By Kyle LoJacono
Despite having a year left on his current contract, Zephyrhills native and NASCAR driver David Reutimann finds himself as the odd man out with Michael Waltrip Racing.
Reutimann, 42, was recently informed by team owner Michael Waltrip he would not be brought back to drive the No. 00 Toyota car in 2012.
“I’m just disappointed,” Reutimann said. “Overall, just disappointed, bummed out to put it mildly.”
Waltrip Racing is adding Mark Martin to the team next year, which means Reutimann will have to find himself another ride.
Reutimann had by his own words a “disappointing season,” where he is in 28th place in the Sprint Cup standings prior to the race in Phoenix on Nov. 13.
“It’s been an awful season for us for sure,” Reutimann said. “We haven’t run up to our expectations or our standards, but I thought we would have a chance to make up for it.”
Reutimann is unsure what he will do for next season.
“There was not a lot of advance notice to do anything,” Reutimann said. “You know the thing about it is that there’s not a lot out there, and if there were to be something out there it’s going to involve you doing the same thing that just got done to me. I’m not exactly up for that.
“So I don’t know what’ll happen,” Reutimann continued. “It may come down to something like that, but I’ve got to think on that a little bit. When one person’s gain is another person’s big loss, you’ve got to weigh the plusses there.”
Despite the difficult season, Reutimann did claim one pole start, one runner-up finish and two top-10 performances this year.
“I can still win races and I can still get the job done,” Reutimann said. “Let’s not forget that last year we were able to win and actually had a shot at making it into the chase. That’s only been a year ago. I can still do that if I get in the right situation. It’s just unfortunate that things worked out like they did.”
He rose as high as 16th in the points standings midway through last season, but he faded down the stretch. Drivers must finish in the top-10 or claim one of two wildcard spots to compete in NASCAR’s 10-race playoff system.
Reutimann became a driver for Waltrip Racing in 2007 but has yet to make the postseason. He said he has the fire to compete at the highest level and a desire to bring home a championship.
“I still want it as bad as anybody in the garage,” Reutimann said. “Just because I don’t get out of the car after we’ve had a bad race and yell at my crew and throw my helmet and stuff like that, just because you guys can’t visibly see how bad I want it, doesn’t mean I don’t. I want it worse than anybody who’s ever set foot in this garage area.”
Reutimann, a graduate of Zephyrhills High, joined the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2004, where he was named the rookie of the year. His first appearance in the Cup Series race was in 2005 at Lowes’s Motor Speedway.
Reutimann’s first Cup Series win came at the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte. He had to wait until 2010 for his second victory, which came at the Chicagoland Speedway. He has 169 career Cup Series starts going into the race in Phoenix on Nov. 13, with four poles, 12 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes in his career.
Reutimann said he will finish the season’s final two races despite the difficulty of knowing he won’t be back.
“It’s tough,” Reutimann said. “There’s no sugarcoating this deal. Right now Aaron’s is still my sponsor and these are still my guys. A lot of these (crew members) came over here with me from my Truck Series days, so they’re still my guys and this is still my team. I have a couple more races with them, and we’ll try to make the most of it like we’ve been doing every week.
Reutimann said he was told by Waltrip the move is only a business one and nothing personal.
“It’s only business if it doesn’t happen to you,” Reutimann said. “It’s hard for me not to take it personal. It’s hard to accept and hard to stomach a little bit, but I knew coming into this deal this stuff is not forever. People take for granted that you’re going to be here every week, and that’s just not how this works. So we’ll just pick up and go on.”
Reutimann was happy to have gotten a chance with Waltrip Racing, the only team he has driven for in his Cup Series career.
“In the end, Michael Waltrip gave me an opportunity to go Cup racing when no one else would, and I appreciate that,” Reutimann said. “And Aaron’s as well, but that ship has sailed and I’ve got to figure out something to do now.”
