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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Reutimann Boosted By Victory
David Reutimann recorded a convincing second NASCAR Sprint Cup win earlier this month at Chicagoland Speedway...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted July 27, 2010   Charlotte, NC
David Reutimann hopes to rally for a spot in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Winning the July 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway put a new zing in the season for David Reutimann, who remains in the group of drivers with a shot at making the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“That (winning) can change the whole outlook of the entire organization,” Reutimann said Tuesday. “If you’re having a rough year and you’re able to go out and win a race, you kind of forget everything bad that’s happened to you. You can switch around and make it like, ‘The sky’s the limit,’ from that point on.

“It gives the driver confidence and the team confidence and, more importantly, gives guys back at the shop who aren’t able to be at the track added enthusiasm. It makes them see that what they’re doing is really important.”

The Chicagoland victory put Reutimann in 15th place in Sprint Cup points, his best position since early in the season. But he was involved in the first-lap multi-car crash at Indianapolis Sunday and eventually finished 28th in the Brickyard 400, dropping him three spots to 18th.

“You’ve got to make up ground and go out there and try to make things happen,” he said. “In this situation, we have to be out there and be as aggressive as we possibly can. We’ll go out and thrash and see what we can do and get as many points as we can.”

Next up is Pocono Raceway, a fast and flat track with a wacky triangular shape, one that often befuddles drivers and crew chiefs.

“Pocono has been kind of a hit-and-miss race track for us,” Reutimann said. “I’ve run well there, but I’ve had some races we’d like to forget. It’s a tough race track. It’s tough to get your car good on all the corners.

“The tunnel turn (Turn 2) is pretty tricky, and the new strip of pavement they put down in Turn 3 is where everybody’s trying to go to find the same piece of real estate.”
David Reutimann celebrates his win at Chicagoland Speedway last July. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Reutimann said NASCAR’s decision – revealed this week – to consider fines for drivers who openly criticize the sport is OK with him.

“I’ve always tried to watch what I say,” he said. “If you’re aggravated, it doesn’t do any good to say something. You can go in the [NASCAR] trailer and vent and talk to those guys. I think sometimes it’s best to do it in that form. It doesn’t do you any good to go out there and air your grievances to the public. That doesn’t fix anything.”

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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