Friday, September 24, 2010

Qualifying Report - Dover International Speedway

David Reutimann — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota — qualified 18th.

Friday Recap

• Jimmie Johnson won his second Coors Light Pole Award of 2010 with a time of 23.116 sec/155.736 mph
• Non-Chase drivers AJ Allmendinger and Mark Martin rounded out top three.
• Point leader Denny Hamlin will start fifth
• JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 24th
• Sunday’s race begins at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern) on ESPN-TV, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

DAVID REUTIMANN — "We really missed it today. We kept tightening up the Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota and when I went out to qualify it felt like it was plowing in the center. We just went too far in trying to tighten it up. It's disappointing - we normally qualify pretty well here and we ran well here in the spring. We'll just keep working on it tomorrow and try to get it better before the race on Sunday."

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

David Reutimann - Sprint Cup Series Preview - Dover International Speedway


CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver David Reutimann knows that it’s not where you start, but where you finish that matters most in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. The 40-year-old, Zephyrhills, Fla. native’s most recent pole came at Dover International Speedway in May 2009 and he owns two top-five starts in the last three races at the Monster Mile. Reutimann has only nine races left this season to extend his pole streak to three consecutive seasons. This weekend’s race at Dover could serve as Reutimann’s best pole opportunity as well as second trip to victory lane in 2010. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver finished fifth on the concrete high banks in May posting 15 of the fastest laps in the 400 lap race.

REUTIMANN QUOTES

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALIFYING: “It’s got to the point that the racing is so competitive, it’s so difficult to pass and there are so many good cars that if you start up front it gives you a little bit of an opportunity to at least try to stay there. It’s also important because it give you the opportunity to get a good pit selection and things of that nature. Overall, just to be the fastest on that given day, mentally it’s just a big boost as well for yourself and the team, so while getting poles doesn’t get you into the Shootout in Daytona or anything of that nature any more it’s still just really, really important because of the racing aspect – it gives you the best possible start to the weekend that you can possibly have.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS WINNING AT LEAST ONE POLE A YEAR TO YOU: “I think it’s important and I take pride in winning a pole each year, unfortunately we haven’t been able to do that yet this year and that’s a little disappointing. We won a couple poles last year and I think one the year before at the Cup level, so we want to get one in the books before the end of the year. It’s important – you want to go out and win poles and win races. It’s a little disappointing so far because the last couple years we’ve been able to win one or two and we haven’t yet this year, so we need to try and step it up and get ourselves a pole … and another win.”

ON SOME OF THE CHASE GUYS THAT GAMBLED AND LOST AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: “Racing is a gamble anyway. I admire Tony (Stewart) and a couple of those guys for going all-in and taking that chance. They must have felt like that was the only way that they were going to win, so they went for it. They were all-in and it didn’t work out, but it just as easily could have. It’s just one of those things where you just don’t know and you take your shot. Fuel mileage and rain shortened events – you just don’t know how those things are going to shake out, but I applaud them for going out there and trying it. It didn’t work out for them, but at least they went down swinging.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• The David Reutimann Foundation is hosting its sixth annual Charity Cook Out and Golf Outing Dec. 3-4, 2010 at Silverado Golf and Country Club located in Reutimann’s hometown of Zephyrhills, Fla. In 2009, The David Reutimann Foundation raised over $100,000 which he distributed to Florida-based charities, including: All Children’s Hospital, Kids Go to Camp, Zephyrhills Women’s Pregnancy Center and Camp Boggy Creek.

• Aaron’s, sponsor of the No. 00, will give away an autographed hat to a lucky race fan through Facebook and Twitter following any top-10 finish. Follow Aarons on Twitter (@AaronsSports) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/AaronsSports).

• David Reutimann already tied his single season career best in wins (one) and top-fives (five) and has the final 10 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule to improve on his totals. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver also is closing in on several more personal bests:

Category Best (Year) - 2010
Wins: 1 (2009) - 1
Top-5: 5 (2009) - 5
Points: 16th (2009) - 15th
Avg. Start: 15.9 (2009) - 16.0
Avg. Finish: 16.4 (2009) - 16.8
Laps Led: 118 (2008) - 89

Sunday, September 19, 2010

David Reutimann New Hampshire Race Report

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 TUMS Toyota driver David Reutimann overcame an ill-handling racecar to record a seventh-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. Reutimann started seventh and worked his way up to fourth over the first 75 laps. A loose handling condition dropped the No. 00 to 20th just past the half-way mark. Following a pit stop on lap 208, crew chief Rodney Childers called for Reutimann to stay out and save fuel over the final four cautions. The call moved Reutimann from 16th to fourth. The No. 00 raced in the top-10 over the final 75 laps and moved from ninth to seventh in the closing laps when two cars ran out of fuel. Reutimann moves to 15th in the standings. The Michael Waltrip Racing team returns to action Sunday at Dover International Speedway.


David Reutimann, No. 00 TUMS Toyota Camry

Started seventh and finished seventh

Battled a loose in, loose off condition for the majority of the afternoon and dropped out of the top 15 by half way.

Worked on the car under caution to correct the issue, but continued to race between 15th and 20th.

Stayed out under caution on Lap 223 to climb from 16th to 4th.

Stayed out following quick cautions on lap 238 and 241 to restart seventh on lap 245.

Remained in the top-10 the rest of the race and picked up two spots as leaders ran out of fuel to finish seventh.



REUTIMANN QUOTE: "That was ugly, but I'll take it! To struggle the way we did today and still come out of here with a seventh-place finish is pretty amazing. Our TUMS Toyota was loose in and off all day and really couldn't get a handle on it. Rodney (Childers) and (race engineer) Dax (Gerringer) really did a great job working on our fuel and pit strategy. We took a pretty big gamble by staying out toward the end and not pitting, but with the way the cautions worked out it was pretty good - we saved fuel and picked up a top-10. I can't thank our team enough for the job they did today and TUMS for its support."

RACE NOTES:

Clint Bowyer won the first race of the 2010 Chase for the Championship and is now second in points.

Denny Hamlin finished second and Jamie McMurray third. Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton were racing in the top-five, but ran out of gas in the closing laps.

Denny Hamlin now leads Clint Bowyer by 35 points

The race last 2 hours and 58 minutes. Cautions slowed race slowed race eight times for 34 laps.

Twenty-one lead changes among eight drivers.

NASCAR estimated attendance at 95,000.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

David Reutimann - New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sprint Cup Series Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 TUMS Toyota driver David Reutimann has already tied his single season career best in wins (one) and top-fives (five) and has the final 10 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule to improve on his totals. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver also is closing in on several more personal bests:

Category: Best (Year) - 2010
Wins: 1 (2009) - 1
Top-5: 5 (2009) - 5
Points Finish: 16th (2009) - 17th
Avg. Start: 15.9 (2009) - 16.3
Avg. Finish: 16.4 (2009) - 17.2
Laps Led: 118 (2008) - 89

REUTIMANN QUOTES

ONE OF FOUR DRIVERS NOT IN THE CHASE WHO HAVE WON A RACE: “I don’t think that getting a win should automatically put you in the Chase, but it’d be nice if there was a little more emphasis on gaining some points in that area. That being said, it’s just odd how it worked out for us, but now we’re on the outside looking in unfortunately and we’re just going to have to do a better job next year. The No. 00 team has made amazing strides this year in how fast we are and how the cars handle, but we’ve had some bad breaks and need to be a little more consistent for next year to be one of the teams competing for the Chase.”

