By Sarah Handy, Staff Writer
In this week’s Flashback Friday, it’s a time warp all the way back to the season of 2010 when the series was under the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series name.
The date was Saturday July 10th and the series was in Joliet, Illinois for the 19th race on the schedule, taking place under the lights at Chicagoland Speedway.
Zephyrhills, Florida native David Reuitmann was driving full-time for then Michael Waltrip Racing in the No.00 Toyota.
Reutimann was looking to earn his second-career victory in NASCAR’s premiere series.
The keyword in that whole sentence would be earn it.
Reutimann won the 2009 Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR’s most prestigious and well-known races on the schedule for his first career win at the highest level.
However, that win came with much criticism because it was a rain-shortened win. Reutimann chose to stay out during a caution while the rest of the field came down pit road for service.
“We got this one today, and hopefully the next one we’ll earn it”, Reutimann said.
It had been 43 races since the driver had visited victory lane, but he would do just that at Chicagoland. This time the victory was well earned.
With 55 laps remaining in the LifeLock.com 400, Reutimann raced hard and eventually found his way around four-time Champion Jeff Gordon for the lead.
Reutimann would hold on to the lead and capture the victory by .727 seconds over second-place, Carl Edwards.
“I heard so much stuff for winning a rain-shortened event, said the driver. Everybody said we didn’t earn it. Tonight, I don’t know what they can say about this one.”
“No rain tonight. We earned this one, nobody gave it to us, and that feels really good.”
The victory would mark the last time Reutimann would win in the Cup Series.
After his time with MWR, Reutimann went on to race for Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2012, who at the time had an alliance with Stewart-Hass Racing.
Following one season with TBR, Reutimann replaced Landon Cassill in the No. 83 Toyota for BK Racing.
However, Reutimann and the team would ultimately part ways following the final race of the 2013 season.
Reutimann would be without a ride to start the 2014 season but would qualify for three of the six events he attempted in the No. 35 Ford for Front Row Motorsports.
The last NASCAR race Reutimann competed in was the 2014 Toyota Owner’s 400 from Richmond Raceway where he was credited with a 29th place result.