David Reutimann
April 1st, 2009 by Denise I Smithson, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
Representing the third generation of “racing Reutimanns”, David Reutimann is the son of DIRT Motorsports Hall of Famer (and still active participant in racing) Emil “Buzzy” Reutimann. The two still often race together at the “Clay by the Bay”, as Florida’s East Bay Raceway Park is known to racing enthusiasts.
David got his start in dirt track racing and by 1997 was named Rookie of the Year in the Slim Jim All Pro Series, later becoming the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year in 2004. Reutimann has had a number of top ten finishes in the league, although he has racked up few wins thus far.
He was the winner of the 2005 Nashville Toyota Tundra 200, which he followed up with a 2007 win in the Sam’s Town 250 in Memphis, his first Busch Series car win. He ran the entire series on 2007, coming in second in the standings.
A resident of Zephyrillis, Fla. Reutimann has earned several awards in the NASCAR Southeast Series since 1997. He moved up to NASCAR in 1997 after spending some time racing modified vehicles on the short tracks of his native Florida.
For the last few years, he has been racing in the Nationwide Series as well as the Sprint Cup series for Michael Waltrip Racing. He hasn’t achieved the level of success of some NASCAR stars, but he has been a consistently high performing racer with top finishes in a lot of the sport’s most important races.
David Reutimann chose an old acquaintance from the racing world as his crew chief in 2009. Rodney Childers is now taking care of the number 00 Toyota; the two have known each other since 1999′s Slim Jim All Pro race. Childers says that he was eager to take on the position, appreciating as he does Reutimann’s personality and lively sense of humor.
Reutimann has been on the scene for some time, but in the last year has really started to come into his own. He and his team are hoping to build on his momentum and score some top 10′s, top 5′s and even some wins this year.
Childers new role as Reutimann’s crew chief may prove to be the winning edge the racer needs. He has four years of experience in Sprint Cup level crew chiefing and Michael Waltrip Racing has established a solid relationship with Toyota, having the necessary commitment to really make waves in NASCAR.
David Reutimann may not be the first racer who comes to mind when thinking of NASCAR, but this year may change things. Reutimann will be sharing driving duties on Number 00, Aaron’s Dream Machine. Fans are eager to see the return of Waltrip to racing as well as interested in how well Reutimann will perform.
David Reutimann has shown tremendous progress in the Sprint Cup Series and 30 top 10 finishes in the Nationwide Series, and Aarons is excited to be a part of the upcoming racing series with him, according to their spokesperson.
