Michael Waltrip Racing Press Release

CORNELIUS, N.C. — This week’s tests at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and Daytona International Speedway mark the first two tests for Mark Martin and his No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine race team. Martin begins his 30th NASCAR Sprint Cup season driving the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine in 25 races for Michael Waltrip Racing. Martin believes the work done this week is an important step toward running well at Daytona and the rest of the 2012 season.

MARTIN ON THIS WEEK’S TESTS: “These tests aren’t incredibly important from the car hardware side. It’s more important for us as a new group working together to work through the areas like communication, flow, learning everyone’s names, routines and things like that. That’s really the critical part of the test. (more…)

The ’04 ROY will run up to 15 races that are companion events with Cup schedule

David Reutimann, the 2004 Truck Series rookie of the year, plans to return to the series in 2012, agreeing this week to run up to 15 races in the No. 92 Chevrolet for Ricky Benton Racing, mainly companion events associated with his part-time Cup schedule with Tommy Baldwin Racing.

Team spokesman Rick Benton said Saturday that talks began in earnest after the team hired crew chief Jason Overstreet in early December.

Along with the Truck schedule, David Reutimann will run part-time for Tommy Baldwin Racing in the Cup Series.

“We heard about [Reutimann’s] situation after being released from Michael Waltrip Racing,” Benton said. “Our crew chief, Jason Overstreet, had worked with David several times back early on. So they’ve got a relationship there, so we just kind of thought it might be a good possibility to put that deal together. (more…)