Winchester: Eddie Sharp Racing preview

Eddie Sharp Racing looks to turn Kansas success into a Winchester win

Josh Wise, fresh off of a top-five finish, will once again pilot the No. 22

MOORESVILLE, NC (May 2, 2007) -- Just as the No. 2 Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) team had found the season's turning point at Salem, the ESR No. 22 machine was running on all cylinders at Kansas.

With Michael Waltrip Racing development driver Josh Wise behind the wheel, ESR scored its best finish of the season in its No. 22 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota at Kansas Speedway last weekend. Wise qualified 26th after suffering an electrical problem that was addressed prior to Sunday's race.

Wise drove through the field en route to a team-best 5th place finish on the season. With a solid top-five finish in its back pocket, the ESR No. 22 team turns to this weekend and Winchester Speedway in Indiana.

Returning to the track where he made his ARCA debut in 2006, Wise will once again pilot the No. 22 in hopes of improving on last year's performance that saw him battle overheating problems which led to his exiting the race 100 laps prior to the finish.

That debut wasn't the first time that Wise had seen the Winchester racing surface; the two-time USAC National Champion has finished no worse than 6th at the .5 mile track over the course of his career.

While team owner Eddie Sharp was all smiles after last weekend's performance, he also looks toward Winchester as a potential momentum-swinger:

"Overcoming the electrical problems at Kansas and bringing home a top-five was huge for us," said Sharp. "We need to make sure that we bottle up that success and carry it to Winchester. I feel good about it. The team is in high spirits and Josh knows how to get around this place. If we can have the focus and determination that we had at Kansas, then we will really start to hit stride as a team at Winchester."

ARCA Pole Qualifying will take place at 4:15 pm on Friday. The Winchester 200 begins at 1 pm this Sunday.

-credit: esr