David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip Racing announced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the driver has re-signed with MWR and will continue racing the No. 00 Aaron’s Toyota again next year. The deal is a multi-year agreement.
Aaron’s has signed on to sponsor 30 races each season for the next two years and will also pick up the remaining six unsponsored races for Reutimann this season, bringing his car to a fully funded status.
“Increasing our involvement in the NACSAR Sprint Cup Series and extending our partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing and David Reutimann through 2012 is a testament to how successful this relationship has been for Aaron’s,” Ken Butler, Chief Operating Officer of Aaron’s, Inc., said. “Much of Aaron’s growth and success is a direct result of our partnership with MWR and we are thrilled to continue that for two more seasons. We have built a rich history with Michael Waltrip and this organization over the last 11 years and I could not imagine Aaron’s partnering with anyone else in this sport. We look forward to being a part of their continued success.”
The deal was done before Reutimann’s second career Sprint Cup Series victory at Chicagoland Speedway earlier this year.
“I’m glad both Michael Waltrip Racing and Aaron’s want to keep me around,” Reutimann said. “I’ve been asked about my contract for the last month and we’ve had a handshake agreement, but now it’s done and I’m glad I can finally talk about it. I’m thrilled. This is where I want to be – at Michael Waltrip Racing driving the No. 00 with Aaron’s on the hood. Aaron’s has been a great partner and I consider myself a lucky dog every time I get behind the wheel of the Aaron’s Dream Machine.
“Michael and Darrell Waltrip have given me just about every chance I have ever had in NASCAR since 2004 and I don’t want to go anywhere else. Good things are happening here and I plan to be a part of it.”
Team owner Michael Waltrip says there was no doubt that keeping Reutimann around was necessary for the organization.
“We never wavered on wanting to extend David and neither did Aaron’s,” Waltrip said. “David and Aaron’s are like family to me. They’ve both been a large part of Michael Waltrip Racing since the very beginning and have stuck with us through thick and thin. In the beginning we all took a chance on each other. You might say it was a high-risk, high reward proposition for everyone involved, but we all believed in each other and we are now starting to see those rewards a little more each day.”
MWR officially began its Sprint Cup Series operation in 2007.
MWR races two-full time cars, driven by Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. The organization also has a partnership with JTG-Daugherty Racing, who fields the No. 47 Toyota driven by Marcos Ambrose.
