It has been a long winter for Chris Wimmer. The last time he was in a racecar to compete was the American Speed Association’s finale in Nashville, October, 2003. Since then, he has become the newest driver for MB Motorsports, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) team renowned for the talented drivers who have piloted its trucks over the years. After a successful Ford test session at Ace Speedway in Elon, N.C., Wimmer is itching to get back on the track and will make his first career NASCAR start at the Kroger 250 Saturday at the Martinsville Speedway.

Sponsoring Wimmer and the MB Motorsports Ford at Martinsville is Race Fans for a Cure®, a Ford Credit-sponsored charitable initiative that benefits the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. “I’m very honored to have Race Fans for a Cure® as our primary sponsor for my race in Martinsville,” said Wimmer. “This will be my first race in NASCAR and to have an organization onboard like this that has done so much to help so many makes this race all the more special.

“We’re ready to go,” he said. “I knew the test in North Carolina would make me anxious to get back on the track, but when you look at the fact we were only a tenth of a second behind guys like Carl Edwards and Jon Woods, who ran well at Martinsville last year…man, I can’t wait!”

Team owner/crew chief Mike Mittler is equally ready to get to Martinsville, which will be the first race of the season for the #63 Ford. “We had to miss Daytona for the first time in our history and that was a pretty hard deal,” he said, “but Chris wasn’t ready to run the big tracks, so we decided to wait until Martinsville so we could put the best equipment under him for his first NASCAR start.

“Watching (Chris) in that truck, I tell you, it’s fun to watch,” Mittler continued. “We call him ‘Superman,’ because when he’s in the shop working, he’s a quiet, mild-mannered guy, but get him in that truck and he’s something else. He’s aggressive, but he’s smart, maybe one of the best we’ ve had in this truck. He’s very similar to (former MB Motorsports driver) Carl (Edwards) in the way he can communicate how the truck is handling back to the crew.”

After spending Easter in his hometown of Wausau, Wis., with his family, Wimmer is ready for the paperclip-shaped half-mile track. “People keep asking me if I’m ready,” he said with a grin. “I’ve had almost six months of rest, I’m ready to race!

“On the one hand, it was good to have the time off to prepare to drive in a different series,” he continued, “but on the other hand, I watch the races, I watch my brother, Scott, drive in the (NASCAR Nextel) Cup Series and I start getting anxious. I just want to make the show and do well for our sponsors, especially Race Fans for a Cure® and Dave Porter Truck Sales.”

Wimmer will be signing autographs at the Race Fans for a Cure® trailer located outside the speedway. Visit the trailer or www.mbracing.net for appearance times.

The Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway will be carried live by MRN radio at 12:30 p.m. Eastern and on television by SPEED Channel starting at 1 p.m. Eastern.