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That's Racin'
By MIKE HARRIS
The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Scott Wimmer is just thankful he will be on the track when practice starts for the Daytona 500.
"I'm fortunate that I'm here," said Wimmer, who faces charges of driving while impaired, and hit and run stemming from an accident Saturday night near his home in High Point, N.C.
"I'm fortunate that I'm getting to learn this lesson and still do what I love," The 28-year-old driver said. "Hopefully, it will turn out to be a lesson that not only helps me but a lot of other people, too."
NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said Wimmer, going into his first full season in the Nextel Cup series with Bill Davis Racing, will not face any immediate sanctions, pending the outcome of a hearing in High Point on May 10.
"We're going to let the judicial process run its course," Hunter said Thursday. "We view this seriously but we're not going to speculate on what may or may not happen. We'll handle it as it unfolds."
Hunter said he did not want to go into detail on possible sanctions by NASCAR if Wimmer is convicted.
"There are all sorts of things that we can do, but we want to have command of all the facts before we do it," he said. "We want to be fair."
Police in High Point, where the Davis team is located, said Wimmer's pickup hit a large rock, flipped over, then hit a road sign. The police report said Wimmer had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit after the driver was found hiding behind a bed at his home.
The pickup truck was found overturned with three tires missing about a mile from Wimmer's home, the report said.
For now, Wimmer will put that behind him and concentrate on trying to qualify for his first Daytona 500.
"Until the court date, I can't comment on anything and it hurts me," he said Thursday during a NASCAR Media Day interview. "I just want to say everything to get it all out and get it over with and get forgiven by my fans and family and team owner and sponsors and everybody that I hurt.
"It's going to take some time. These things aren't easy to get over with. I'm lucky I've got strong people behind me that really believe in me."
Wimmer said the first two days after the accident he was ashamed and embarrassed and all he wanted to do was stay home and hide from everyone.
"You're just sick to your stomach," he said. "You just kind of wanted to wake up and wish everything would go away and people would stop calling, and just get on with your life.
"After two days of that, I realized it wasn't going to happen and I need to start trying to make things better, calling NASCAR and having conversations with them and (sponsor) Caterpillar and Bill Davis Racing to make it better."
Getting in his No. 22 Dodge Wednesday for some testing at Rockingham also helped Wimmer out of his doldrums.
"Just getting back in the race car and putting everything aside and just concentrating on what I had to do was something that meant a lot of me," he said.
The test also put aside his biggest fear - that his racing career might be over.
"I don't think anybody understands the enjoyment I get out of racing," Wimmer said. "I almost lost that whole privilege. Getting back in the race car reminded me that I still have to do this job and do it to the best of my ability."
Wimmer moved up to NASCAR's top series last fall after three full seasons in the Busch Series, where he had five wins in three years.
By MIKE HARRIS
The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Scott Wimmer is just thankful he will be on the track when practice starts for the Daytona 500.
"I'm fortunate that I'm here," said Wimmer, who faces charges of driving while impaired, and hit and run stemming from an accident Saturday night near his home in High Point, N.C.
"I'm fortunate that I'm getting to learn this lesson and still do what I love," The 28-year-old driver said. "Hopefully, it will turn out to be a lesson that not only helps me but a lot of other people, too."
NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said Wimmer, going into his first full season in the Nextel Cup series with Bill Davis Racing, will not face any immediate sanctions, pending the outcome of a hearing in High Point on May 10.
"We're going to let the judicial process run its course," Hunter said Thursday. "We view this seriously but we're not going to speculate on what may or may not happen. We'll handle it as it unfolds."
Hunter said he did not want to go into detail on possible sanctions by NASCAR if Wimmer is convicted.
"There are all sorts of things that we can do, but we want to have command of all the facts before we do it," he said. "We want to be fair."
Police in High Point, where the Davis team is located, said Wimmer's pickup hit a large rock, flipped over, then hit a road sign. The police report said Wimmer had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit after the driver was found hiding behind a bed at his home.
The pickup truck was found overturned with three tires missing about a mile from Wimmer's home, the report said.
For now, Wimmer will put that behind him and concentrate on trying to qualify for his first Daytona 500.
"Until the court date, I can't comment on anything and it hurts me," he said Thursday during a NASCAR Media Day interview. "I just want to say everything to get it all out and get it over with and get forgiven by my fans and family and team owner and sponsors and everybody that I hurt.
"It's going to take some time. These things aren't easy to get over with. I'm lucky I've got strong people behind me that really believe in me."
Wimmer said the first two days after the accident he was ashamed and embarrassed and all he wanted to do was stay home and hide from everyone.
"You're just sick to your stomach," he said. "You just kind of wanted to wake up and wish everything would go away and people would stop calling, and just get on with your life.
"After two days of that, I realized it wasn't going to happen and I need to start trying to make things better, calling NASCAR and having conversations with them and (sponsor) Caterpillar and Bill Davis Racing to make it better."
Getting in his No. 22 Dodge Wednesday for some testing at Rockingham also helped Wimmer out of his doldrums.
"Just getting back in the race car and putting everything aside and just concentrating on what I had to do was something that meant a lot of me," he said.
The test also put aside his biggest fear - that his racing career might be over.
"I don't think anybody understands the enjoyment I get out of racing," Wimmer said. "I almost lost that whole privilege. Getting back in the race car reminded me that I still have to do this job and do it to the best of my ability."
Wimmer moved up to NASCAR's top series last fall after three full seasons in the Busch Series, where he had five wins in three years.