FIVE TOP-10 FINISHES THIS YEAR – ALL OF WHICH WERE TOP-FIVE: “Those statistics are a little misleading - our Toyotas have been better than that. We’ve had really good cars all year and we should have quite a few more top-10s, but I feel like there are a lot of situations where we finished somewhere from 11th-15th or 16th and we left some points on the table at the very end of the race. A perfect example is the last couple weekends we had really good cars and we didn’t finish like we needed to finish. At Atlanta we had a radio issue and fell multiple laps down and didn’t have much of an opportunity to get our laps back until the very end. Last week in Richmond we cut a tire early and lost a ton of track position that caused us to fall a couple laps down, but we were still running top-10 lap times all night. We had one of the stronger cars, but just had some tough luck at the start and couldn’t get back on the lead lap to gain any more positions. There’s been situations like that all year where we’ve had fast race cars and just haven’t finished like I know we are capable of.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• New Hampshire marks the fourth of five primary schemes for TUMS in 2010. The No. 00 TUMS Toyota last raced at Chicagoland, where Reutimann recorded his only win of 2010 and the second of his career. The No. 00 TUMS Toyota will appear for the final time in 2010 at Phoenix.

• TUMS, Levy and NHMS have partnered on the TUMS “Chowdah” Cook-Off. After submitting entries online at NHMS.com, five contestants have been selected to compete in the at-track cooking competition. Cooking will begin Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 a.m. ET at the TUMS Fast Relief Zone located in the fan midway at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. NASCAR personalities Jimmy Spencer and Michael Waltrip will join the judging panel which takes place at 10 a.m.

• The David Reutimann Foundation is hosting its sixth annual Charity Cook Out and Golf Outing Dec. 3-4, 2010 at Eldorado Golf and Country Club located in Reutimann’s hometown of Zephyrhills, Fla. In 2009, The David Reutimann Foundation raised over $100,000 which he distributed to Florida-based charities, including: All Children’s Hospital, Kids Go to Camp, Zephyrhills Women’s Pregnancy Center and Camp Boggy Creek.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

David Reutimann, No. 00 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE Toyota Camry

Started fifth and finished 19th.

Ran in the top six until lap 55 when contact by Kurt Busch cut Reutimann’s tire sending him into a spin.

Fell to 34th after stops on pit lane to repair body damage. Turned 10th-place lap times on return to track.

Pitted on lap 145 after losing a lap to the leaders. Race’s second caution flew seconds after the stop dropping him two laps behind leader. Took wave around before lap 153 restart.

Lap 225 caution enabled him to make up one of the two laps.

Ran 19th in the free pass position for remainder of the race but the much-needed caution never flew.

REUTIMANN QUOTE: "That was a frustrating night. We had a good Aaron's Dream Machine, qualified well and I thought we were going to have a pretty good night. Unfortunately the No. 2 car (Kurt Busch) hit one of our tires with his splitter and it caused us to spin and lose a ton of track position. Then we got stuck on pit road when the caution came out. I really thought we had a top-10 car easy tonight, but we could never get back on the lead lap. I give my crew a ton of credit though. They worked hard and did everything they could to put us in position to get back on the lead lap. We just never caught that final break. We'll regroup and try to get better next week in New Hampshire."

RACE NOTES:

Denny Hamlin won Saturday night’s race at Richmond.

Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Marcos Ambrose rounded out top five.

Race took 2 hours and 54 minutes with three cautions for 28 laps and none after lap 242.

Six leaders exchanged the lead 14 times with only 14 cars on the lead lap when checkered flag fell.

Richmond concluded regular season. Ten-race “Chase for Championship” among a dozen drivers begins Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Qualifying Report - Richmond International Raceway

Richmond International Raceway Qualifying Results

David Reutimann —No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota — qualified fifth.

Friday Recap
Carl Edwards won the Coors Light Pole Award
Juan Pablo Montoya and AJ Allmendinger rounded out top three.
Point leader Kevin Harvick will start 20th
MWR's Martin Truex Jr. starts 29th
JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 12nd
Saturday’s race begins at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern) on ABC-TV, MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

DAVID REUTIMANN — How was your car in practice today and how was your qualifying lap?
“We had a pretty good practice with the Aaron’s Dream Machine and we were just a little too free on our second lap.  We couldn’t be as productive as we needed to be and missed it a little bit.  All in all, pretty good effort for the guys.  We unloaded good, I made some smart changes and I feel like this is probably the best car we’ve ever had here.  I am kind of disappointed though, I feel like we should have been better in qualifying.  We got loose on our second lap and it cost us some time.  When you have opportunities to get poles, you want to get them.  When you miss them, it bums you out.”

Will you approach these final 11 races differently not being in the Chase?
“It’s our own fault for not getting in the Chase.  It’s a situation where we just go out here and race hard like we have been.  I’m not going to approach anything any different.  It may give us a chance to take some different chances and gamble a little bit on occasion when we probably wouldn’t.  Other than that, I think it’s business as usual for us.”

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

David Reutimann - Richmond Sprint Cup Series Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann has two goals for the remaining eleven races in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The 40-year-old Zephyrhills, Fla. native plans to win every race and wind up the season in 13th-place before turning his attention to the 2011 season. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver charged from 30th place in points after Texas in April to 16th place after last weekend’s 16th-place finish at Atlanta.

Reutimann is one of four drivers outside the top-12 in championship driver points to record a Sprint Cup Series win in 2010. Five drivers inside the top-12 are winless in 2010.

QUOTES

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON?: “My goals haven’t changed all year – my goal is to put the Aaron’s Dream Machine in victory lane every week. I show up at Daytona in February with the goal of winning 36 point races, a couple of exhibition races and a Sprint Cup Series championship. It’s a personal mind set and I know our No. 00 team feels the same way. I don’t come to the racetrack on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday wanting to finish second – that’s just not the way we do things. So now that we are on the outside looking in at the rest of the Chase guys it’s my goal to finish the season with 12 wins. I already have one win and we have 11 more races until the end of the year. Wouldn’t it be fun to see one of the guys outside the top-12 finish the season with the most wins? I want to be that guy! If I’m not in the Chase I want to spoil all the fun for everyone else by winning the next 11 races.”

ON BEING ONE OF FOUR DRIVERS WITH A WIN OUTSIDE THE TOP-12 IN POINTS GOING TO RICHMOND: “I wish I was one of the 12 guys inside the top-12 in points with a couple wins, but sometimes that’s just how it goes. We’ve had a good season and I know that the No. 00 Aaron’s team and all of Michael Waltrip Racing continues to get better every week. We caught some bad breaks early in the season that cost us a lot of points, but we’ve kept at it. At one point this year we were 30th in points and we’ve climbed our way back to 16th and keep on gaining spots each week. We’re not the only team in this situation – Jamie McMurray has two wins this year, but a couple of bad days cost him too. Same with (Juan Pablo) Montoya and (Ryan) Newman. It’s just frustrating to know we have a team that in my opinion is one of the 12 best in the garage and have to be on the outside looking in for the last 11 weeks.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• No. 00 crew chief Rodney Childers will join Larry McReynolds and Steve Post in-studio for MRN’s NASCAR Performance Live 7-8 p.m. on Wednesday.

• Reutimann led 104 laps at the fall Richmond race in 2008—a career best.

• Reutimann has three top-five finishes under the lights in 2010, including a win at Chicagoland Speedway - his second career Sprint Cup Series win. Reutimann also recorded top-five finishes in the Coke 600 at Charlotte (fifth) and the night race at Bristol (second). Reutimann has finished in the top-15 in six out of seven night races in 2010.

• Reutimann has already tied his single season career best in wins (one) and top-five (five) finishes with 11 races remaining in 2010.

• Only 10 drivers have more top-five finishes than Reutimann’s five in 2010.

• Reutimann is 16th in the championship point standings, trailing the top-12 by 186 with one race remaining before the “Chase.”

