Conversation: Scott Wimmer

FONTANA, Calif. -- Scott Wimmer is still only 28 years old, but to him, it must feel like he's lived an entire lifetime since January.

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Wimmer's rookie season has been a roller coaster. He was arrested in January on suspicion of DWI, and barely a month later, he stunned the NASCAR world by threatening to win the Daytona 500.

Wimmer has remained with Bill Davis Racing for four years -- an eternity when it comes to NASCAR relationships these days -- and BDR rewarded Wimmer by standing by him when bad times hit before the season started.

Wimmer spoke with NASCAR.COM'S Ryan Smithson at California Speedway about staying with BDR, those hilarious Stamina RX commercials, and his up-and-down rookie season.

Q: Scott, you have not elected to run any Busch races. Why not?

Wimmer: We wanted to. We wanted to put together a program where we could run some races. It's just real hard right now to find sponsorship.

Trying to concentrate on our Cup stuff a lot now, and going into the Busch Series without a sponsor and trying to run over there, we thought it would take a lot away from the Cup effort.

	Brian Vickers and Scott Wimmer

You know, if there's an opportunity at the end of the year to find a sponsor and pursue it, we will definitely try to.

Q: Qualifying has been a big problem for you guys this year -- how much of a handicap has that been in the first 10 races?

Wimmer: It's big. You need to qualify up front in these Nextel Cup races because the guys who qualify up front are fast all race long and they can catch you real quick. We were getting better on it.

We started better at Darlington and Bristol. We qualified well and had decent finishes too. It's something we need to concentrate on.

Out here we had a motor failure so it didn't really matter, we were going to start in the back anyways, didn't get a lot of practice.

These tracks, I haven't run a lot with Nextel Cup cars, I have run Busch races, but they are two totally different cars. Mostly the cup races I ran before were all short tracks. Something we have to work on and definitely going to do a lot of testing and try to make it better.

Q: So you had some problems with your ears this year?

Wimmer: Yeah, I had a little inner-ear problem.

I got into an automobile accident with my father several years ago and it is something that has hampered me for a while, I didn't really notice it until I got in the Busch Series and racing longer races, things like that.

	Scott Wimmer

I am one of those people who have to have a tube my ear.

It messes with you a little bit. I have a great doctor in Winston-Salem that takes care of me when I have a problem.

Q: Did you get teased a lot when the Stamina RX commercials came out?

Wimmer: (Laughs) Oh yes, definitely. I mean, not really, but (laughs) when you do a commercial like that...I didn't understand how anything worked.

We did several different takes and when it came out, I was surprised with it. I took a lot of ribbing about it.

A lot of it (came) from Randy Lajoie. I think he was my biggest fan, really (laughs). I don't know if he was just picking on me, but I think he enjoyed the commercial a lot.

Q: How did you keep a straight face throughout the whole shoot?

Wimmer: I didn't. You should have saw the takes. We did so many takes, and it took so long to do, that it was my one acting debut, and hopefully I won't have to do any more like that.

Q: We you worried you wouldn't get to start the year after what happened in January?

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Wimmer: Definitely. There was a lot of concern on my part, my family's part. I am just fortunate I am with a great team; I have great people around me, Bill Davis.

I started my career in the Busch Series, and moved me up to the Nextel Cup Series. He has done a lot for me, my family.

Grateful to be around people like this. They help you trough the times and they understand people make mistakes and they know what kind of person I am and I won't make the same mistake twice.

I will actually probably benefit from it and hopefully help some other people out too.

Q: Are you going to be with Bill Davis Racing next year?

Wimmer: Definitely. I am going to be here as long as I have a ride. We have got a multi-year contract and I am real excited to be with Caterpillar.

	Scott Wimmer

They are a great company to work with. Right now, we are just trying to build this team, into a competitive team and get a second team going again. It's a real important part that we are lacking.

We are working real hard on. I have a great teammate in Dave Blaney that is just sitting at home and it's a shame we can't use that resource more.

Q: Aside from the obvious great run at Daytona, what has been the highlight of your rookie year so far?

Wimmer: You know, we went to Darlington and ran real competitive there, I felt like.

We've been running good, we ran good at Martinsville, we've run good at some tracks that I thought were going to be real difficult for us.

I ended up having a wreck or some problem, that has been the biggest thing, we've been in contention to have some top-10s, been in the top 15, we just have not capitalized on them yet.

Q: There has been a lot of talk this year about rules during the races, is there anything you want to see changed?

Wimmer: Really, I think, on the big tracks, I'd like to see it where we don't run so many laps, you know, a lap before the pits open, things like that, like Talladega, we ran a around a long time when we didn't have to be.

On the short tracks, it's fine because they tend to be so long anyway, 500 laps at Martinsville, if you run a lap under caution trying to get the pits open, that is fine.

But some of the bigger tracks we can utilize it a lot better, in opening the pits first time, getting the stops done and having a little more green-flag racing.

Q: You seem so laid-back, so quiet; do you not ever just jump out of the car and want to hit somebody after a short-track race? You don't seem like the type of guy who would do that.

Wimmer: No, where I grew up racing (in Wisconsin) you couldn't fight with the guys you raced against because you raced with them four, five nights a week.

You had to borrow parts, ask advice, all kinds of things, Wisconsin was a lot different racing then it is down here, we were good friends up there, we had a blast dong what we were doing, working real hard to get where we are at now.

And I kind of let my emotions....I go home and settle down at home and not show emotion at the track, just try to do my job here and not get into too much trouble.