An Interview With Scott Wimmer

Scott Wimmer's roots run deep in racing. He hails from the short-track hotbed of Wisconsin, and his family has long been involved in oval track racing. As a Nextel Cup rookie for Bill Davis Racing, Wimmer has had his share of ups and downs this year-including an off-track incident that left him doubting his future in the sport. Wimmer recently sat down with Stock Car Racing to discuss all that's happened in his brief Cup career.

SCR: For starters, what do you think about your first full season on the Nextel Cup Series tour and how well you've done so far?

Wimmer: I was really excited about the first few races of the season because we were so competitive. We got off to a good start at Daytona and backed that up at Rockingham with another good run. Then we had a motor fail on us at Las Vegas and just didn't run good at all at Atlanta. Overall, the first few races were pretty good, even though I would like to have had a couple of those races back. Then again, it's a long season and we can rebound from that.

SCR: You got your start in the Busch Series for Bill Davis Racing where you remain to this day. A couple of years ago, many thought you were ready to make the move up to the Nextel Cup Series, yet Bill Davis kept you in the Busch Series. What are your thoughts on that?

Wimmer: I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get the chance to move up earlier. I really thought last year would have been a good time for me to move up, but things just didn't work that way. Bill Davis had two solid Cup teams and sponsors lined up for last year, and there just wasn't anywhere for me to go. This year I was fortunate enough that there was a place for me to go. Even though I had to stay back in the Busch Series a little longer than I would have liked, I think it has helped me become a better driver and learn more about what I needed to do to make it.

SCR: Did a different Cup team approach you and ask if you'd be interested in driving for them?

Wimmer: I did have some other offers, but I never really pursued them because I had such a comfortable situation here at Bill Davis Racing. I was happy where I was, and he assured me that he was going to move me up the ladder, and he has done that. I'm excited to still be here. I started my career here and it would be great to end it here. Right now I'm just having a blast.

SCR: Through it all, you've remained very loyal to Bill Davis. Has that been a matter of thinking that Davis is going to take you where you want to be with your racing career, or more a case of not forgetting the man who got you where you are today?

Wimmer: I think I'm in a situation that is very similar to Matt Kenseth at Roush Racing, because he has been loyal to Jack Roush since he got him into NASCAR. Matt has realized what Jack has done for his career, and Jack knows what Matt brings to his organization. I feel the same way about Bill Davis because he's the one who brought me up from ASA without a lot of experience, even though I'd won a few races. People like that don't come around too often, and I was very fortunate to have that happen to me. I'm going to try to make his organization as successful as I can for as long as I can.

SCR: You obviously got the season started in a big way with a Third Place finish in the Daytona 500. How much did that mean to you personally and to your entire team?

Wimmer: It obviously felt real good to me, especially because I went through a lot of personal issues during the off-season. To rebound from that and have a good run at Daytona and then leave Rockingham in Fourth Place in points meant a lot because I've worked real hard to get to this level. It felt good to get the season started off like we did. Now we have to continue that through the rest of the year.