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Reutimann Atlanta Race Report

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Outdoors Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann overcame an early-race black flag that dropped him two laps behind the leader to finish 16th Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Reutimann made an unscheduled green flag stop about a third of the way into the 500-mile race to reconnect the radio inside his Camry. He made up the first lap quickly and second of the two laps with less than 30 laps left in the race. Reutimann had little time to pass lead lap cars but he gained about six positions over the final laps for the 16th-place finish. Reutimann moves to 16th in the point’s race. The Michael Waltrip Racing team and the Sprint Cup Series return to action Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.


 

 David Reutimann, No. 00 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE Toyota Camry

 
  • Started 13th and finished 16th
  • Fell to 19th in the first 50 laps due to ill-handling car but climbed back to 14th.
  • NASCAR black-flagged Reutimann on lap 105 to reconnect his car radio.
  • The unscheduled stop dropped him two laps down to leaders.
  • Took the wave-around on lap 148 and immediately regained one lost lap at the next caution.
  • Raced hard a lap down for most of the race before getting the second lap back with 30 laps remaining.
  • Restarted the race in 22nd with 25 laps remaining and worked his way to 16th when the checkered flag fell.

 REUTIMANN QUOTE: "That was just a long night. We had an issue with the radio early on and I couldn't hear the spotter or crew chief, so NASCAR black flagged us and we ended up two laps down. We got one back pretty quick, but it took us almost all night to finally get the lucky dog and get back on the lead lap. And once we finally got back on the lead lap we were almost out of time to make up any significant ground. It was a pretty frustrating night, but I'm proud of my guys. They gave me a great Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota. We just never had the opportunity to show how good the car was after the deal with the radio. That was a tough night. Hopefully we can do a little better next week in Richmond."

 

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Atlanta Motor Speedway - Qualifying Report

Atlanta Motor Speedway Qualifying Results

David Reutimann¬—No. 00 Aaron’s Outdoors Dream Machine Toyota — qualified 13th.

Friday Recap

• Denny Hamlin won the Coors Light Pole Award—his first of the season and first at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• Ryan Newman and Kyle Busch rounded out top three.
• Point leader Kevin Harvick will start 29th
• JTG-Daugherty’s Marcos Ambrose will start 32nd
• Saturday’s race begins at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern) on ESPN-TV, PRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

DAVID REUTIMANN — “It was a good lap. We were good all the way around and I felt like we had a lot more grip in Turns 1 and 2. I think we’ll be very good in the race, but for the most part I just under-drove my lap a little bit. I always over-drive my qualifying laps here and today I tried really hard not to do that and just ended up under-driving it a little. I think we’ll be good tomorrow on the longer runs and be strong in the race.”

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

David Reutimann - Atlanta Sprint Cup Series Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Outdoors Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann learned at Bristol Motor Speedway how difficult it is to make up ground in the point standings this late in the Sprint Cup Season. Reutimann battled through flu-like symptoms all weekend to finish second—his second best finish of the 2010 season—but only gained 10 points in pursuit of the 12th and final spot in the Chase for the Championship. With only two races remaining before the Chase, Reutimann is 17th trailing 12th-place Clint Bowyer by 155 points. Reutimann has extra reasons to look forward to Sunday’s race that begins at 7 p.m. at the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. Both of Reutimann’s two career victories came on 1.5-mile tracks and he owns top 15 finishes at each of the six 2010 races held under the lights.

QUOTES

WHAT IS IT ABOUT NIGHT RACES THAT YOU LIKE?: “Night races are just a whole different feel. They’re just a whole different vibe. It almost takes you back to when you started out racing. Almost all of us, at least at one time or another, raced local short tracks on Friday or Saturday nights. It almost takes you back to having that same feel. That same vibe that I did when I was growing up. I think that’s one of the things that I like so much about it. It takes me back to my earlier days of racing."

ON RETURNING TO ATLANTA: “I feel like at the fall night race last year we had a really strong run and we felt like we found some things at that point. Rodney (Childers) and the guys came up with some stuff that really seemed to work well there. We kind of went along the same lines when we went there earlier this year in Atlanta and again we had another really, really good racecar. I just think that we continue to build each time we go there. I’ve been talking to Rodney and I think that we may be going there with a little bit different approach, but also knowing that we have some things in our back pocket to fall back on that we know have been good in the past. So, we’ll start off with one thing and know that if it doesn’t work out that we can switch to another. It’s a good racetrack – a 1.5-mile track that we’ve been good at and I really enjoy racing on the 1.5-mile tracks. We’ve been really strong at those places.”

MWR TOYOTA STRENGTH ON THE 1.5-MILE TRACKS: “I think Rodney (Childers) and the guys, (engineer) Dax (Gerringer) and the guys , have a really good feel for what makes our cars good at those places. I also just like the 1.5-mile racetracks as a driver, so if you combine all that stuff I think it just ends up being a better fit for us.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• In the last 12 races on 1.5-mile racetracks (including Atlanta - technically a 1.54-mile track), Reutimann has two wins, four top-fives, five top-10s, nine top-15s and led 60 laps.

• The last time Reutimann visited a 1.5 mile racetrack under the lights he recorded the win at Chicagoland Speedway - his second career Sprint Cup Series win. Reutimann has consecutive top-five finishes at night races on 1.5-mile tracks (Chicago, fifth at Charlotte).

• Reutimann is currently 17th in the championship point standings, trailing the top-12 by 155 with two races remaining. With 12 races remaining in 2010, Reutimann has already tied his single season career best in wins (one) and top-five (five) finishes. Reutimann has scored 20 fewer points in 2010 then at the same point in 2009. He has three DNFs in 2010 after not recording one in all of 2009.

• Reutimann will spend the day on Wednesday, Sept. 1, on the ESPN Campus in Bristol, Conn. Reutimann is participating in the ESPN “Car Wash” in which a NASCAR driver travels to Bristol to take part in various media opportunities across the ESPN television, radio and electronic media properties.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

No. 00 Wins Tissot Pit Crew Award - Again!!!

David Reutimann’s pit crew pocketed the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

It was the second Tissot win of the season for Reutimann’s No. 00 crew, which moved into a four-way tie for third place in the weekly pit-road competition. Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 continues to lead the Tissot standings with four wins

The weekly Tissot winner receives $5,000 from Tissot plus a Tissot V8 Quartz Chronograph watch. The team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver.

Reutimann’s Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota spent the least amount of time on pit road – 199.713 seconds -- during the 500-lap race at the half-mile oval. The quick work by the No. 00 crew helped Reutimann to a second-place finish.

Coming in second was Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Doublemint Toyota – 199.763 seconds and third was Gordon’s No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet – 204.369.

Reutimann’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Ryan Langley (front-tire changer), Chris Hall (front-tire carrier), Lee Cunningham (rear-tire changer), Donnie Marvel (rear-tire carrier), Tony Cardamone (jackman), Aaron Pieratt (gasman) and Jeff Seaberg (catch can). The team’s crew chief is Rodney Childers and the pit crew coach is Greg Miller.

“The Aaron’s Dream Machine No. 00 crew has been great all season long and Saturday night at Bristol was no exception,” said Childers. “They knew we had a great starting position and needed to have consistently great stops all night to keep us up front. With David (Reutimann) feeling under the weather all weekend it was even more important to support him as best they could. It all came together very well. They guys did a great job and I can’t say enough about the job they’ve done all season.”

Tissot has been the official watch and timekeeper of NASCAR since 2006. The company is also the official timekeeper for a number of other sports, including the MotoGP World Championship, the Ice Hockey World Championship and the Cycling World Championship.







Saturday, August 21, 2010

David Reutimann Bristol Race Report


David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann endured food poisoning on Friday then posted a second-place finish Saturday night in the 500-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Saturday marked the first time in his Sprint Cup career Reutimann earned a second-place finish. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver started fifth and raced in the top five throughout the night leading 25 laps around the 400-lap mark before Kyle Busch made the race winning pass with just 81 laps remaining. Reutimann held off Jamie McMurray in the closing laps to secure second place. Reutimann is 17th in points and 155 points out of the 12th and final Chase position with two races remaining. The Sprint Cup Series enjoys an off weekend before traveling to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 5.




