David Reutimann
The son of legendary racer (and DIRT Motorsports Hall of Famer) Emil “Buzzy” Reuitman, David Reutimann is the third generation in his family to take up the sport, sometimes racing with his father at Florida’s East Bay Raceway Park (known as the Clay by the Bay by fans).
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.
Reutimann won Nashville’s Toyota Tundra 200 in 2005, followed by his first Busch Series car win in 2007’s Sam’s Town 250 in Memphis. In 2007, he ran the whole Busch Series and came in second overall.
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.
NASCAR fans would be well advised to watch Reutimann this year; he has built up a lot of momentum and his crew and some racing experts predict that he will bring in some top ten and top five finishes this year, perhaps even some wins.
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.
While they may not be the most famous NASCAR names, they are making a run at becoming top in the upcoming year with Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann sharing the wheel of No. 00, Aarons Dream Machine, sponsored by Aaron Rents. This will be Aaron’s tenth year with Michael Waltrip Racing and getting Michael back behind the wheel is something fans have been asking for.
With top 10 finishes in the Nationwide Series and ever better performance in the Sprint Cup, Waltrip racing is excited about David Reutimann’s prospects in the upcoming season.