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.
In 2005, he won the Toyota Tundra 200 in Nashville and in 2007, he moved to the Nextel Cup Series where he won the 2007 Sam’s Town 250 in Memphis for his first win in the Busch Series car. He ran the full Busch Series schedule in 2007 and finished 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.
He now has been racing for Michael Waltrip Racing for the past couple years, in the Nationwide Series and the Sprint Cup Series. While he has not enjoyed the overwhelming success of some of the NASCAR greats, he has made strides in top finishes in many important races.
In 2009, David Reutimann has named one of his old racing peers as his crew chief for his No. 00 Toyota car, Rodney Childers, who first met him back during the 1999 Slim Jim All Pro race. Childers sites David Reutimann’s sense of humor and personality as a reason he searched out the position, when it became available.
While maybe off to a slow start, David Reutimann has burst onto the scene in the past year and he is becoming as comfortable and good as anyone else on the track. They are hoping to build on that and get in some top-10 finishes, so that the top-5 will eventually come and ultimately their first win.
With this being Rodney Childers fifth season as a crew chief on the Sprint Cup level, it may be the advantage that Michael Waltrip Racing and David Reutimann need. The relationship with Toyota and NASCAR is a promising future because of their commitment to the racing world and faith in the team.
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.
