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03-13-2004
Reutimann Finishes Third at Atlanta
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High Sierra Photo | After starting from pole position, David Reutimann finished third in his second career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start in the No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota Tundra at Atlanta Motor Speedway on the heels of winner Bobby Hamilton and second-place finisher Mike Skinner who were beating and banging crossing the finish line with only a .330 margin of victory separating the two veterans. The Top-3 effort gained Reutimann five positions in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings as he now occupies fourth-place, 27 points out of first.
"I had the best seat in the house with those guys working each other over coming down to the stripe," said Reutimann. "The thought crossed my mind that they might take each other out. I was trying my best to be in the position to fight for a win here at Atlanta, but I was also busy trying to keep Travis Kvapil behind the No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota Tundra. Overall, this was an incredible weekend for this Darrell Waltrip Motorsports team. It's a huge moral booster for us to finish in the Top-3 after winning the pole. I can't say enough about DW, Crew Chief Jason Overstreet, Team Manager Bobby Kennedy and this team. They are the reason we finished so well here today. I'm proud of all of our efforts and can't wait for the next race."
Early in the 133-Lap NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Raybestos Rookie of the Race led the first seven laps and then was a Top-5 mainstay at the 1.544-mile quad-oval proving this newcomer to the Series is consistent.
"We were stellar all weekend with practice, qualifying and our race setup," said Reutimann, who also led Lap 88. "DW made a comment that it's great to be able to carry everything over. The truck just kept getting better as the race went on after we made adjustments to correct tight handling conditions. When we pitted the few times we did, we threw some wedge at it and made air pressure adjustments to free up the No. 17 NTN Bearings truck. The adjustments worked keeping us in sights of leader Bobby Hamilton and second-place finisher Mike Skinner. We definitely moved in the right direction during the race. We are so excited and pumped up that we wish that Martinsville was next weekend."
"DW is planning on running Martinsville in his No. 11 Toyota entry and it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds," continued Reutimann. "It's a dream come true to be able to be teammates with the legendary Darrell Waltrip. He's picking up where he left off. It's going to be a fun time short-track racing with DW."
After a one month hiatus, Reutimann and his No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota Tundra will take the green flag next at Martinsville Speedway Saturday, April 17 at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The 250-Lap event will be the third of 25 NCTS events telecast live on the Speed Channel this season. MRN Radio will also broadcast the entire NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule this season.
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