NOTES:
· This Week’s Holiday Inn
Chevrolet at Talladega
Superspeedway … The Holiday
Inn Racing team will unload
Chassis No. 030 from the
Richard Childress Racing (RCR)
stable this weekend. Built
new in 2005 as the No. 21
machine, this is the same
car Wimmer raced last
February at Daytona
International Speedway (St.
36, Fn. 13) and in April at
Talladega (St. 21, Fn. 34).
After receiving all the
required 2008 updates,
Wimmer piloted this Holiday
Inn machine to 18th-place
finish at Daytona in
February.
· Wimmer at Talladega …
The Wausau, Wis., native has
struggled on the high-banks
of Talladega Superspeedway.
Last year, the 32-year-old
driver had a less than
desired outcome after being
involved in an incident of
another driver’s making
which resulted in a
34th-place finish.
· Points Check … Based on
Wimmer’s seventh-place
finish last week in Mexico,
the No. 29 team moved from
fifth to fourth in the
NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)
owners’ championship point
standings and sits 94 points
behind leader and RCR
teammate Clint Bowyer’s No.
2 machine. In nine races
this season, the duo of Jeff
Burton and Wimmer has earned
one victory, three top-five
and five top-10 finishes.
· 150 and Counting … Last
week’s Corona Mexico 200
marked Wimmer’s 150th-career
NNS start. Dating back to
2000, Wimmer has recorded 6
wins, 25 top-five and 57
top-10 finishes. The 32-year
old driver also boasts over
$5 million in career
earnings.
· RCR at Talladega … In
17 previous Nationwide
Series starts at Talladega
Superspeedway, RCR has
posted two poles (Bowyer,
April 2004; and Johnny
Sauter, April 2002), five
top-five and six top-10
finishes. RCR cars have also
led 85 laps on Talladega’s
high-banks.
· Three to Go … RCR has
earned a Nationwide Series
victory at 23 of the 26
tracks on the 2008 schedule.
The only tracks on the
current schedule where RCR
hasn’t earned wins are
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
in Mexico City, Darlington
Raceway and Talladega
Superspeedway.
· RCR’s NNS Stable … In
nine NNS races this season,
RCR-prepared Nationwide
Series entries have notched
two wins (Bowyer – Bristol
and Wimmer – Nashville),
nine top-five and 16 top-10
finishes. RCR cars have also
led 285 of the 1,548 (18.4
percent) of the totals laps
run this season.
· Let’s Break Things Down
… This weekend’s race will
be the fifth of 23 that
Wimmer is scheduled to drive
the No. 29 Holiday Inn
Chevrolet. In four starts,
he has posted one win, one
top-five and two top-10
finishes. He has also led 47
of the 596 (7.8 percent)
laps contested and has
completed every lap of
competition.
· Testing in Music City …
Before heading to Talladega
for this weekend’s Aaron’s
499, Wimmer will join the
AT&T Racing team for a pit
stop at Nashville
Superspeedway Tuesday, April
22 and Wednesday, April 23
to test their Impala SS in
preparation for the upcoming
short tracks on the 2008
schedule.
· Help Chevy Help Autism
… During April – Autism
Awareness Month – people who
go to the Autism Speaks
website
(www.autismspeaks.org ), can
click on the “Help Chevy
Help Autism” icon and take a
free virtual test drive of
the 2008 North American Car
of the Year – the all-new
Chevy Malibu. Chevrolet has
committed to a minimum
contribution of $500,000,
but every virtual test drive
taken gets Chevrolet closer
to its goal of donating up
to $1 million to Autism
Speaks to support its
mission of increasing
awareness of autism and
raising money to fund autism
research. Those who
participate in the virtual
test drive will be offered a
free 30-day online trial of
XM Satellite Radio.
· Catch the Action … Live
coverage of the Aaron’s 312
will be televised live on
ABC Saturday, April 26
beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
The 10th race of the 2008
season will broadcast live
on the Motor Racing Network
(MRN) and Sirius Satellite
Radio. Qualifying for the
second restrictor plate race
of the season will be
televised Friday, April 25
on SPEED beginning at 5 p.m.
EDT.
SCOTT WIMMER QUOTES:
Why hasn’t Talladega been
one of your strongest
tracks?
“It seems like I have
been in the wrong place at
the wrong time so many times
at Talladega. I have had
some strong runs that were
cut short by getting caught
up in an accident. I’m
taking the same Holiday Inn
Chevrolet that we took to
Daytona and the team has
worked hard to make it
better. Talladega is all
about speed and handling
doesn’t matter as much. I
think we will have a fast
car and, hopefully, we can
stay out of the wrecks and
be there at the end.”
What are the keys to
getting around Talladega?
“It is really important
to draft well and it is
important to have teammates
in the race. I am fortunate
that I am going to have two
teammates in the race. At
places like Daytona and
Talladega you need to have
support on track. Hopefully
Clint (Bowyer), Stephen (Leicht)
and I can hook up and get to
the front and have a good
day for Richard Childress. I
would love to get Richard
his first Nationwide Series
win at Talladega.”