Wimmer gets the spins on Lap 183

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Daytona 500 belongs to Jeff Gordon. The most memorable moment of the race belongs to Scott Wimmer.

Rolling along and contending for a top-10 finish Sunday, Wimmer would go on a different kind of exhilarating—if not frightening—ride on Lap 183.

Greg Biffle and Scott Riggs bumped in the middle of a pack, triggering a nine-car crash that propelled Wimmer’s Dodge into four complete spins before landing on its wheels.

Wimmer, who finished 33rd, was taken to the infield-care center and released.

In race vernacular, this was the Big One in Daytona — the multi-car wreck that seems to be impossible to avoid in restrictor-plate racing.

“It was scary,” Wimmer said. “It wasn’t too bad until I started going over, but these guys build great race cars. I thought I was going to be all right as long as nobody came along. The car went around pretty good and landed pretty hard on the ground a couple of times, but I’ve hit the wall hard, too.

“I couldn’t breathe really good. I probably sounded pretty funny on the radio when I was trying to talk to the guys. It knocked the wind out of me.”

The race restarted on Lap 188 before another pack of cars got tangled up, starting an eight-car crash on the main straightaway.