David Reutimann Infineon Race Report

David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - finished 20th - now 21st in points.

David Reutimann Race Summary: No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann earned his first top-20 finish on a road course in Sunday’s Toyota/SaveMart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Reutimann and his Michael Waltrip Racing team stuck to their plan of staying on the racetrack, executing flawless pit stops, avoiding trouble and driving an uneventful race to bring the car home in one piece with the most points possible. Reutimann is now 21st in points as the series heads to New Hampshire International Speedway on Sunday.

• The Aaron’s Dream Machine started 33rd and finished 20th.

• Reutimann’s 20th place finish is his career best on a road course.

• Reutimann’s previous best at Infineon Raceway was 31st.

• The No. 00 raced between 20th and 30th most of the race without incident.

• Avoided several on-track incidents over the final three cautions to finish 20th.

REUTIMANN QUOTE: “We were up and down. It was definitely a far cry better than where we’ve been in the past out here. We still have a lot of room for improvement on my end. I’ll keep working at it. The guys on the Aaron’s crew did a great job. They just kept working on the thing all day and making it better. We were just pretty free all day and couldn’t get on the other side of that, but other than that the motors ran good and the pit stops were excellent. It was a decent finish. It was a decent day.”

ON THE END OF THE RACE: “Whenever you have a place that is as hard to pass as it is here and you are coming down to the end of the race you know that things are going to get crazy. You have guys with tires, guys without tires—it just makes for a crazy finish to a race.”

RACE NOTES:

• Jimmie Johnson won for the first time in his career on a road course circuit.

• The win is Johnson’s fourth of the season and 51st of his career moving him to 10th all time.

• Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-five.

• Marcos Ambrose led 35 laps and finished sixth, his fourth consecutive top-10 on a road course.

• Ambrose was leading with six laps remaining when flipped his engine on and off as he circled the track. His car stalled as six cars weaved around his unmoving Toyota. Although Ambrose got his car restarted and moved back to the front of the field, NASCAR ordered him back to seventh for "failing to maintain reasonable speed" right before the restart.

• The race lasted two hours fifty-six minutes in front of an estimated crowd of 90,000

• The race featured 12 lead changes among eight drivers

• The race was slowed by seven cautions for a total of 14 laps

• The next race is June 27, 2010 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

David Reutimann - Infineon Raceway Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann admits he isn’t a road course racing expert, but that hasn’t stopped the 40-year-old former dirt track racer from working hard to perfect his skills for Sunday’s race at Infineon Raceway in California.

The Zephryhills, Fla. native spent much of his free time in the last few months working with road course experts Michael McDowell and Marcos Ambrose racing go-karts in the Charlotte area, driving late models at Infineon and riding in a team-built two-seater car at Virginia International Raceway. Reutimann hopes the extra work continues the Michael Waltrip Racing team’s recent string of strong performances. Reutimann has scored the seventh most points of any driver in the last seven races gaining 11 points positions—the most of any driver.

QUOTES

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF GOING TO A ROAD COURSE? “Leaving (laughs). I mean, it’s just another racetrack. There are tracks on the circuit that aren’t necessarily your favorite, but you have to go to them anyway and not make it a big deal. That’s how this deal is for me.”

ON PREPARING TO VISIT INFINEON RACEWAY: “Michael McDowell and Marcos Ambrose have both helped me out a lot both last year and this year. We’ve worked on a combination of things like trying to slow down at the right times to get a little quicker, working on shifting better and being more precise – a lot of things like that. Michael Waltrip Racing has done a really good job of trying to get me as much time as they can in different cars, whether it be late models at Sonoma or the multiple tests that we’ve done at VIR (Virginia International Raceway), so the team has really gotten behind me to give me the chance to get better. All in all, I feel like we’ve made a lot of gains. I don’t know if we’ve gained in one particular area or not specifically, but I feel like all around we’ve gotten better.”

WHAT MAKES INFINEON RACEWAY SUCH A CHALLENGE: “Infineon is very, very technical and it’s easy to overdrive. Forward bite is a problem there and struggling with wheel spin. It gets pretty hot out there and the track gets slick. I think the main thing is conserving your tires to keep good grip. We try to work on our shifts so we can save some tires. That’s a lot of the different things that we learned while we were out there. It was a good experience to spend some time out there. We learned a lot.”