David Reutimann, No. 00 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE Toyota Camry

Started fifth and finished second.

Reutimann led 25 laps and raced in the top five throughout the race.

Marked his first second-place finish in his Sprint Cup career.

17th in points—155 points behind Clint Bowyer in the final spot in the “Chase for the Championship.”

Fifth top-five of the season and 10th of his career.

Suffered from food poisoning on Friday. He and Aric Almirola shared driving duties in Friday practice.



REUTIMANN QUOTE: "(Crew Chief) Rodney Childers and the guys gave me exactly what I asked for tonight. All in all it was a great team effort by Michael Waltrip Racing this weekend. My team did a really good job. They had to work with two drivers on Friday with two different styles and they were able to make it work. We know we are capable of winning races. My team is an excellent team. We have some good race tracks coming up for us so we are going to keep digging and see how this thing turns out.”

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

David Reutimann - Bristol Motor Speedway Preview


CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann knows he has a lot of ground to make up in a very short amount of time to earn a spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series “Chase for the Championship.” With races remaining at Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond, Reutimann finds himself 18th in points trailing the top-12 by 165 points. But Reutimann and the Michael Waltrip Racing crew have reason for optimism. In the spring races at both Bristol and Atlanta, Reutimann raced in the top-five chasing down the leaders before mechanical problems ended both races early. He recorded a 15th-place finish at Richmond after starting second.

QUOTES

ON THE FINAL THREE RACES BEFORE THE CHASE CUT OFF: “I love Bristol! I love Atlanta. Richmond is one of those places that I really like, we’ve struggled a little bit there, but I do like the racetrack. We have some good racetracks coming up for us. I’m looking forward to getting back to the mile-and-a-half at Atlanta. We had a really good run going there earlier this year, but again, we didn’t get the finish we would have liked. We had two great races going earlier this year at Bristol and Atlanta, but ended the race early due to some issues that forced us behind the wall. I was second at Bristol and hanging around the top-five at Atlanta and we weren’t able to finish either of those races – so I’d like to get back there and run the way I know we are capable of running. We have a great team. The guys on the No. 00 have been working hard and I know we have some good cars capable of running up front. Hopefully we’ll see that again in these last three races before the (Chase) cutoff.”

SATURDAY’S RACE AT BRISTOL: “We had an excellent Aaron’s Dream Machine our first trip to Bristol this year – probably the best car we’ve ever had there. It didn’t turn out the way we’d of liked, but I know that we’re going to have a good car this time around. Goodyear’s got a little different tire this time, but in our business you can never just go back with the exact same stuff and expect to run well. That never seems to work – you always have to constantly evolve and change this up. I feel good about going back there this time – I’m pretty excited about it because we’ve struggled a little bit lately.”

No. 00 TEAM PERFORMANCE SINCE WINNING CHICAGO: “Honestly, we just haven’t been very good. Since our Chicago win the rest of our races have been pretty disappointing. We just have to get back on our game and start running like we are capable of doing. That’s really the long and short of it. I know everybody is working really, really hard, but sometimes things just don’t go your way. Things haven’t gone our way. I know that we’re a much better team than where we’re running right now, and that makes it even worse. We’ll get back on the other side of it. Hopefully we’ll do it at Bristol this week.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Reutimann chose “The Game” by Motorhead as his introduction song prior to Saturday night’s race. Motörhead is a British rock power trio well-known in the professional wrestling community for performing “The Game” as the entrance music for popular WWE wrestler Triple H.

• Reutimann has finished on the lead lap in 18 of 20 races that he was running at the finish and 18 out of 23 total races in 2010. He has finished 20th or better in 16 of the 20 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in 12 of the 20. Reutimann has collected 25 bonus points for leading laps in five races in 2010.

• Reutimann won the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 10. The Sprint Cup Series win is his first of the season and second of his career. Reutimann led 52 laps in the win — the second highest total of any race in his career (Best, 104 laps at Richmond in fall 2008).

Sunday, August 15, 2010

David Reutimann Michigan Race Report


David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann spent most of Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway adjusting to the constantly changing track conditions before earning a hard fought 16th-place finish. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver moved from 14th to 10th in the first 60 laps, but struggled with the balance of the racecar as the day progressed. The No. 00 team stayed out to gain track position on lap 159, but a series of quick cautions dropped Reutimann to 19th at the final restart on lap 172. Reutimann raced his way to 16th before the checked flag flew on lap 200. Reutimann remains 18th in the point standings, trailing the top 12 by 165 points with three races remaining before the Chase cutoff. The series returns to action Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.




DAVID REUTIMANN: “We just fought it all day today. We’d work to correct one thing and it would hurt something else. We tried some pit strategy by staying out late in the race to gain some track position, but really we just did the best we could with the Aaron’s Dream Machine. The track conditions were tough today, but on a day like today you just do what you can to gain every position. We’ll take it and head to Bristol.”



Reutimann Notes:

Reutimann started 14th and finished 16th.

The No. 00 raced its way from 14th to 10th in the first 60 laps

The Aaron’s Dream Machine struggled with a tight center, loose off handling condition

The No. 00 fell a lap down during a green flag stop on lap 135, but raced back to the lead lap within seven laps.

Reutimann stayed out under caution on lap 159 to restart fourth.

Reutimann restarted 19th on the final restart on lap 172 and improved to 16th when the race ended.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

David Reutimann - Michigan International Speedway Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann spent his Monday traveling to Chicago to assist Chicagoland Speedway in announcing it will become the first race in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship. The press conference took place at Fulton’s on the River in downtown Chicago and was attended by NASCAR VP of racing operations Steve O’Donnell, Reutimann, Kevin Harvick and Chicagoland Speedway president Craig Rust.

QUOTES

ON CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY BEING ADDED TO THE 2011 CHASE SCHEDULE:
“Chicagoland Speedway is a cool place. It’s a neat racetrack, the facility is phenomenal and the people are great. People can talk about the markets and all the other things that are really, really important to our sport, but I think what it comes down to for us, what’s important for a driver, is that it’s a fun racetrack. Anytime a driver can go out there and have fun at a racetrack you are going to see better racing. You’ll see guys run at the top or the bottom or the middle and I just think that adds excitement to the event. What makes Chicago such a cool racetrack – I mean you have a back straightaway that’s not straight, so I don’t know what you’d call that, but whatever you want to call it – maybe the curveaway. It’s a unique racetrack and great facility. I just think it’s a perfect place to start the Chase. Hopefully next year I’m part of that equation as well.”

ON THE ADDITION OF THE 1.5-MILE RACETRACK TO THE CHASE: “People say that Chicagoland Speedway is just another mile-and-a-half racetrack and it is, but that’s where the similarities end from a lot of the other racetracks that we go to. It’s just unique, especially with the entrance of the corners. Every year you go back the racetrack gets a little more personality. I always consider racetracks to be a living breathing thing and their attitudes change over the years as well. One bump that was not that big one year will be maybe a little bit bigger issue the next. With that being said, it’s a cool racetrack and it’s a challenge.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ADDING ANOTHER 1.5-MILE TRACK TO THE CHASE?
“I’m all for it, especially since I won there. The only problem that I have is that they changed it to a day race, and that’s just going to completely mess my deal up. (Laughs). I finally for one race in my entire life get things figured out and then they change it on me. I think the reason behind the move to a day race was like – well, Reutimann ran pretty good there, so what can we do to mess up his program. (Laughs). I’m sure they had a big meeting on that.

