David Reutimann

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CONCORD, N.C. - In David Reutimann's first year of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition, the 2004 Raybestos Rookie of the Year recorded two Bud Pole Awards (Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway), four top-five finishes and ten top-10 finishes driving the No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota Tundra. Reutimann finished fourteenth in the division's points standings. In addition to clinching the rookie title last year, Reutimann's highlights include registering Toyota Motorsports first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Bud Pole Award, a pair of third-place finishes at Atlanta and Texas Motor Speedway, a fifth-place finish at New Hampshire and a fourth-place finish in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The third-generation driver contributes his success to his racing family and legendary father Emil "Buzzie" Reutimann, who took the DIRT world by storm winning events all over the Eastern seaboard. Reutimann followed in his father's footsteps driving Modifieds and Late Models at dirt and paved tracks Friday and Saturday nights growing up. In 1997, he transcended to the NASCAR AutoZone Elite, Southeast Series and received Rookie of the Year honors. The three-time Southeast Series winner finished as high as second in the 2002 championship points standings.

That same year, the Zephyrhills (Fla.) native's big break happened when he competed in a NASCAR Busch Series entry owned by Joe Nemechek.David Reutimannscored an impressive 16th-place finish in his Busch Series debut. In seven 2003 Busch Series starts, the Troutman (N.C.) resident collected two top-fives and three top-10s. That yearDavid Reutimannalso collected his first NASCAR Busch Series Bud Pole Award at Memphis Motorsports Park in the No. 7 car owned by Nemechek. Since 2002, Reutimann competed in the Busch Series on a limited basis. After driving Nemechek's Busch car on and off for two years, Reutimann was uncertain of his future at the end of the 2003 season. His Busch Series success captured the attention of three-time Nextel Cup Champion and NASCAR on FOX TV Analyst Darrell Waltrip. That's whenDavid Reutimann received the call from Waltrip asking him to drive the No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota Tundra full-time. Following a respectable rookie season last year, Reutimann strengthened his résumé' with his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway last August. Two months after his first truck win, Reutimann made his NASCAR Nextel Cup Series debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Reutimann completed 334 laps to finish 22nd in his first career start driving the No. 00 State Fair Corn Dogs car owned by Michael Waltrip Racing.

 

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