ON QUALIFYING AT INFINEON RACEWAY: “It’s tough. Last year I just didn’t drive hard enough. I was really concerned about overdriving and messing the corners up and as a result just didn’t drive hard enough to be fast – I didn’t get the most out of the car when I needed to. That was my mistake last year. It’s tough. You’ve got one lap and you just have to let it all hang out even when you’re trying to be conservative. We’ve qualified in the tank about every time we’ve been to a road course and now it’s time to get that turned around.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• In the last seven point races, Reutimann has scored 926 points - seventh most of any driver and moved from 30th in points to 19th (See Sidebar). He is one of only five drivers to finish on the lead lap in each of those races. He also collected 20 bonus points for leading laps in four of the seven. During that span, Reutimann has six top-15 finishes, including top-fives at Dover and Charlotte.

• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in 11 of the 12 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in nine of the 12. Reutimann’s lowest finish in a race that he finished was 28th at Martinsville.

Reutimann Michigan Race Report

• David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - finished 18th - 19th in points.

David Reutimann Race Summary: David Reutimann and the Aaron’s Dream Machine finished 18th on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, snapping a string of six consecutive top-15 finishes. The Michael Waltrip Racing team battled both tight and loose handling conditions as well as changing track conditions throughout the 400-mile race. Reutimann spent most of the day in the top-15, but climbed as high as eighth and fell as low as 28th before finishing the race 18th. The Sprint Cup Series now travels to Infineon Raceway in California for Sunday’s race.



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

• The Aaron’s Dream Machine started ninth, but needed the car freed up off the corner early on.

• Following a green flag stop on lap 87, Reutimann raced in 13th saying the car was the best it had been all day.

• Restarted 11th after a two-tire stop just past the halfway point, but a loose condition dropped him to 25th by lap 135.

• Reutimann moved up to 17th by lap 165, but fell to 27th after a green flag stop to fix the vibration on lap 171

• By lap 181, the No. 00 was back up to 15th position for the final restart and battled to finish 18th.

REUTIMANN QUOTE: "We just struggled all day. We never really got the Aaron's Dream Machine exactly how we wanted. We'd be a little loose, then a little tight. I feel like the track conditions kept changing and we'd get it for a short time, but could never keep it for very long. My pit crew and team did a great job and we kept at it and tried to make the best of our day. I'm disappointed, but we just have to move on and keep getting better."


RACE NOTES:

• Denny Hamlin won for the second consecutive week and the fifth time in 2010

• Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-five

• The race lasted two hours thirty-three minutes in front of an estimated crowd of 95,000

• The race featured 18 lead changes among nine drivers

• The race was slowed by four cautions for a total of 14 laps

• The next race is Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

David Reutimann - Michigan Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann looked like a long-shot to make the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship just six races ago. After his third did-not-finish in the first eight races, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver left Texas Motor Speedway mired in 30th place 218 points outside the top 12. But, Reutimann has rallied back into contention by posting six consecutive top-15 finishes, including his first career back-to-back, top-five finishes at Dover and Charlotte. The Zephyrhills, Florida native jumped 11 spots in the point standings to 19th just 146 points outside the top-12 after 15 of the 26-race regular season.
NOTES
- Reutimann has scored the fifth most points of any driver in the last six races.
- He’s gained 11 points positions in those six races, also the most of any driver.

QUOTES

ON THE PAST SIX RACES – ALL TOP-15s, INCLUDING TWO TOP-FIVES: “I think Pocono was the exception, because we really struggled but still ended up getting a decent finish out of it. We need to avoid the weeks like we had at Pocono and get on the other side of it. I feel like our Aaron’s team has the chance to be consistent and has been consistent for the most part the last six weeks. The hard part is to keep getting a decent finish even if you’re having a tough weekend. It’s easy to be consistent when things are going right, but when they’re not going well you have to make the most of the situation and get a decent finish.

“If you have a day like we did at Pocono when things aren’t going right that’s when it becomes a struggle. But my guys have done good. They worked on the car to make it better and kept adjusting on it until it was good, or at least better – I’m not sure we ever got good, but we made it a lot better. I feel like we’re on track. I feel like they’re doing a good job. Sometimes you’re just off a little bit like we were at Pocono, but you make the most of it and I can tell you that we won’t be off like that again when we go back in a couple weeks. I think we learned a lot from that experience.”

