CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver David Reutimann said Monday’s crash and flip on the road course at Watkins Glen was one of the hardest hits of his career. Less than four days later Reutimann will buckle into the No. 00 on Friday and begin practice for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. That’s what separates race car drivers from the rest of the world’s population.
REUTIMANN ON HEALTH A FEW DAYS AFTER WRECK: “I’m actually not feeling too bad, I’m just a little bit sore. My leg and ankle are banged up a little bit, but other than that really not a big deal at all. I’m feeling pretty well. The safety of these cars has come a long way, and I’m grateful for that. Now, I’m just focusing on getting the job done at Michigan.”
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE CRASH? “I remember everything. It all happened so fast, but I can clearly look back on it. It was definitely one of the hardest hits I’ve ever had, but it’s part of the gig especially at the speeds we’re going. I believe the 51 car (Boris Said) got into the left rear corner of the 6 (David Ragan) and kind of turned him across the race track into the fence. (Ragan) then just bounced into the race track and hit me. We were going pretty fast through that section of the track. We were actually going faster than it seems there because once I made contact with (Ragan) we went into the barrier. Things got a little crazy after that. In the end it was just an unfortunate end to our day.”
ANY HESITATION TO GET BACK INTO THE CAR? “No, there’s no hesitation. I trust all of the guys here at MWR and I know they are giving me safe race cars. Each of us goes out on the track knowing that a crash might happen, but it’s just not something you can spend too much time thinking about. We get paid to race as hard as we can and finish up front – there’s not enough time to think about being involved in an accident. I’ve already moved on from Monday’s wreck.”
GOALS FOR MICHIGAN: “We had a fast car in June and almost (qualified second) put the Aaron’s Dream Machine on the pole. We have a really good qualifying package at Michigan and our big track program here at MWR is really strong. Plus, we have made huge strides since we were there in June so I’m confident we’ll have a shot at the pole again. Our goal every weekend is to win and that never changes, but a place like Michigan favors us a little bit more than normal.”
NOTES OF INTEREST
· Sunday’s race marks Reutimann’s 158th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and 10th at Michigan International Speedway. He owns two career victories (Charlotte 600 in 2009 and Chicagoland 2010)
· In four of the last six races at MIS, Reutimann has posted a top-nine qualifying effort.
· Fans can win an autographed Reutimann hat from Aaron’s when the No. 00 logs a top-10 finish. To win you must follow @aaronssports on Twitter.
