Scott Wimmer Finishes 21st at Daytona International Speedway

Scott Wimmer overcame a start in the rear of the field to finish 21st at Daytona International Speedway. Avoiding multiple wrecks in his path, Wimmer managed to stay out of trouble and give Key Motorsports a solid finish, earning another spot in the NNS owner point standings.

It was an impressive start to the weekend for Key Motorsports, with fast practice times keeping the team at the top of the speed charts. Running 3rd quickest in NNS Happy Hour, the team had high expectations for the No. 40 StopRepairBills.com Chevrolet.

After qualifying 42nd with a lap time of 51.415 seconds, team and driver were dissatisfied, but with a car that was fast in traffic and a driver skilled in drafting, hopes were still high that Key Motorsports would score a solid finish on the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

After taking the green flag, it took only three laps for Wimmer to navigate the No. 40 StopRepairBills.com Chevy up 15 positions, and when the first caution of the night flew on lap 10, Wimmer had advanced to 22nd. Bringing the car in for four tires, fuel, and a wipe of the grille, the driver exited the pits 24th.

When green flag racing resumed on lap 16, Wimmer quickly regained the two positions lost in the pits, but as daylight faded to dark, the handling of the Key Motorsports machine began to fade as well. Uncomfortable with the feel of the No. 40 and suddenly struggling in traffic, Wimmer slid back to 32nd by lap 38 of the 100-lap race.

Wimmer had worked his way back up to 28th when the field got the second yellow flag of the day on lap 46, and he brought the StopRepairBills.com Chevrolet into the pits for a full-service stop. Unfortunately, as Wimmer entered his pit box, the No. 5 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. was exiting from the stall behind him, hitting the No. 40's left rear quarter panel. With repairs made on pit road, Wimmer was 34th when the field restarted.

With half the race remaining to make up the positions, Wimmer continued to struggle with handling, but steadily picked off his competitors, running 26th when a multi-car wreck unfolded right in front of his bumper. Driver and spotter navigated the melee without incident, and a fast pit stop put Wimmer in 21st for the restart.

Wimmer skillfully used the draft to advance to the 13th position with 17 laps to go, but once again the handling of the No. 40 Impala held him back, and he struggled in the heavy traffic. Slipping back to 27th, Wimmer avoided another major wreck and a wild green/white/checkered finish to cross the finish line 21st. Scott Wimmer's 21st place finish gave Key Motorsports another great points weekend, bumping Curtis Key's No. 40 up to 23rd in the owner standings, 156 points ahead of 30th.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series will hit the track for another night race this weekend in the Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.

RECAP: Date: July 3, 2009 Track: Daytona International Speedway Event Name: Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered By Coca-Cola Start: 42nd Finish: 21st Laps Completed: 102/102 Laps Led: 0 Money Earned: $28,493 Owner Point Standings: 23rd