NASCAR Busch Series Race Report Darlington Raceway (Darlington, SC)

QUALIFYING RESULTS:QUALIFYING RAINED OUT; FIELD SET BY CURRENT 2002 OWNERS POINTS

SCOTT WIMMER STARTING POSITION: 4^th

RACE INFORMATION:

DAY/DATE: Saturday, August 31, 2002

RACE TIME: 1:00 p.m. EST

RACE: South Carolina 200

TELEVISION/RADIO COVERAGE: Live on TNT / Live on MRN Radio

RACE LAPS/MILES: 200 miles / 147 laps

RACE WINNER: Jeff Burton

FINISHING POSITION: 7^th

MONEY WON: $16,050

DRIVER POINTS POSITION: 4^th (322 points behind leader, Greg Biffle)     

RACE RECAP: After a rain delay of an hour and a half, Scott Wimmer started the South Carolina 200 at Darlington Raceway from the fourth position.  The field ran about 12 laps behind the pace car to help dry the track, and then took the green flag and yellow flags to start the race under caution.  After four caution laps, the pace car brought the field down pit road and parked the cars due to too much rain on the track.  NASCAR red-flagged the event and the competitors had to wait until 5:25 p.m. to refire their engines.  The field took the green flag on lap nine at 5:30 p.m.  On lap 10, Wimmer took over the third position.  The first caution flag occurred on lap 16 when Dan Pardus spun out in turn four.  Wimmer told the crew the car was a little tight off the corners, but the team chose not to pit and green flag racing resumed on lap 20.  The second caution occurred on lap 31 when Kerry Earnhardt and Ricky Hendrick made contact in turn four.  Wimmer pitted on lap 32 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment.  The team also put tape on the grill, which caused them to loose two positions in the pits.  Wimmer exited the pits in fifth, but restarted the race on lap 35 from the sixth position because Jimmy Spencer chose not to pit during the caution period.  Wimmer battled between the sixth and ninth positions before settling into seventh-place on lap 53.  On lap 67, Jamie McMurray hit the wall on the backstretch, bringing out the third caution of the event.  Wimmer told the crew the car was loose now, however the team chose not to pit as it was drizzling rain.  NASCAR ran the event under caution until lap 73, in which they stopped the field coming out of turn four, not allowing them to cross the start/finish line, as 74 laps is the halfway mark of the event, which would make the event official.  NASCAR tried its best to dry the track wanting to get more of the race completed, however, the weather would not cooperate, and after a hour’s time had passed, NASCAR brought the field across the start/finish line, marking the event official.  Wimmer finished in the seventh position, posting his fifth top-10 finish in a row, and his 12^th top-10 finish of the season.