Product Code Database
Emil David Reutimann (born March 2, 1970) is an American professional stock car racing crew chief and former driver. A native of Zephyrhills, Florida, he has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series. In 2004, he won NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors in the Craftsman Truck Series. He is the son of Buzzie Reutimann.
He began his racing career in dirt-track modifieds and late models. In 1997, Reutimann moved into the NASCAR regional series before moving to the Busch Series in 2002. He moved up to the Sprint Cup Series in 2007, driving for Michael Waltrip Racing. Between the 2007 and 2011 Sprint Cup seasons, Reutimann recorded two wins, 26 top-tens, and four pole positions.
While his father was competing on dirt tracks in the Northeast, Reutimann was a summer resident on a farm in the Asbury section of Franklin Township, Warren County, New Jersey.Vrentas, Jenny. "Farm Aid; From his childhood days, NASCAR's Reutimann has deep Jersey roots", The Star-Ledger, June 7, 2009. Accessed January 7, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Here in tiny Asbury is the 400-acre farm NASCAR driver David Reutimann describes with the kind of delight taken from a childhood keepsake: The white farmhouse that's as old as America.... Thirty years ago, though, he was a skinny, blond-haired boy spending his summers on the farm in Asbury -- which has been owned by the Sigler family for more than a century -- while his father, Buzzie Reutimann, was making legend on the Northeast dirt car circuit."
Before he was a full-time race car driver, Reutimann worked briefly for the United Parcel Service, which in 2008 became his primary sponsor for the rest of that season. NASCAR.COM – Blast from the past: UPS, Reutimann a perfect match – Oct 13, 2007
Emilia is current a member of the Equestrian team for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
That same year, Reutimann made his Busch Series debut at Richmond International Raceway. Driving the No. 87 GEICO Chevrolet Monte Carlo for NEMCO Motorsports, Reutimann started thirty-fourth but finished sixteenth. He led twelve laps at his next race at Memphis Motorsports Park, and finished in the top-fifteen in each of his next two races. In 2003, Reutimann won a contest named "Hills Bros. Coffee Break of a Lifetime", a contest where Hills Bros. Coffee selected one driver to receive full sponsorship from them for five Busch Series races, and if that driver were to score three top-tens in those races, they'd receive a chance to start a Cup race. He ran those five races, along with two extra races, for NEMCO Motorsports. He finished fifth at Nashville Speedway USA and The Milwaukee Mile, as well as qualifying Greg Biffle's car on the pole at Memphis. He also attempted the New England 300 and the Brickyard 400 in the Winston Cup Series in the No. 04 for Morgan-McClure Motorsports, but failed to qualify both times.
In 2004, Reutimann signed on with Darrell Waltrip Motorsports to race the NTN Bearings truck in the Craftsman Truck Series. Winning the pole in his second race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Reutimann had four top-fives and finished fourteenth in points, garnering Rookie of the Year honors. Reutimann won his first career race in 2005 at Nashville Superspeedway, and ended the season thirteenth in points. He also made his Cup debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway, driving the No. 00 State Fair Corn Dogs Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Michael Waltrip. He finished 22nd. He went winless in 2006, but had two poles and finished third in the championship standings. He also made fifteen Busch starts and had four top-tens.
Reutimann edged Kevin Lepage for a transfer spot during the Gatorade Duels into the Daytona 500. However, despite qualifying 14th, he was started from the rear of the field because before the Duels, NASCAR penalized Waltrip's team including Reutimann's for illegal fuel additives in all MWR cars. At the same time the No. 00 car suffered an electrical problem during a wind-down lap. Reutimann ran in the top twenty of the Daytona 500 until he was collected in an accident on lap 173; he eventually finished 40th.
The following race, at Fontana, Reutimann was involved in a vicious crash. With eight laps left in the race, Greg Biffle accidentally tapped his bumper, sending his car head-on into the outside wall. Upon impact, the car exploded in flames and slid backwards. The red flag flew, as Reutimann had instantly fallen unconscious. Paramedics came to the wreck, extinguished the flames, and helped a sore, dazed Reutimann out of his racecar. He was airlifted by a helicopter to a hospital. Reutimann suffered a minor concussion, a cracked rib and a few bruises; despite the injuries he returned to the track the next weekend in Mexico City for the Busch Series. NASCAR said that Reutimann's accident tied with several other wrecks as the hardest crash in NASCAR history. This record stood until Elliott Sadler crashed at Pocono in 2010.
