David Reutimann 2010 Preview, Predictions & Odds

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David Reutimann 2009 Stats

David Reutimann 2009 Recap & Review

They say a rising tide raises all ships, and that seems to have been the case for David Reutimann and his No. 00 team at Michael Waltrip Racing in 2009. Just two years earlier, all three MWR drivers, including Waltrip, Reutimann and Dale Jarrett, failed to qualify for a collective 39 races and finished the year ranked 44th, 39th and 41st in points, respectively. It is helpful to reflect back on that season now, as it provides a meaningful perspective on just how far Waltrip’s teams progressed in 2009 – particularly the No. 00.

Reutimann’s season was a breakout one for both him and the organization. Starting the year with six top 15s in eight races, Reutimann was a staple inside the top 12 through April. Then, after a three-race slump, he scored his first career Cup win and the first for Michael Waltrip Racing, claiming victory in the Coca-Cola 600 when the team opted to stay out under caution in the rain-shortened race. Rodney Childers, Reutimann’s new crew chief last year, was credited with making the strategic call that earned the organization the big win.

That boost left Reutimann hanging in and around the Chase bubble through midsummer, until a 31st at Infineon and 36th at Daytona pushed him out for good. But even with those bumps in the road, Reutimann went to Richmond a long shot playoff candidate, ending the regular season 155 points behind 12th-place Brian Vickers. Missing that 10-race Chase was a letdown for the team, which scored only two top 10 finishes over the season’s final 10 weeks. But looking back on the overall body of work, 16th in points was a career best to go along with the first win, two poles (Texas and Dover), five top 5s and 10 top 10s.

David Reutimann 2010 Preview & Prediction

So often in modern-day NASCAR, a car owner pulls the plug on a driver before he’s given a chance to develop. But in the case of David Reutimann, Michael Waltrip Racing has kept the program together and its faith intact for a man who’s slowly but steadily developed in each of NASCAR’s top three series for almost a decade. In fact, after losing primary sponsor UPS at the end of 2008, Waltrip himself begged the CEO of Aaron’s to replace the longtime NASCAR backer for a full season in order to keep Reutimann from walking away — even though he had a total of only four top 10s in 63 career Cup starts.

Everyone thought Waltrip was nuts. But by the end of last year, he’d proved himself to be a genius.

Reutimann rewarded his car owner with a breakout performance in his third Cup season, which included a win in the Coca-Cola 600 and 10 top-10 finishes. The No. 00 team did not take a single DNF — compared to nine just two years earlier — and led over 100 laps. Such dramatic improvement left Reutimann as a surprise contender to make the Chase. Though he ultimately ended the season ranked 16th in points, he was as high as fifth early in the year and remained above the Chase cutoff for several consecutive weeks.

His clutch performance set a new high-water mark at Michael Waltrip Racing, still a relative newcomer to the Cup racing scene. Although Waltrip himself has been around NASCAR racing for decades, 2010 marks only his fourth season as a Cup owner with his full-time Toyota teams. Left for dead after a cheating scandal at Daytona in its first season, which led to a flurry of DNQs and poor performances, MWR has defied the odds to survive while other legendary car owners close up shop. Now, after a 2009 season in which Waltrip survived the recession by scaling back to two cars — his own and Reutimann’s — he’ll run a third car part-time while adding Martin Truex Jr. as his full-time replacement. It’s a move that will provide Reutimann with additional support, as Truex undoubtedly will convey more informative feedback.

This season will also mark the second year of MWR’s technical alliance with JTG-Daugherty Racing, which fields the No. 47 Cup car driven by Marcos Ambrose. The trio of Truex, Reutimann and Ambrose will be an intriguing one to watch in 2010, as all three have shown that they have the talent to win races at the Cup level.

Reutimann’s new crew chief, Rodney Childers, also meshed well with his driver, building a solid foundation for long-term success. But amidst the healthy culture they’ve constructed at MWR are several unanswered questions. Reutimann has been a free agent at the end of the last two seasons, and his contract is up again after 2010, as faith hasn’t translated into a long-term deal. There are also sponsorship concerns, as Aaron’s can now afford to support only 18 of the 36-race Sprint Cup season. Even with associate sponsors TUMS and Best Western (on as the primaries for a total of six races), the team remains about 12 races shy of full-season sponsorship.

That makes this team’s push for improvement a bit more difficult, particularly after concluding the year without a top-5 finish in the final 11 races. Faith can take you to the cusp of greatness, but Reutimann will have to take the next step on his own merit — and it won’t be easy.

David Reutimann 2010 Predictions

We predict that David Reutimann will finish 17th in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

David Reutimann Betting & Odds

David Reutimann NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Odds: +8000

David Reutimann Betting Trends & Situations

• after finishing 11th to 15th, average finish is 13.8
• when racing in February, average finish is 20.0

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