NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver David Reutimann had the perfect medium to make his appeal.
After qualifying for the pole for a NASCAR Busch Series race in Memphis in 2003, Reutimann told a national television audience he needed a job.
Reutimann, 36, of Troutman, N.C., had had a seven-race deal to drive for NEMCO Motorsports and owner Joe Nemechek in the Busch Series, but it expired. Greg Biffle was supposed to drive in Memphis, but he had a Nextel Cup commitment, and Nemechek asked Reutimann to practice and qualify Biffle's car.
Reutimann did just that and put the car on the pole. That's when television came calling.
"Things hadn't gone originally as planned at Nemechek's and I'm looking for a full-time gig," Reutimann recalled telling his interviewer. "I got a lot of great press out of that. A lot of media took it and ran with it."
One person who was watching was three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip. He called Reutimann a couple of days later.
"I was sitting at home still contemplating my future and trying to figure out what I was going to do," Reutimann said. "The phone rings and the guy on the phone says it's Darrell Waltrip. Well, I thought it was the guys at the (NEMCO Motorsports) shop.
"I had taken a job in the fab (fabrication) shop because I had bills to pay, too, and the guys were always paging me on the loudspeaker saying 'David, Roger Penske is on line 1. Richard Childress is on line 2.' So I just figured now these guys are bugging me at home. I was about to hang up or say something sarcastic."
But a quick check of his caller ID showed the call was from out of town.
"I thought, 'Wow, this is for real,'" Reutimann continued. "I pulled myself together and talked for quite a long time with DW."
Actually, younger brother Michael Waltrip, who now is considering Reutimann as a Busch Series driver for next year, was the one who suggested Reutimann. That's when Darrell called his future driver.
"I had talked to Michael and asked him to give me some idea who I should be looking at, and he immediately mentioned David," Darrell Waltrip told the St. Petersburg Times in 2003. "I didn't know much about him, but I started checking into him and I like him a lot. He's a hands-on guy. He doesn't mind getting his hands dirty. He comes from a racing family, and it always seems like those guys do well."
Reutimann grew up racing on the dirt. His father, Emil "Buzzie" Reutimann, is an East Coast racing legend with more than 1,200 feature race wins and 20 track championships in the 1950s and '60s.
David Reutimann moved to asphalt racing in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series, from 1997 to 2002. He was the series rookie of the year in 1997.
In his first year with Waltrip Motorsports, Reutimann captured two poles (Atlanta and Homestead) and wound up with four top five and 10 top 10 finishes, while finishing 14th in the points race. He was named rookie of the year. Last year, he won his first race at Nashville, claimed two more poles (Bristol and Homestead) and finished 13th in the points.
This season has been a breakout season for him and crew chief Jason Overstreet. Reutimann is fourth in points driving the No. 17 Toyota Tundra, has one pole (California), two top five and three top 10 finishes with $71,240 in earnings.
"We've had a good start to the season," he said. "Once the schedule gets going, we'll have a better grasp of where we are and where we need to improve. But first we have to take care of Gateway."
Gateway hasn't been good to Reutimann. His best starting spot has been sixth (last year), and his top finish here was ninth (2004). He finished 24th last season after receiving a speeding penalty on pit road.
"We've never qualified well at Gateway, but we've always raced well there," he said. "It's one of my favorite tracks because of the way it is shaped. It's different and definitely changes throughout the race."
