Reutimann Wins Rain-Shortened Coca-Cola 600 on a Gamble
By: Stephen Lars
David Reutimann claimed the Coca-Cola 600 – his first Cup – on a rain-soaked Monday afternoon. It was also the first win for Michael Waltrip Racing – one of only two Toyota teams to claim a Cup race.
The race had already been postponed by one day. Initially scheduled to run on Sunday, the longest event of the season was moved to Monday after the weather made it impossible to run, marking the first time in the event’s history that the race was run on Memorial Day.
Monday, however, proved to be little better.
With heavy clouds in the gray skies, Monday’s race was frequently interrupted with showers: first at lap 8, then lap 72. The race went beyond the halfway point after a 3pm red flag, when it became official. If the rain continued, NASCAR could finish the race. The Coca-Cola 600 became a race of strategy: with the growing likelihood of a red-flag, victory would come to the driver at the fore – whether the entire distance was run or not.
The rain proved disastrous for the race’s 173-lap leader, Kyle Busch. Busch lost the lead in lap 222 during the final caution, when he, along with a cadre of other cars, pulled over for a pit stop. He was followed by Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, Juan Pablo Montoya, Carl Edwards, and Joey Logano, respectively.
“We knew it was coming, we knew [the rain] was here,” Busch explained. “But we weren’t going to be able to ride around under caution for more than five laps. That was all we had of fuel left. We had to come down and put gas in it.”
But while Busch and his cohorts paused, Reutimann took a gamble. Well behind the lead at 14th, Reutimann and his crew chief Rodney Childers decided not to pull over after the caution. If the race was stopped for rain soon, Reutimann would claim the victory.
Reutimann led Ryan Newman and Bobby Gordon on the five remaining laps on caution before NASCAR called the third – and final – pit stoppage on lap 227.
Unlike other drivers, Reutimann waited by his car, joined by his father, Buzzie Reutimann. Buzzie prayed desperately that NASCAR would call the race, giving his 39-year old son his first Cup victory. But David did not get his hopes up.
“These things don’t ever go our way,” the younger Reutimann thought. “I don’t know why it should now.”
For two hours, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds, the Reutimanns waited in the gray drizzle before NASCAR called the race.
And David Reutimann won – even though he hadn’t claimed the lead in any lap in the green.
“It wasn’t the prettiest win,” he said, “but somebody has to win. When you envision yourself winning your first Sprint Cup race, you envision it different. But it’s so hard to win these deals, we’ll take it any way we can.”
Reutimann had previously claimed a 2005 Truck race and then a 2007 Nationwide race at Memphis. He signed on with Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007, but the team struggled to make races. The last two seasons have seen MWR take small steps toward success, with Reutimann at the fore. He has managed to break into the top 12 in points all season.
Newman came in second, Gordon third, Edwards fourth, Vickers fifth, and Busch – the race-high leader – came in sixth.
About the Author:
Stephen Lars is a high-ranking sports writer, currently writing reviews on Nascar for the sports betting industry. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, making sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.