Wimmer, Holiday Inn Racing Team Hang Tough at Talladega 

Race/Date:                           Aaron’s 312/April 26, 2008

Location:                              Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway

Start Position:                     19^th

Finish Position:                   Ninth

Owner’sPoint Position:     Fourth (Maintained position)

Scott Wimmer and the Holiday Inn Racing team demonstrated teamwork and patience as the team battled back from a blown tire on lap 19 to earn a hard fought ninth-place finish in the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway.

The solid effort was Wimmer’s career-best finish at the larger-than-life superspeedway and marked the team’s sixth top-10 finish this season. The Pat Smith-led team also maintains the fourth spot in the NASCAR Nationwide Series owners’ point standings. They sit 99 markers behind Joe Gibbs’ No. 20 machine’s tally.

After starting the 117-lap contest 19^th, the Wausau, Wis., native wasted no time in making a charge towards the front of the 43-car pack. He was 11^th on lap two, seventh on lap four and knocking on the leader’s door on lap eight.

Unfortunately, the right-front tire on the Holiday Inn Chevy blew on lap 19, sending the 32-year-old driver into the wall and causing heavy damage to the right-front fender.

After making numerous trips down pit road to repair the damage and fix the alignment of his No. 29 machine, the Holiday Inn Racing team battled back from two laps down to race in the top 15 for the remainder of the 312-mile showdown.

As a result of attrition and a never-give-up attitude, Wimmer wheeled his green and blue machine through a 15-car incident on lap 72 and ultimately, to a ninth-place finish.

Tony Stewart won the race followed by David Stremme, Bobby Hamilton Jr. and Jason Leffler. Mark Green rounded out the top-five finishers.

Wimmer’s Richard Childress Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Stephen Leicht didn’t fare as well as both drivers were collected in separate incidents and credited with 25^th and 34^th-place finishes, respectively.

Next weekend, the NASCAR Nationwide Series visits the Old Dominion State for the Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway where, once again, Wimmer will be behind the wheel of the No. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet.

Live television coverage will take the green flag Friday, May 2 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised on ESPN2 and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 10th round of the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship will be televised live on SPEED the same day at 4 p.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will air qualifying updates live.

SCOTT WIMMER QUOTE:  

”The right-front tire on the Holiday Inn Chevy blew early in the race and caused heavy damage. Pat (Smith) made some great calls and the team worked hard on getting the fender almost perfect so I could race up front with the pack. If it wasn’t for the hard work these guys put into making the Holiday Inn Chevy competitive again, we wouldn’t have been able to battle back for a top-10 finish.”