|
| David Reutiman to Run Busch Race At the Rock | CONCORD, NC (February 16, 2004) - David Reutimann made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota entry finishing ninth as top Raybestos Rookie at Daytona International Speedway Friday, February 13. As the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is on a three-week hiatus, the Zephryhills (FL) native is slated to run the Goody's Headache Powder 200 Busch Series event this Saturday at North Carolina Speedway in Joe Nemechek's No. 87 Cellular One Busch car.
"What a way to go into this weekend for the Busch race after a solid run and finish at Daytona in the No. 17 NTN Bearings NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry," said Reutimann whose best career Busch Series finish is fifth at Nashville Superspeedway and The Milwaukee Mile in 2003 with NEMCO Motorsports. "Not long ago I was on the outside looking in. I mean I couldn't even get a pit pass. This Darrell Waltrip Motorsports team worked hard over the winter to put a solid truck together and it has really shown. We are happy with a Top-10 finish on our first effort out of the box. I learned a lot from my first experience in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series."
Not only did Reutimann score a Top-10 finish in his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career start, he was credited five bonus points for leading the field slightly over halfway before making his second pit stop of the evening at Lap 58.
"It's a great feeling to be in the position to lead at Daytona," said Reutimann. "The No. 17 NTN Bearings truck was in the front pack most of the race. That's really good for our first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race together as a new team and as a rookie driver to the division. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to drive for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports. I'm also thankful to be able to run a handful of Busch races for Nemechek this season to give me more seat time. I can't wait for our next NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Atlanta because the race at Daytona was the most fun I had in a long time."
"Our Top-10 effort will be a springboard for the No. 17 NTN Bearings Darrell Waltrip Motorsports team heading into the Craftsman Truck race at Atlanta in March," continued Reutimann. "I've been to the track once and tested a Busch car there. I feel really good about that. Working with crew chief Jason Overstreet and Bobby Kennedy for the first time was a great experience. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish at Atlanta. We are confident that the No. 17 NTN Bearings truck will have a good showing at the 1.54-mile quad-oval."
Reutimann handles the driving chores of the No. 87 Cellular One Busch entry in the Goody's Headache Powder 200 at North Carolina Speedway Saturday, February 21 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Standard time on FX and 12:45 p.m. on MRN Radio.
Reutimann and his No. 17 NTN Bearings NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry returns to action taking the green flag in the Easycare Vehicle Service 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday, March 13 at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The 200-mile event will be the second of 25 NCTS events telecast live on the Speed Channel this season. MRN Radio will also broadcast the entire NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule on more than 350 stations worldwide in 2003.
Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board!
or send a letter to the editor!
|