“What’s important is that we have good racing on the racetrack and I think this particular racetrack adds to that. I think this is a win-win personally.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Reutimann has finished on the lead lap in 17 of 19 races that he was running at the finish and 17 out of 22 total races in 2010.

• Reutimann won the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 10. The Sprint Cup Series win is his first of the season and second of his career. Reutimann led 52 laps in the win — the second highest total of any race in his career (Best,104 laps at Richmond in fall 2008).

• Reutimann has won at least one race in all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series - Sprint Cup Series (Charlotte-1 2009, Chicago 2010), Nationwide (Memphis 2007) and Camping World Truck Series (Nashville 2005).

• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in 15 of the 19 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in 12 of the 19. Reutimann has collected 25 bonus points for leading laps in five races in 2010.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

David Reutimann Watkins Glen Post Race Report



David Reutimann Race Summary: David Reutimann drove the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota to a 23rd place finish at Watkins Glen International on Sunday - his second best career road course finish. Reutimann started 30th and quickly raced way in to the top-25, while battling a loose racecar. Reutimann steadily worked his way around the road circuit holding his position while the No. 00 team worked to improve the car's balance. Reutimann brought the Aaron’s Dream Machine home in one piece and gained ground on the top-12 in championship driver points. With four races remaining, the No. 00 team remains 18th in points trailing Mark Martin for 12th by 166 points. Next week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to the two-mile Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.



David Reutimann, No. 00 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE Toyota Camry

Reutimann started 30th and finished 23rd

The Aaron’s Dream Machine raced in the top-25 the majority of the race

During green flag pit stops around lap 60 Reutimann raced as high as 16th

This marks Reutimann’s second best career road course finish

Reutimann remains 18th in championship driver points, but is now only -166 points out of the top-12



REUTIMANN QUOTE: "We did the best we could today with the Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota, but it was a struggle. We were very, very loose all day and just never got in front of it. I would have liked a little better finish, but right now I'm just happy we don't have any more road courses this year. I’m ready to get back to ovals. I think we’ll be good at Michigan next weekend.”

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

David Reutimann - Watkins Glen International Sprint Cup Series Preview


CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann makes no secret that road course racing isn’t his specialty. But that hasn’t stopped the 40 year-old former dirt track racer from working hard to get better. Every time Reutimann has raced on a road course he’s set a career-best road course finish. Reutimann spent two days last week at Watkins Glen International in street cars in preparation for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visit to the 2.45-mile road course circuit in upstate New York.

Reutimann’s Improvement
2008 Infineon 40th
2008 Watkins Glen 33rd
2009 Infineon 31st
2009 Watkins Glen 25th
2010 Infineon 20th

QUOTES

ON TESTING AT WATKINS GLEN: “We were up there in a completely different car then we are going to race last week, so it’s hard to take away a great deal from it. I think the biggest thing is that it gets you freshened back up on the racing line and trying different things and doing different things throughout the course of the day. I think any time you get out on a track it’s a big help, but it’s a situation where you make the best of the test that you can, but we can’t be in the exact race car that we’re going to race.”

ON RACING IN THE NORTHEAST: “My family has raced up in Syracuse and areas like that, which is obviously not Watkins Glen, but in the same area of the country – just within a couple hours drive from Watkins Glen. The Mile at Syracuse, Brewerton, Canandaigua and Rolling Wheels in Weedsport and different places like that. We even race a little bit up at Black Rock on weekends when we race the Cup cars at The Glen, so I’ve raced at a lot of the racetracks around those areas, but I haven’t had much time to go hang out and see what Watkins Glen has to offer or really any of the areas in that part of the country other than just racetracks. I never had a great deal of success up in that part of the country to be quite honest. It was always a struggle. I met a lot of really, really good people that I still know and keep in contact with today, but for the most part the time I spent up there wasn’t the greatest time in my career certainly. I’ve kind of forgot a lot of what happened up there in my early racing life, because there wasn’t a whole lot of good to remember unfortunately. The racing was awesome, the people were awesome, and a lot of great racetracks, but our results weren’t exactly what you’d call awesome. I just wasn’t in a position to excel at that point.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• The No. 00 and No. 56 Sprint Cup Series pit crews plan to make a special trip to the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Level Cross, N.C. on Tuesday night to take part in NASCARnival night at the camp. Both teams will perform pit stops and spend time with the campers.

• At Indianapolis, Reutimann snapped the longest streak of consecutive lead laps finishes at 11 races. He has finished on the lead lap in 16 of 18 races that he was running at the finish and 16 out of 21 total races in 2010.

• Reutimann won the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 10. The Sprint Cup Series win is his first of the season and second of his career. Reutimann led 52 laps in the win — the second highest total of any race in his career (Best, 104 laps at Richmond in fall 2008).

• Reutimann has won at least one race in all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series - Sprint Cup Series (Charlotte-1 2009, Chicago 2010), Nationwide (Memphis 2007) and Camping World Truck Series (Nashville 2005).Reutimann has finished 20th or better in 15 of the 18 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in 12 of the 18. Reutimann has collected 25 bonus points for leading laps in five races in 2010.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

David Reutimann Looks Ahead to Pocono

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann knows a win to a NASCAR team can reach far beyond points or dollars, its influence impacts an organization’s morale, confidence and reputation in and out of the garage. Reutimann, who collected his second career Sprint Cup Series win in the Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 10th, has won in all three of NASCAR’s top touring series—The Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series. A win this weekend’s event at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway could propel Reutimann and the No. 00 team back into serious Chase contention.


QUOTES

REUTIMANN ON WINNING VERSUS POINT RACING: “I think a lot of things do get lost in the fact that there's a lot of focus put on the Chase, and rightfully so. That's what you're obviously trying to do. You're trying to win races. It's important to win races, but it's also about being consistent and all those things that gain you the most points. Every driver, when he's strapped in on Sunday, you're out there to try to win the race. For the drivers, I think the most important thing is going out there and trying to win races, doing what you can to help your cause. If you win races, that's always the better way to get in the Chase as well. It's a win-win situation if you can go out and win races. I know that's what we're focused on doing.”

ON THE IMPACT OF WINNING A RACE: “It can change the whole outlook of your entire organization. If you're having a rough year, things aren't going well, you're able to go out and win a race, you automatically kind of forget everything that's happened bad up to that point. You can switch things around and make it so you're like, Wow. I mean, no matter how your season has gone up to that point, you win that race, you're like, the sky is the limit from that point on. It gives the driver confidence. It gives the team confidence. More importantly, it gives the guys back at the shop that aren't able to be at the racetrack with you, but are turning out your racecars, getting your stuff prepared, gives them added enthusiasm, a little pep in their step, so to speak. It makes them see what they're doing at the shop is really important. They're able to see the results on the racetrack. I think that's great for any race team.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Only Kevin Harvick (9.2), Jeff Gordon (9.5), Tony Stewart (10.5), Jeff Burton (10.7) and Denny Hamlin (12.0) have a better average finish than Reutimann (12.9) in the last 10 races. Reutimann (1302) also ranks seventh in total points during that span.

• Last weekend at Indianapolis, Reutimann snapped the longest streak of consecutive lead laps finishes at 11 races. He has finished on the lead lap in 15 of 17 races that he was running at the finish and 15 out of 20 total races in 2010.

• Reutimann won the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 10. The Sprint Cup Series win is his first of the season and second of his career. Reutimann led 52 laps in the win — the second highest total of any race in his career (Best,104 laps at Richmond in fall 2008).

• Reutimann has won at least one race in all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series - Sprint Cup Series (Charlotte-1 2009, Chicago 2010), Nationwide (Memphis 2007) and Camping World Truck Series (Nashville 2005).

• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in 14 of the 17 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in 12 of the 17. Reutimann has collected 25 bonus points for leading laps in five races in 2010.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

David Reutimann Brickyard 400 Report


David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann’s 2010 Brickyard 400 went bad less than half a lap from the starting line in Indianapolis on Sunday. Kyle Busch triggered a multicar crash in turn two of the opening lap that saw several cars spin. Reutimann hit another car causing severe right front damage to Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 00. Reutimann made several pit stops and spent much of the race making repairs. He ended the race in 28th down three laps to the leaders and fell from 15th to 18th in points. The Sprint Cup series returns to action Sunday at Pocono International Raceway.



David Reutimann, No. 00 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE Toyota Camry

The Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota started 29th and finished 28th

The No. 00 suffered severe damage in a first lap, multicar accident triggered by cars ahead of Reutimann.

Team made several stops to repair the damage and return Reutimann to the track.

Reutimann finished 28th—down three laps to the leaders.

Reutimann’s 11-race streak of finishing on the lead lap was the longest in Sprint Cup competition.



REUTIMANN QUOTE: "That's about as frustrating as it gets. We didn't even get a chance to race today. Something happened up in front and I had nowhere to go and hit pretty hard. They crew did a great job working on it so we could run the rest of the race and get a respectable finish. We'll get going again in Pocono."



RACE NOTES:

Jamie McMurray won the Brickyard 400 (17th Running), his fifth victory in 278 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart rounded out the top five.

There were 14 lead changes among 10 leaders and six cautions for 25 laps. Twenty five cars finished on lead lap.

Kevin Harvick leads the point standings by 184 points over Jeff Gordon.

Chip Ganassi became the first owner to win the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and the Indy 500 in the same year.



Friday, July 23, 2010

Aaron's, MWR and David Reutimann Together Through 2012 in Sprint Cup Series



Aaron’s Ups Primary Sponsorship From 24 to 30 races in 2010
Extends Agreement through 2011 & 2012

INDIANAPOLIS (JULY 25, 2010) – Michael Waltrip Racing announced today that it has signed agreements extending its relationships with driver David Reutimann and primary sponsor Aaron’s, Inc. on the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota through the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

“I’m glad both Michael Waltrip Racing and Aaron’s want to keep me around,” joked Reutimann. “I’ve been asked about my contract for the last month and we’ve had a handshake agreement, but now it’s done and I’m glad I can finally talk about it. I’m thrilled. This is where I want to be – at Michael Waltrip Racing driving the No. 00 with Aaron’s on the hood. Aaron’s has been a great partner and I consider myself a lucky dog every time I get behind the wheel of the Aaron’s Dream Machine.

“Michael and Darrell Waltrip have given me just about every chance I have ever had in NASCAR since 2004 and I don’t want to go anywhere else. Good things are happening here and I plan to be a part of it.”

Reutimann, 40, earned his second Sprint Cup victory on July 10 in Chicagoland. He earned his and MWR’s first Sprint Cup victory at Charlotte in May 2009. He owns victories all three NASCAR national touring series. No driver owns more Toyota starts than Reutimann in NASCAR.

MWR co-owner Michael Waltrip said he never doubted Reutimann’s return.

“We never wavered on wanting to extend David and neither did Aaron’s. David and Aaron’s are like family to me. They’ve both been a large part of Michael Waltrip Racing since the very beginning and have stuck with us through thick and thin,” said Waltrip. “In the beginning we all took a chance on each other. You might say it was a high-risk, high reward proposition for everyone involved, but we all believed in each other and we are now starting to see those rewards a little more each day.

“Aaron’s along with NAPA AUTO PARTS and Toyota are three of the cornerstones MWR built upon over the years. Their loyalty to us has been as important as any ingredient in our success of late. I’m very proud that these companies have stayed with us as long as they have. We have a very bright future and plan to reward their loyalty in the coming years as we grow and continue to visit victory lane.”

Aaron’s will increase its primary sponsorship of Reutimann’s No.00 from 24 to 30 races in 2010 with TUMS and Best Western completing the schedule. Aaron’s will remain at 30 races in 2011 and 2012 and assume associate sponsorship position with all MWR Toyotas.

“Increasing our involvement in the NACSAR Sprint Cup Series and extending our partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing and David Reutimann through 2012 is a testament to how successful this relationship has been for Aaron’s,” stated Ken Butler, Chief Operating Officer of Aaron’s, Inc. “Much of Aaron’s growth and success is a direct result of our partnership with MWR and we are thrilled to continue that for two more seasons. We have built a rich history with Michael Waltrip and this organization over the last 11 years and I could not imagine Aaron’s partnering with anyone else in this sport. We look forward to being a part of their continued success.”

Aaron’s relationship with Michael Waltrip Racing began in 2000 when the Atlanta-based company sponsored six races for Waltrip’s Nationwide team. The relationship grew from a partial Nationwide program to one of the most recognizable Cup partnerships in the sport with aggressive activation and extensive usage of Waltrip and Reutimann in television and radio commercials.

MWR fields fulltime NASCAR Sprint Cup teams for Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. as well as a fulltime K&N Pro Series entry and a six-race Nationwide Series entry for Ryan Truex. MWR along with Gary and Blake Bechtel co-own Diamond-Waltrip Racing that fields a fulltime Nationwide entry for Trevor Bayne.

About Aaron’s, Inc.

Aaron’s, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), the nation’s leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has more than 1,730 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. Founded in 1955 by entrepreneur R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr. and headquartered in Atlanta, Aaron’s has been publicly traded since 1982. For more information, visit www.aarons.com.


Tuesday, July 20, 2010

David Reutimann - Indianapolis Motor Speedway Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann says racing and working on cars is the only business he’s ever known. Growing up, Reutimann followed his father Emil “Buzzie” Reutimann, a hall of fame dirt track racer, up and down the east coast racing at small town tracks and living off purse money. Now the roles are reversed and 69-year-old Buzzie follows his son from track to track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. Two weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway Buzzie stuck his head into David’s car window seconds after he pulled into victory lane to share a very special moment.

QUOTES

BUZZIE REUTIMANN ON DAVID’S CHICAGO WIN: “People want you to put into words what it feels like to watch your son win a race at the highest level, but I don’t think there are really words that can describe that feeling. We can sit and talk about winning races all night long, but it’s the ones we lose we don’t want to talk about a whole lot. It was just a great victory. I know that when David won that Coke 600 that he always felt that it was sort of a “gimmie” and he was living with that. I know when he won that race in Chicago that the weight of the world came off his shoulders - you could just tell the relief in him. The first thing I said to him when I stuck my head in the car in victory lane was, ‘Tonight we did it kid! There was no rain in sight and it was all about the racing.’ I said, ‘You whipped them all! Tonight we’re the best!’ but I think it took a couple days for it all to sink in.”

BUZZIE REUTIMANN ON THE SHOW OF RESPECT FROM OTHER DRIVERS: “The other drivers coming over and congratulating David meant just as much as winning the race to me. When Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards came to victory lane—and even back in the garage where they were working on the cars—all the guys on the other team came and offered congratulations. Getting the respect from the other drivers means a lot. You race guys like you want to be raced and that makes a big difference because if you start roughing guys up it’s going to come back to you—I taught him that. I told him don’t go out there and run over somebody because you’re likely to get run over the next time. David’s been pretty smart about that.”

PRESS CONFERENCE: Michael Waltrip Racing will make an announcement regarding the No. 00 team at noon Friday in the Economaki Press Conference Room at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Reutimann & Waltrip will be available to media after the announcement.

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Only Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton have a better average finish than Reutimann (11.6) in the last 10 races. Reutimann is tied with Denny Hamlin during that span.

• In the last 10 point races, Reutimann has scored 1,341 points - sixth most of any driver and moved from 27th in points to 15th. The 12-position gain is the largest gain among any driver over that span — Tony Stewart gained the second most positions at +6.

