Scott Wimmer Is A Winner

March 29, 2008

By Brenda Benedict

I have wondered what is going to become of the term Buschwhacker now the junior NASCAR Series has been renamed the Nationwide Series.

Buschwhacker was the term used to describe any NASCAR Cup Series regular who participates in some of the Busch Series races. This system of allowing Cup racers in the Busch Series has always been a source of controversy.

The term Buschwhacker seems a derogatory term because of the effect that allowing the better financed, better sponsored and more famous Cup drivers participate in what was supposed to be a development opportunity for less experienced drivers.

Buschwhacker is a corruption of the word bushwhacker, which is a term that was used during the Civil War to describe a type of guerilla fighting in the underbrush. It is generally used to mean “to defeat, esp. by surprise or in an underhanded way”.

Buschwhacker no longer seems like an appropriate term. I have been waiting for the media to coin a new term. There has been a suggestion that Buschwhacker be replaced with Claim Jumper. That might better fit the insurance sponsorship of the race.

Scammer has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for Buschwhacker. This also has negative connotations that reflect many people’s distain for this process that allows the Cup racers to ‘scam’ the wins away from the Nationwide drivers.

CIA Stock Photo Wimmer Earns First Guitar Trophy

Scott Wimmer won in the Nationwide Series race at Nashville last weekend. Although Scott has run Cup races, he is not considered a Buschwhacker.

Scott Wimmer’s win came after Kyle Busch lost control of his car after leading for 125 of the 162 laps of the race to that point. Clint Bowyer took over the lead but Wimmer passed him with 20 laps remaining in the race and drove to victory.

This was the first win by a non-Cup driver this season in a Nationwide race and the first since last July when Jason Leffler won at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

That statistic alone illustrates the effect of allowing this practice is having on the series.

However, the advantages of this practice are apparent. The increased interest in the race because of the presence of the Cup racers results in greater race attendance and more television and media coverage. This, of course, translates into more money and profits for the interested parties.

But are the Cup drivers taking away important sponsorship money from the Nationwide drivers? There does seem to be a limited amount of money available. With the Cup drivers participating in the Nationwide races, are they making it difficult for these less-experienced drivers to find the all-important backing that allows them to race?

Scott Wimmer’s career may be the illustration of this principle.

Scott started his career in local racing in Wisconsin. He had a rapid rise through the ranks. He made his Nextel Cup debut in 2000 at Atlanta.

But what followed was an up and down career that seemed ended until he was signed with Richard Childress Racing in 2007. This move has seemed to resurrect his career. He is driving when Jeff Burton takes weeks off his Nationwide schedule and testing for the teams.

"Stepping down and running a partial schedule in the Nationwide Series is not what I want to be doing, but those are the cards that are dealt to me right now," Wimmer said. "I'm with a great team with Richard Childress Racing and have great teammates. You can struggle in a single-car operation or a lower-budget team, but that's not where any driver wants to be.

"I'm just trying to do the best I can for Richard right now, and hopefully, it'll fall that someday I can get back to racing Nationwide full time or Sprint Cup full time. But right now, I'm having a good time."

Wimmer’s attitude exemplies the old adage, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” But the question to ask is, would Scott have more opportunities if the Nationwide Series was truly a developmental race rather than a profit-generating race?

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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