David Reutimann's win special to his fans, friends
My buddy David Reutimann won his second NASCAR Sprint Cup race of his career Saturday night in Chicago — and he did it in grand style. I felt really bad that my brother Michael and I weren’t there. Michael was at the track for a little while and then had to leave to go cover the ARCA race for SPEED. I had been at the track since Thursday, but when my SPEED RaceDay show ended earlier that afternoon, I decided to head on home.
I listened to the race on the plane on the way home and early on it looked like Jimmie Johnson was just going to run away from everyone for another victory. After landing in Nashville, I met my family for dinner and I was sitting in the restaurant when I got a text from a buddy of mine telling me that it looked like David was going to win the race.
Well I jumped up and tried to find a TV to watch the end of the race but couldn’t, so I literally left my family to eat and went out into the parking lot to my car. Yes, I sat in the car and listened to the end of the race. Man was I excited.
You have to remember that David came to us in 2004 when I restarted my truck team. In only his second race for us, he won a pole at Atlanta and we knew then we had us a great driver. He won for us the next year at Nashville, which was naturally special to me since it’s in my backyard. I had made David a bet that if he won a race for us, I would buy him a Rolex. Well, he won the race and by golly I had to keep my end of the deal.
The Truck series was a springboard for David to move to the Cup series driving for my brother. He also drove Nationwide cars for Michael and won in that series as well. Last year, David won the Coca-Cola 600, which as you know is one of our premier events. That win put him in a very elite group. David is one of the few to win in the Truck series, the Nationwide series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. The other thing that is cool was that David was the first driver in the Cup series to ever win a race with the No. 00.
When David won last May, Michael’s business partner, Rob Kauffman, gave him a GT350 Mustang. So he got a Rolex from me and a car from one of his owners. So I texted David after the race Saturday night and asked him what he thought my brother had for him for winning at Chicagoland. He texted me back and said “A job – a new three-year contract.” Trust me folks, that is a bigger bonus than the others put together.
You’ve heard me say many times that us Waltrip’s adopted David. We love him to death. Of course you know that his dad, Buzzie, is a dirt track legend. Buzzie reminds Michael and I so much of our dad, Leroy. Buzzie’s at every race and always has a smile on his face. He is a great father and truly loves his son.
I did something Monday with my brother that I just have to tell you was an honor and a privilege. Robin Braig, Daytona International Speedway president, asked Michael and me to come down Monday and help start the tearing up process for the Speedway’s new repaving project.
I raced on that track in 1979 after only its second repaving in its history. So to be part of Monday’s event really was special. Now I have tried to tear the walls down at Daytona, but tearing up the track sure was a first for ol’ DW. The track folks are so excited about the new repaving project and they should be. It’s going to be so exciting. Mark my words folks, the 2011 Daytona 500 will be a fantastic race. It will be the best one we have seen since 1979, I believe.
Talk also continues to swirl around what changes are in store for the Chase. Well you know me well enough to know I have some ideas. Here are my ideas to fix the Chase. I still maintain we need to shorten the Chase to build the intensity. Ten races are too long and the excitement dissipates. Sunday night on SPEED’s Wind Tunnel, I originally said it needed to be cut to five races.
After thinking about that, I want to change it to six races. I would make the first race of the Chase be at Bristol. Then I would go to Richmond. My third race would be Phoenix or Dover. My fourth race would be Charlotte. My fifth race would be California. Then I would end my season at Daytona.
Do you see my pattern? We start on a half-mile track. Then go to a three-quarter mile, then 1-mile, then a mile-and-a-half track, then a 2-mile and then finally a two-and-a-half mile track. I would totally revamp the schedule. It is badly needed, folks. Someone needs to step up and do it. Brian France is a pretty bold fellow and he seems willing to take chances and make changes. I see this as his opportunity to step up and fix a lot of things that are broken.
In my book, you start the season like always with the Daytona 500. Folks, it doesn’t get any bigger or better than that. I believe we need to now end the season in Daytona. The championship weekend should end in Daytona. Our season should start and end there.
Now if you don’t want to do that, then I say end the season at Las Vegas. Let's run the race and then have the NASCAR Awards banquet either the next day or maybe even Monday. Let’s quit dragging things out. What purpose does it serve to drag things out? Human nature dictates people lose interest. If you make things happen now for folks, they keep their excitement up.
So there is my fix to the Chase. Trust me, the sooner they do it the better off things will be.
OH, BY THE WAY – I want to send special congratulations to Richard Childress and his grandson, Austin Dillon, for winning the Truck series race at Iowa last weekend.
Folks, I have always believed and always tell you that there is magic in numbers. Trust me, I know. I have had the right numbers and yes, sadly I have had the wrong numbers.
There is magic in that No. 3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won in that No. 3 car two weeks ago in Daytona. Austin won his….wait for it….third consecutive truck series pole in Iowa and backed that up by winning the race with, yes, No. 3 on the door.
Folks, putting the No. 3 on the shelf, preserving it and no one using it doesn’t pay any tribute to Dale Earnhardt, Sr. whatsoever. Putting the No. 3 out there on the race track and letting it win, now folks that is a tribute to Dale. That’s the way I would do it.
Richard Childress controls that number in the Truck series and the Sprint Cup series. Teresa Earnhardt controls the number in the Nationwide series. I would use it and keep the legend alive. Richard is doing it now in the Truck series with his grandson and last weekend that young man got his first-ever win. I feel very strongly that we need to get that number back on the race track full time in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series. To me, that’s the way you honor Dale Earnhardt, Sr.