• Reutimann currently has the longest streak of consecutive lead laps finishes at 11 races. He has finished on the lead lap in 15 or 16 races that he was running at the finish and 15 out of 19 total races in 2010.

• Reutimann led 52 laps in his win at Chicagoland Speedway—the second highest total of any race in his career (Best, 104 laps at Richmond in fall 2008). He has collected 25 bonus points for leading laps in five of the 11 races. Reutimann has one win, three top-fives and nine top-15 finishes during that span.

• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in 14 of the 15 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in 11 of the 15.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Reutimann Chicagoland Race Report



  • David Reutimann, No. 00 TUMS Toyota Camry - won - 15th in points.


David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 TUMS Toyota driver David Reutimann won his second victory in 118 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts on Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway. It was Reutimann’s first win since he won the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 last year at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Reutimann’s No. 00 TUMS Toyota was strong all day and he was able to grab the lead from Jeff Gordon on lap 212. Final scheduled pit stops began on lap 232 and when the field had completed its stops, Reutimann held a lead of more than three seconds over Gordon. The Zephyrhills, Fla., native was able to hold off Carl Edwards in the closing laps to grab Michael Waltrip Racing’s second Sprint Cup Series victory Reutimann moved to 15th in the points—just 96 points out of the 12th and final Chase spot. The Sprint Cup Series enjoys an off weekend before traveling to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400 on July 25.

David Reutimann, No. 00 TUMS Toyota Camry

  • David Reutimann won the LIFELOCK.com 400, his second victory in 118 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races

  • It has been 42 races since his last win

  • This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in four races at Chicagoland Speedway

  • The TUMS Toyota started seventh

  • Worked his way into the top five on lap 26

  • Reutimann battled with Gordon for the several laps and finally grabbed the lead on lap 212

  • Reutimann raced in the top five for the majority of the race
REUTIMANN QUOTE:

How much does this win mean to you?

“First of all, I have to thank the fans and everyone else at Michael Waltrip Racing.  Everybody did such a great job today.  Toyota Racing Development and having Tums on the car this weekend, it’s just been a great weekend.  I don’t even know what to say.  It was probably the lamest burnout I’ve ever seen at this race track, I was tearing up pretty bad.  I have to thank all my guys, they did a great job.  There was no rain tonight.  We earned this one, nobody gave it to us and that feels really good.”



What is happening at Michael Waltrip Racing right now?

“Everyone of these guys you see behind me that works on this car and the guys at the fab shop, Toyota and Toyota Racing Development has given us some great horsepower tonight.  It’s phenomenal horsepower and it’s just a total team effort.  I heard so much stuff for winning a rain-shortened event that everybody said we didn’t earn it.  Tonight, I don’t know what they can say about this one.”



What would you tell everyone who said your first one wasn’t earned?

“I don’t know.  They were watching the same thing I was.  Tonight we earned it and it’s a total team effort -- everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing did a phenomenal job.  I don’t even know what to say.  You think about these moments all your life and you think about all the right things to say.  I’m about to cry, this is awesome.”



What changed for you the last one-third of the race?

“We were just better on the long run.  That last run, that was the worst we were all night was the last green flag stretch.  The car was really, really loose and I knew the 99 (Carl Edwards) was catching us awful fast.  It was a good night, a good effort by everybody.  It feels really good to get a second (win) under our belt and get it over with.”



How much sweeter is this win tonight than your first one?

“We took a lot of heat for how we won the first race.  Tonight we just had the car to beat.  We were struggling that last half a little bit, the most we struggled all night.  We just held on, had a good enough lead where we could just ride a little bit.  I knew the 99 (Carl Edwards) was coming, I was hoping he’d run out of time and thankfully he did.”



Any worries with lapped traffic near the end of the race?

“Everybody is trying to stay on the lead lap; nobody wants to give any room.  With that being said, I think everybody ran me really clean.  You can’t ask for everybody that is trying to race, you can’t ask for anything more.  It’s a great finish and a great feeling to win our Cup race the way this was.”

RACE NOTES:


• David Reutimann won the LIFELOCK.COM 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

• Carl Edwards (second) posted his second top-10 finish in six races at Chicagoland Speedway

• Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurrary rounded out the top-five

• The race lasted two hours 45 minutes and 34 seconds and featured 10 lead changes among seven drivers

• The race was slowed by four cautions for at total of 21 laps

• The next race is July 25 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

David Reutimann - Chicagoland Speedway Preview


CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 TUMS Toyota driver David Reutimann admits he’s not only racing against 42 other drivers each weekend, but he’s also racing against the calendar. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver’s surge in the point standings comes as the battle for births in the “Chase for the Championship” intensifies. But will the Zephyrhills, Fla. native have enough time for a comeback?

With only eight races left in the regular season, Reutimann is 17th in points trailing the 12th and final Chase spot by 170 points. But, Reutimann has recent history on his side. He jumped from 30th to 17th in points in the last 10 weeks and no driver outside of the top-12 has earned more points (1,033) or has a higher average finish (12.6) in the last eight weeks. Reutimann said racing on the 1.5-mile ovals is his team’s strong suit so Saturday night’s race on the 1.5-mile oval at Chicagoland Speedway couldn’t come at a better time.

REUTIMANN QUOTES

REUTIMANN ON CHICAGO: “I like Chicago a lot. It’s a great facility and a fun racetrack. We’ve been good at Chicago in the past and I’m hoping that we’re good this weekend—which I think we will be. I’m just excited to get back to a mile-and-a-half racetrack. We’ve been really strong on the mile-and-a-half tracks over the last two years. That may be the best part of our program at Michael Waltrip Racing. We have a pretty large point deficit to make up in the next eight races, but Chicago is one of the tracks that I look at as a chance to gain some of those points back. We’re continuing to make up ground on a lot of other teams, but we’re starting to cut it close on time to make a serious run at it. I think we have the team to do it, but we just have to start finishing races and not leave any points on the table.”

REUTIMANN ON RACING DOUBLE DUTY: “This will be my last time to race in both the Nationwide Series and Cup Series in the same weekend this year. I had a three-race deal with Braun Racing to run in the Nationwide Series and this is my last time this season. When I used to run both series full-time it seemed normal to be in the car all the time. Now that I only do it a couple times a year it seems like a lot. I wish I had a few more races in the Nationwide Series because I think it’s a great series. It’s a lot of fun and it’s competitive, but for now we just have those three races. Maybe we can find some more races down the road, but to be completely honest my main concern right now is on the Cup Series side of things. We only have eight more races to get the No. 00 Toyota into the top-12 for a shot at the Chase.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Reutimann has 10 straight top-20 finishes. Only Harvick, J. Gordon, Ku. Busch and Hamlin have a better average finish (12.5) than Reutimann in the last 10 races.

• In the last 10 point races, Reutimann has scored 1,277 points - eighth most of any driver and moved from 30th in points to 17th. The 13-position gain is the largest gain among any driver over that span — Kasey Kahne has gained the second most positions at +6.

• Reutimann and Kevin Harvick are the only two drivers to finish on the lead lap of the last 10 races. Reutimann collected 20 bonus points for leading laps in four of the 10. Reutimann has eight top-15 finishes, including top-fives at Dover and Charlotte during that span.

• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in 13 of the 14 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in 10 of the 14. Reutimann’s lowest result in a race that he was running as the finish was 28th at Martinsville.

• Chicagoland marks the third of five primary paint schemes for TUMS this season. The No. 00 TUMS Toyota also will next appear at New Hampshire and Phoenix.

• Reutimann is racing in the No. 10 Toyota for Braun Racing on Friday night at Chicagoland. This will mark the third and final Nationwide race for Reutimann in 2010.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Reutimann Daytona Post Race Report


• David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - Finished 11th -17th in points.

