David Reutimann fighting stomach bug, but plans to drive rest of weekend at Bristol
Aric Almirola prepares to climb into David Reutimann's car at Bristol. Reutimann is battling a stomach bug. // Jeff Robinson, NASCAR Illustrated
BRISTOL, Tenn. – An ill David Reutimann missed about 75 minutes of the first Sprint Cup practice at Bristol Motor Speedway Friday, but drove his Michael Waltrip Racing car during the rest of the session and plans to compete the rest of the weekend.
Reutimann, who is 18th in the Sprint Cup standings, said he began to feel sick to his stomach at 3 a.m. Friday morning.
Final practice is scheduled for 2:45-3:30 p.m. Friday with qualifying scheduled for 5:40 p.m. at the half-mile concrete oval.
“I’m just sick, stomach stuff, and it’s hard to shake that stuff,” Reutimann said after the first practice Friday. “I’m just trying to get some fluids back in [me]. Aric helped us and got the car up and going there until I got enough fluids in me to feel like I could walk upright.
“I’ll be all right. I don’t have any races tonight, so maybe I’ll go to the infield care center and get a couple of IVs. I’m not getting back out of the car.”
Reutimann, who won the July race at Chicagoland Speedway, said he is not sure what caused his problems.
“I don’t think it was anything I ate,” Reutimann said. “It must have been a stomach deal. It was like flip a switch and it was really, really, really bad. And then it got to the point where it flipped the switch back and I could keep some stuff down. I figured it was time to come drive at that point.”
Although Almirola thought Reutimann had to go to the hospital, Reutimann said he did not end up going.
“We contemplated on going but it never got that bad,” Reutimann said. “I’m scared to death of hospitals and needles, so I try to stay away as much as I possibly can.”
The team scrambled to get Almirola in the car for practice.
“I want to be in a race car, and if somebody calls and they say they have an opportunity for me, I want to race,” Almirola said. “… They asked me this morning if I could do it and I didn’t have anything here [as far as uniform and helmet] and they started rounding stuff up. I’m borrowing a little bit of everything from everybody.”
Almirola is used to being in a stand-by role. He was the back-up driver for Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon while their wives were expecting children recently.
