Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann rallies to finish 11th at Texas
Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann finished 11th in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. // LaDon George, NASCAR Scene
FORT WORTH, Texas – Samsung 500 polesitter David Reutimann had one of his best races as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, leading twice for 40 laps before finishing 11th. But he wanted more, much more.
“It was OK,” Reutimann said of his race at Texas Motor Speedway. “We just had that trouble on pit road there.”
The trouble Reutimann was talking about came on lap 154, when he tried to pull his No. 00 Toyota into the Michael Waltrip Racing pit stall.
“A car was coming out of its pit stall and we kind of had to take evasive action there,” Reutimann said. “I slid it out the box, which is my fault, and they started changing tires before they got it back. That cost us a lap.”
NASCAR penalized Reutimann one lap for pitting outside the assigned pit box, dropping him off the lead lap. It would be nearly 100 laps before Reutimann could get back on the lead lap.
He got the lap back with the free pass on the race’s fifth caution, on lap 252.
“We just spent the rest of the day trying to battle back and we were able to do that,” Reutimann said. “I’m proud of my guys. They did a great job on pit road with great stops.”
Reutimann clawed his way from 18th position, where he restarted on lap 258, to finish 11th. He remained 11th in the Sprint Cup points standings.