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver David Reutimann left Daytona International Speedway disappointed with an 11th-place finish Saturday night. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver survived several multi-car accidents either just in front or just behind him during the 400-mile race. As the laps wound down he appeared destined for a top-five finish but contact with Clint Bowyer on the backstretch coming to the checkered flag cost him several spots. Reutimann moved to 17th in the points— just 170 points out of the 12th and final Chase spot. The Sprint Cup Series next travels to Chicagoland for Saturday night’s race


David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry

• Reutimann raced as high as second despite complaining of difficultly turning on the Daytona track.

• A fiery 16-car accident on lap 148 just car lengths behind Reutimann eliminated several cars.

• The No. 00 restarted third with eight laps remaining, but his inside lane fell far behind the outside lane.

• With two laps remaining he raced fifth narrowly avoiding a three-car wreck in front of him.

• After pitting, Reutimann started the green-white-checkered dash in 11th and rapidly made up places.

• He and Clint Bowyer collided on the backstretch coming to the checkered flag costing the No. 00 several positions.


REUTIMANN QUOTE: “I’m more than disappointed, I’m heartbroken. I had a pretty good car and everything was going pretty well. We just kind of gambled at the end and decided to take tires and nobody else came and we lost a lot of track position. Then with just the green-white-checkered ended up biting us at the end.”

RACE NOTES:

• Kevin Harvick won the race in a green-white-checkered finish. Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon rounded out top three.

• A 16-car accident with 12 laps remaining brought out the red flag for just over 19 minutes.

• The race lasted two hours 37 minutes and 19 seconds and featured 47 lead changes among 18 drivers

• The race was slowed by nine cautions for a total of 34 laps

• Rain cancelled qualifying and NASCAR determined the starting order by the point standings.

• Rain also delayed the start of the race more than two hours Saturday night.

• The next race is Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

David Reutimann - Coke Zero 400 Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann heads to Daytona International Speedway for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 with more on his mind than most NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers. The Zephyrhills, Fla. native plans to visit the kids at Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis, Fla. to present a donation from the David Reutimann Foundation. He’s also mindful of the potential problems faced by many of his friends, family and fans as the Gulf Oil spill creeps closer to Florida’s western coast.

REUTIMANN QUOTES

ON CAMP BOGGY CREEK: “We’ve been affiliated with Camp Boggy Creek for about the past two years through The David Reutimann Foundation. We got involved with the camp through my cousin Shawn (Reutimann), Bud Smith and some folks who told me this is really something that we should look into. Shawn went last year and when he came back he said we have to do more because this is a really, really great deal – obviously similar to what the Pettys do with the Victory Junction Gang camp, but Camp Boggy Creek is in Florida. Most of the charities that we get involved with through the foundation are primarily in Florida so it was a pretty good fit to try to lend our support. I’m really looking forward to taking a little bit of money over there and spending some time with the campers.”

ON THE GULF COAST OIL SPILL: “I know there are a lot of people who will be impacted by the oil spill over the next few years, unfortunately. Most of the people I know who live in Florida are involved in the automotive industry, so I don’t know many people that really rely on the Gulf to make their living or anything like that. I’m sure it’s going to hit more areas of Florida and place I like to visit and I’m familiar with, but hopefully that’s not the case. It certainly seems like it’s going to be tough for the state of Florida to avoid any of that.”

DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO BECOME INVOLVED IN HELPING PEOPLE IMPACTED BY THE OIL SPILL: “We are looking at different scenarios within The David Reutimann Foundation to see what we can do and where we can help. I would imagine that there will be many charities that we’ll help. I’m sure we’ll look supporting families that are hurt by the disaster in the Gulf. We’re exploring opportunities now and we’re going to see what is out there. We want to help instead of just throw money at a situation that’s not going to benefit many people. You need to be smart about who you work with to make sure that the money and support is given to the people who need it most."

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• Reutimann will visit children campers Friday at Camp Boggy Creek, A Hole in the Wall Camp, in Eustis, Fla. Reutimann, a native of Zephyrhills, Fla., is a longtime supporter of Camp Boggy Creek through The David Reutimann Foundation.

• In the last nine point races, Reutimann has scored 1,147 points - eighth most of any driver and moved from 30th in points to 19th. The 11-position gain is the largest gain among any driver over that span.

• Reutimann and Kevin Harvick are the only two drivers to finish on the lead lap of the last nine races. Reutimann collected 20 bonus points for leading laps in four of the nine. Reutimann has seven top-15 finishes, including top-fives at Dover and Charlotte during that span.

• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in 12 of the 13 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in nine of the 13. Reutimann’s lowest finish in a race that he finished was 28th at Martinsville.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Reutimann New Hampshire Race Report


David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - Finished 15th - 19th in points.


David Reutimann Race Summary: David Reutimann and the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine battled in the top-15 throughout Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. As the field spread out over long green flag runs in the first 235 laps, the No. 00 team pitted early to take advantage of new tires and gain track position. But on lap 236 it found itself stuck on pit road when the caution flag flew dropping it a lap behind the leaders. Following the pit stop the No. 00 team restarted 15th and worked its way up to 11th before a flurry of late-race caution flags. Reutimann raced for tenth in the closing laps but a collision with Denny Hamlin dropped him to 15th where he finished the race. The Aaron’s Dream Machine returns to action Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.

David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry

  • The Aaron’s Dream Machine started sixth and finished 15th
  • The No. 00 battled a tight condition early and a loose condition late in the race
  • A caution came out on lap 236 as the No. 00 attempted to short pit and Reutimann lost a lap to the leaders.
  • The No. 00 took the wave around on lap 241 to regain lead lap status and restarted 15th
  • The No. 00 was battling for 10th on lap 292 when contact was made with Denny Hamlin dropped the No. 00 to 15th.

 REUTIMANN QUOTE: "That's a pretty frustrating day for the No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine team. We were decent all day, just never very good. We went back and forth trying to find the right balance, but just never seemed to get on the other side of it. We had good stops all day and my guys worked their butts off all weekend to give us everything we had. We tried to short pit late in the race and were caught on pit road when the No. 9 lost its engine - that didn't help matters any. Then we finally got up to about 10th with a couple laps to go and got tangled up with the No. 11. That dropped both cars back about five spots - which is where we finished - 15th."

  
RACE NOTES:

  • Jimmie Johnson won for the fifth time in 2010.
  • Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five
  • JTG-Daugherty driver Marcos Ambrose finished 13th.
  • Point leader Kevin Harvick leads second place Jimmie Johnson by 105 points
  • The race lasted two hours forty-eight minutes in front of an estimated crowd of 91,000
  • The race featured 14 lead changes among nine drivers
  • The race was slowed by four cautions for a total of 19 laps
  • The next race is July 3, 2010 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Michael Waltrip Racing - New Hampshire Motor Speedway Qualifying Report

- David Reutimann, Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - Qualified sixth

Sunday afternoon’s race from New Hampshire Motor Speedway gets underway on TNT, PRN Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio 128 starting at 1 p.m. ET.

Friday Recap

• Juan Pablo Montoya won the Coors Light Pole Award with a time of 28.781 sec.
• Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin and Ryan Newman rounded out the top-five
• Current point leader Kevin Harvick qualified 24th
• JTG-Daugherty Racing driver Marcos Ambrose qualified the No. 47 Toyota 12th

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Qualified sixth
“It was a good lap. The Aaron’s Dream Machine was good both laps. Rodney Childers (crew chief) and the guys made some adjustments on it after practice. After the first runs there and even out on pit road, changing tire pressures and stuff like that right up to the last second. Ended up making a good call. The car was solid, drove really, really well and it was more stable and predictable that I anticipated it being. I think I might have messed us up a little bit. He told us going out that probably the first lap was going to be as good as anything else just due to the way things have been going for us. We were a little quicker on our second lap, but not much.”