ON THE POTENTIAL TO GAIN GROUND ON THE TOP-12 IN THE COMING WEEKS: “We lost a little ground at Pocono, but we just have to keep at it. We have 12 more races to gain back 145 points. It’s not impossible. We have some good races coming up for us in Michigan, New Hampshire, Chicago and Daytona, but we also have a couple that historically have not been as kind to us in the road courses. We just have to make up for lost time. It’s hard to play catch up in this deal, but I know the Aaron’s team can gain some ground back.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

- In the last six point races, Reutimann has scored 817 points - fifth most of any driver and moved from 30th in points to 19th (See Sidebar). He is one of only five drivers to finish on the lead lap of the last six races and collected 20 bonus points for leading laps in four of the six. Reutimann has six straight top-15 finishes, including top-fives at Dover and Charlotte.

- After Texas, Reutimann trailed the top-12 by 218 points, now he is heading to Michigan trailing the top-12 by just 146 points - shaving 72 points in six races.

- Reutimann has six career starts at Michigan International Speedway. He has one top-five and two top-10 qualifying efforts and one top-10 and three top-15 finishes. His best Michigan finish was last fall where he led four laps and finished ninth. (See Sidebar)

- Reutimann spent Tuesday testing at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga. and Wednesday participating in Tony Stewart’s Prelude to the Dream event at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

- Reutimann has finished 20th or better in 10 of the 11 races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in nine of the 11. Reutimann’s lowest finish in a race that he finished was 28th at Martinsville.

David Reutimann - Pocono Race Report

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

David Reutimann Race Summary: David Reutimann salvaged a top-15 finish out of what looked to be an extremely difficult weekend at Pocono Raceway. Reutimann started 29th following his Friday afternoon qualifying effort and began working his way forward at the start of the race. When the first caution came out Reutimann and the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine came to pit road for service and went back out to restart in the mid-20s. On the restart, Reutimann received both front and rear damage after contact with another car. The damage caused the No. 00 to have a loose handling condition that eventually led to falling a lap down to the leaders on lap 70. Reutimann did his best to work with the car until he could come in for repairs on lap 100. The No. 00 Aaron’s team worked throughout the race to make the car better and work on several different options for pit strategy. A late caution with just two laps remaining forced the event into a green, white, checkered finish that saw the No. 00 restart 20th before another caution came out due to a massive incident involving several cars. Reutimann avoided the incident and crossed the finish line in 12th.


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

• Reutimann damaged the front and the rear of the Aaron’s Dream Machine on the first restart due to contact

• The damage caused Reutimann to struggle with a loose handing condition throughout the race

• The No. 00 went a lap down to the leaders on lap 70

• Reutimann came to pit road under caution on lap 100 to fix the front and rear damage

• Regained lead lap status on lap 155 by taking the wave around

• A quick caution on lap 158 brought the No. 00 back to pit road for work and started with the lead pack

• Reutimann worked his was from 31st and the last car on the lead lap up to 20th by the final caution on lap 198.

• Reutimann restarted 20th after taking two tires and avoided a last lap wreck to finish 12th.

• The 15th place result is the sixth consecutive top-15 for the No. 00 Aaron’s team.

REUTIMANN QUOTE: “The Aaron’s Dream Machine had a pretty rough day. We struggled and just couldn’t get a handle on it. We got into someone early with it and it knocked the quarter panel loose. Everything is so aero-sensitive that it just made us bad, bad loose all day. We lost a lap before we were finally able to come in and fix it. Then I got back in the fence again with it. To come home 14th (12th according to NASCAR’s unofficial results) is a lot better then we were looking at most of the day. The No. 00 crew worked on the Aaron’s Dream Machine all day and did a great job. It was just a rough day.”

RACE NOTES:

• Denny Hamlin won the race under caution over teammate Kyle Busch

• The win is Hamlin’s fourth of the season.

• Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton rounded out the top-five

• The race lasted three hours and forty-four minutes in front of an estimated crowd of 105,000

• The race featured 14 lead changes among seven drivers

• The race was slowed by eight cautions for a total of 27 laps

• The start of the race was delayed nearly two hours due to rain and track drying

• The next race is June 13, 2010 at Michigan International Speedway.

Reutimann 00 Pocono Raceway Qualifying Report

David Reutimann, Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry - Qualified 29th
Summary
Michael Waltrip Racing drivers Martin Truex Jr. and David Reutimann both experienced issues during Friday’s qualifying effort for the Gillette ProGlide 500 at Pocono. Martin Truex Jr. experienced some sort of mechanical issue that caused his car to skip down the front stretch and caused the No. 56 team to qualify 27th with a time of 53.824 sec.

