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Chevy Rock & Roll 400 - Scott Wimmer Notes

Scott Wimmer No. 22 CAT Racing Event Preview

Track: Richmond International Raceway (.75-mile oval) in Richmond, Va.
Race: Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Date: 09.10.05

NASCAR Nextel Cup driver points position: 33rd (same as last week) Owner points: 33rd (same as last week)

Notes:

The No. 22 Caterpillar Dodge Charger at Richmond International Raceway this weekend is Chassis No. 84 … It was last run in July at Chicagoland Speedway, where a late-race gamble put Scott Wimmer and his No. 22 CAT Racing team in the lead with less than 20 laps left to run, and eventually helped the team grab a 17th-place finish (started 30th). It also raced in March at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Wimmer finished 16th (started 27th). The same chassis helped Wimmer post two top-15 finishes during his NASCAR Nextel Cup Series rookie season in 2004: a 14th-place finish at Michigan in June (started 29th) and a 12th at Homestead in November (started 27th). The chassis was built in 2004 and has since been rebuilt to comply with the new 2005 NASCAR specifications.

Back in his Busch Series days … Wimmer put up some impressive stats when he raced at Richmond in the NASCAR Busch Series between 2001 and 2003. In six Busch Series starts on the .75-mile Virginia track, he scored one top-five finish, three top-10 finishes and one top-15 finish.

Testing at RIR … The No. 22 Caterpillar team tested at Richmond International Raceway Wednesday, Aug. 31, to prepare for this weekend’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400. It tested Chassis No. 84, which is an intermediate car, but was happy with the way it handled the Richmond short track. Thus, the team decided to bring it back this weekend as the primary car.

Meet Wimmer at RIR … Wimmer will stop by his merchandise trailer on souvenir row just outside Richmond International Raceway to meet fans and sign autographs from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET, Friday, Sept. 9.

Rock and Roll with RIR … Qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is scheduled to start at 6:10 p.m. ET Friday, Sept. 9, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Radio Channel 144. The Chevy Rock & Roll 400 is scheduled to start at 7:40 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 10, and will broadcast LIVE on TNT (TV), MRN and XM Radio Channel 144.

Scott Wimmer Quotes:
Scott, after Richmond, the next 10 weeks are going to involve everyone talking about The Chase and its contenders. What does a team that is not in The Chase focus on, and what type of goals has your team set for remainder of this year? Is this year still a priority, or do you do what you have to do and just look ahead to 2006? “As far as not being in The Chase, we are still planning to be just as competitive as we have been and hopefully even more competitive in the weeks to come. We are focusing on trying to land the best points position possible for us now outside of The Chase, and yes, we also start building toward next year, too. It’s all about getting stronger, and that is what we are going to be focusing on well into early next year.”

What are your thoughts as we head to Richmond? “We tested at Richmond a few weeks ago and had a real good test. We decided to take an entirely different style of car to the track, and it handled really well, so it is the car we decided to take with us this weekend.

“The last time we raced at Richmond, we had a good run and ran inside the top 20 the majority of the night. The car was tight most of the night, but it was still a great car. We did much better on the longer runs there last time, and we worked to capitalize on that as much as we could. It’s just hard coming off of such a heartbreak like we experienced this past weekend in California. The No. 22 Caterpillar car was so strong all weekend and then overheated because of the debris on the grill. Then we got caught up in the late-race accident, and that concluded our night. It was just a tough finish for us because I know we could’ve gotten a top 15 or even a top 10 that night. “

Did you get to do anything fun on Labor Day? “I had fun. I got to hang out with my wife and son. I did some stuff around the house like cleaning out my garage. My brother came over, and we grilled out, so it was a great day for me to just hang out with the family. It was nice, quiet and relaxing. I know that probably sounds pretty boring to some, but it really was a great time for me.”

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