The next few weeks after were not very good for Reutimann and the 00 team, failing to qualify at Las Vegas, Bristol, and Texas. However, in the races he did make, he failed to make the top 30 until the tenth race of the season at Richmond, where he finished 28th. After having engine issues at Darlington and failing to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 and the spring Dover race, along with a disappointing run at Pocono, Reutimann finished in the top-twenty for the first time in his Cup career at Michigan, finishing fifteenth. Despite this, Reutimann was replaced for the races at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen by road course ringer P. J. Jones in an attempt to get the No. 00 to the top 35 positions in owner points.
The rest of the season would end up repeating a cycle of bad finishes below thirtieth followed by a good finish above the top-twenty. After failing to qualify at Bristol, Atlanta, and Phoenix, Reutimann went on to finish the season 39th in points.
Late in the season, he won the 2007 Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park for his first career Busch Series win, and Toyota's second win in Busch Series competition. He finished second overall in the Busch Series' last season before becoming the Nationwide Series.
In his first two races in the No. 44 car, Reutimann had mechanical issues, having a suspension issue at Martinsville and getting a blown engine the following week at Texas.
Reutimann scored his first career top-ten at Lowe's Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600 with a tenth place finish. He also recorded top-tens at the Auto Club Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and the Richmond International Raceway. At the Richmond race in September, Reutimann led a race high 104 laps, but fell to ninth place. In the season finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Reutimann claimed his first career pole position, becoming the 23rd driver to win poles in all three of NASCAR's top series.
On May 24, he qualified well in the Coca-Cola 600 but the race was delayed due to rain. The next day on lap 222 his crew chief Rodney Childers made a call to conserve fuel which put Reutimann in the lead. A few laps later on lap 227, a rain shower soaked the track for the second time of the race, red-flagging it with Reutimann in the lead. Reutimann spent a one-hour wait praying and planning backup plans with boss Michael Waltrip and his pit crew. Despite blue skies being shown nearby the track, officials declared that the rain would last for the remainder of the night and called the race, thus giving Reutimann his first Cup series win in the Coca-Cola 600 and Waltrip giving him a full-time sponsorship until 2011.
With this emotional victory, Reutimann became the twentieth driver to win a race in all three of NASCAR's top series (Cup, Nationwide, and Truck). This race was also the fiftieth Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway. He also became the first driver in Cup history to win a race without leading a lap under green. In addition, he was the first driver to ever win with the No. 00 in the NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR.COM – Reutimann confident in challenge for N'wide title – Jan 10, 2008 This also entered Reutimann automatically into the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
A week after his victory, Reutimann would win his second pole of the season at Dover, finishing the race in eighteenth on the lead lap. The next week at Pocono, Reutimann would end up finishing third, and would get another top-five at Loudon a couple races after. Reutimann would end up getting five more top-tens at Indianapolis, Michigan, Atlanta, Kansas, and Phoenix. Reutimann would go on to finish the season sixteenth in the point standings, a personal best.
With three weeks remaining in the 2011 season, Reutimann could not come to an agreement with Aaron's for 2012 and thus Michael Waltrip and MWR's staff reluctantly released Reutimann from his team as well as the No. 00 car.
After Christmas 2011, Reutimann signed up to drive for part-time with Stewart–Haas Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2012 sharing the No. 10 Go Daddy car with rookie Danica Patrick.
Reutimann caused a controversy at the April Martinsville race when the No. 10 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet stalled on lap 497, drawing a caution. He was accused of intentionally causing the caution after limping around the track for a few laps at speeds well below the rest of the field. The result was a broken timing belt and Reutimann was credited with a 35th place finish. He insists he was just trying to keep the car in the top-35 in owner's points; the team left Martinsville just one point outside a guaranteed start. David Reutimann: Martinsville actions were 'not for Danica' Reutimann qualified for the next race at Texas and finished 26th, getting the No. 10 back into the top-35. During Coca-Cola 600 qualifying, David did not qualify fast enough in the No. 73 BK Racing entry and missed his first Cup race since 2007.
Reutimann drove the No. 51 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing at the June Pocono race during the one-race suspension of Kurt Busch for actions detrimental to the sport. Baldwin explained his decision as helping another small team (Reutimann was to drive the No. 10 car that weekend). Reutimann finished 21st. Reutimann qualified and raced for a new team Xxxtreme Motorsports at the fall Phoenix race in the No. 44 No Label Watches Ford, finishing fortieth.
| 2007 | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 40 | 40 |
| 2008 | 42 | 18 | ||
| 2009 | 28 | 12 | ||
| 2010 | 20 | 5 | ||
| 2011 | 24 | 30 | ||
| 2012 | BK Racing | Toyota | 38 | 26 |
| 2013 | 41 | 16 |
| † - Qualified for Joe Nemechek · ‡ - Qualified for Jeff Fuller. · ± - Qualified for Greg Biffle |
Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points
|
|
