DAVID REUTIMANN No. 00 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE TOYOTA MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann won’t have his father with him this weekend at Michigan International Speedway for Father’s Day. Instead, Emil “Buzzie” Reutimann, 70, will be behind the wheel of his own Aaron’s Dream Machine race car at the Ocala Speedway dirt track in Florida racing for the $1,000 top prize on Saturday night … and David wouldn’t have it any other way.
DAVID REUTIMANN QUOTES
IS YOUR FATHER BUZZIE GOING TO BE IN MICHIGAN FOR FATHER’S DAY? “No. He was thinking about it, but then he checked the Ocala (Fla.) Speedway schedule and saw that there’s a race that pays $1,000 to win, so he changed his plans and told me he is going racing. I think that’s great though. We spend a lot of time together at the racetrack, so really most weekends are like Father’s Day to us. I mean, he’s 70 years old now, if the old man wants to go racing that’s where I want him to be too. I tell him if he’s going to miss Father’s Day to go racing he better bring back the hardware! Actually since he’s driving for me I tell him he better bring me back a check or trophy anytime he goes out. I expect wins in the cars that I build for him.”
WHO IS THE BETTER DRIVER—YOU OR BUZZIE?“My Dad is by far the better driver. Any time he walks through the gate to the garage I know that he’s the best driver there. I don’t care if it’s at East Bay or Ocala down in Florida or the NASCAR garage—when he walks in there is no one better. He has over 1,200 documented race wins in his career. He didn’t always have the best equipment like he does now, but he taught me how to take care of my car and get the most out of it. I didn’t idolize guys like Richard Petty or David Pearson when I was growing up—I idolized my Dad. Buzzie Reutimann was and is my idol.”
BUZZIE REUTIMANN ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH DAVID:“We aren’t like most people. We don’t hunt, we don’t fish, we don’t golf and we’ve never been to a baseball game or played catch. We race! We always have. We’ve traveled up and down the East Coast, raced against each other, slept at rest areas when we didn’t have enough for a hotel after a tough race. We spend more time together than any father and son I know. I wouldn’t change one thing. We give each other a hard time any chance we get, but we have a great relationship.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES OF INTEREST
· Reutimann at Michigan:In eight career NSCS starts at Michigan, Reutimann has one top-10 and three top-15 finishes. His average starting position is 18th and finish is 19th. He led four laps in the 2009 fall race. In 2010, Reutimann finished 18th in the spring and 16th in the fall.
· Testing, Testing:David Reutimann is road course testing in driving school cars this Tuesday and Wednesday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. in preparation for next week’s visit to the first road course track of 2011. Reutimann also spent time testing at Virginia International Raceway on May 24.
· Doing the Double: Reutimann is making his third Nationwide Series appearance of 2011 in the No. 64 Toyota for Rusty Wallace Racing. Reutimann is making his first start for sponsor Aspen Dental. Reutimann has three NNS starts in 2011 – all top-15 finishes including one top-fiveand two top-10s. Reutimann also made one NNS appearance in the No. 99 Toyota for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing.
