KCR Release 11/1/05

Chris Wimmer signs with KCR
 

Eddyville, Ky. –  With an eye toward both the present and future, Keith Coleman Racing (KCR) has signed Chris Wimmer to be the driver of the #23 Nascar Busch Series entry. Armed with a three-year contract and an imminent major sponsorship announcement, Wimmer is ready to make the jump to the Nascar Busch Series beginning with the O’Reilly Challenge in Texas on Saturday.

“I’m so excited to be racing on the Busch Series,” said Wimmer. “I’ve competed with about half of these guys in the past in other series and I’m looking forward to racing with them again.”

The brother of Nextel Cup regular Scott Wimmer, who drives the #22 Caterpillar Dodge for Bill Davis Racing, Chris is a budding Nascar protégé who has an impressive resume to go along with his bloodlines. 

The 26-year-old native of Wausau, Wis. began racing pure stocks in high school before he jumped to late models where he notched 17 wins, 53 top-five and 95 top-ten finishes in 149 races. He then moved up to the American Speed Association where he drove in more than 50 events from 2001-2003 before competing in 17 Nascar Craftsman Truck Series events over the past two seasons. Most recently, Wimmer finished 17th in the truck race at Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend. 

He will be making his first Nascar Busch Series start at Texas Motor Speedway, but he does have some advantages that aren’t available to the typical rookie.

“Scott is going to help me as much as he can,” said Chris Wimmer. “I can’t tell you what it means to have him around. He’s going to spot for me for the rest of the season and just being able to pick his brain on everything from driving to qualifying to set up is a big advantage. He has a lot of knowledge that will help me on the track.”

 According to team owner Keith Coleman, Wimmer was an easy choice to replace Mark Green, who departed the team after the Memphis, Tenn. race.

“Mark helped start this organization and I will be forever grateful,” said Coleman. “But I knew it was time to go in a new direction with an up and coming driver who can get us to the next level. I was contacted by a lot of drivers, but Chris really stood out as an exciting, talented young man who has proven he is ready to step up to the Busch Series and I’m thrilled to have him on board with KCR.”

 

-KCR-