Meanwhile, David Reutimann also experienced difficulty, but his came in the way of a handling issue caused by bottoming out over a difficult racing surface. Reutimann said that as the splitter would hit the track over a particularly rough stretch between turns one and two it caused the nose of his Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota to take off on him and lose speed. Reutimann qualified 29th with a time of 53.855 sec. This week’s qualifying effort snaps a streak of four consecutive points races where an MWR driver has started from a top-five position.

Both teams practiced well in race trim on Friday’s only practice and should be able to gain positions throughout Sunday’s 500 mile event at the 2.5 mile Pocono Raceway.

Sunday afternoon’s running of the Gillette ProGlide 500 presented by Target gets underway on TNT, MRN Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio 128 starting at 1 p.m. ET.
Friday Recap
Kyle Busch won the Coors Light Pole Award for the second time in four weeks with a time of 53.102 sec.
Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-five.
Points leader Kevin Harvick will start 22nd
Bowyer is making his best Cup start (second) of 2010
JTG-Daugherty Racing driver Marcos Ambrose qualified the No. 47 Toyota 16th

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Qualified: 29th
How was your qualifying lap?
"The splitter was hitting on the Aaron's Dream Machine and it was taking off on me. It feels good going into the tunnel and into turn 3, but there's a rough part of the track where we keep hitting the splitter. Through the middle of turn 1 and in to the tunnel turn was hurting us pretty bad. We'll keep working on it tomorrow and we have 500 miles to make it better on Sunday. We'll get it back to where we need to be.

David Reutimann - Pocono Preview

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann looked like a long-shot to make a run at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship just five races ago as he left Texas with his third DNF in the first eight races of 2010. Reutimann had fallen to 30th in points and trailed the top-12 by 218 points.

But the Michael Waltrip Racing driver is charging back into contention by posting five consecutive top-15 finishes, including his first career back-to-back (Dover and Charlotte) top-five finishes. The Zephyrhills, Florida native is 19th in points just 125 points outside the Chase at the halfway point of the 26-race regular season.

QUOTES

REUTIMANN ON CHANCES OF MAKING THE CHASE: “There is only one way to approach this thing - we are here to make the Chase (for the Championship)! Everyone on the Aaron’s Dream Machine crew truly believes that we have what it takes to make a run and get into that top-12. We had a couple tough breaks early in the season that put us behind a lot of the other teams, but we’ve been finishing races and making strides each week. Just a couple weeks ago we were 30th in points and now we’re 19th, so things are starting to go our way and we’re consistently racing each week with the leaders and bringing home top-five or top-10 finishes. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing right now and I believe we’ll be there right when we need to be.”

REUTIMANN ON BACK-TO-BACK TOP-FIVES: “It feels good to have back-to-back top-fives for the first time, but to be honest we should have been a little better than that. Last week we spent the whole race in the top-five, led a couple laps and had a great race, but I think we could have finished a spot or two better if not for one pit stop where we got blocked coming in by another car that dropped us back before the final restart. We need to keep at it if we want to have a shot at the Chase. I would’ve really liked to turn one of those top-fives into a win. Top-fives are great, but wins are better. We are getting closer and hopefully we can start collecting wins - they count as top-fives too.”

ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST

• In the last five point races, Reutimann has scored 699 points - sixth most of any driver and moved from 30th in points to 19th. He is one of only six drivers to finish on the lead lap of the last five race and has collected 20 bonus points for leading laps in four of the five races. Reutimann has two straight top-five and five straight top-15 finishes.

• Last Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600, Reutimann was one of only two drivers to have an average running position of 5th or better. Kurt Busch’s average running position was second and Reutimann’s was fourth. Reutimann also recorded the fastest lap 38 times.

• After Texas, Reutimann trailed the top-12 by 218 points, now he is heading to Pocono trailing the top-12 by just 125 points - shaving 93 points heading into the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500.

• Reutimann recorded his first top-five, a third place finish, in six career Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway in the June race last year. He also was on his way to a top-10 in the fall race before getting caught up in a racing incident with eventual race winner Denny Hamlin that caused damage to the Aaron’s Dream Machine and dropped Reutimann to a 29th-place result.

• Reutimann spent Tuesday and Wednesday road course testing in a non-Sprint Cup Series car at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. in preparation for the upcoming race.

• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in nine of the ten races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in eight of the 10.