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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: First Time Sweet For Reutimann
David Reutimann’s victory in the Coca-Cola 600 was the first for both himself and Michael Waltrip Racing...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted May 25, 2009   Charlotte, NC
David Reutimann in victory lane after winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
David Reutimann climbed to 15th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings with his win at Chicagoland Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

David Reutimann came out of nowhere to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup race, but don’t let anyone tell you he didn’t earn it. Because he flat about gave himself an ulcer waiting out the day’s third and final rain delay before NASCAR finally pulled the plug on the Coca-Cola 600 after 228 of a scheduled 400 laps.

Reutimann, Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon were the only three drivers who chose not to pit when NASCAR threw the caution on Lap 221 when rains fell again on the 1.5-mile track, and they finished that way because the race never resumed. In one fell swoop, Reutimann went from 14th to first place to claim an unlikely victory.

At 4:20 p.m., NASCAR threw a red flag — the third of the day, after the race was rained out on Sunday — NASCAR’s finally pulled the plug at 6:26 p.m., more than six hours after the green flag first flew to start the race, and more than two hours after the red came out for the final time.

That gave the victory to Reutimann, his first in 75 career NASCAR Sprint Cup starts after a previous best of fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. Just as significantly, it was the first for Michael Waltrip Racing, a team that barely survived a horrific beginning in 2007 and has slowly clawed its way to respectability. And it was the first for crew chief Rodney Childers as well, and the first Toyota Cup victory by a team other than Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota’s first win at LMS.

In the process, Reutimann joined a storied group of drivers who scored their first career victories in the Coca-Cola 600: David Pearson, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth and Rick Mears.

While fans may have been frustrated by all the rain, for Reutimann and the gang from MWR, the moisture may have well as fallen straight from heaven.

“What are you going to say? It certainly wasn’t the prettiest win, but somebody’s got to win these things,” said Reutimann, who became the eighth different winner in 12 Sprint Cup races this season. “ … It feels really good. When you envision yourself winning your first Sprint Cup race, you envision it a little different, but man, it’s so hard to win these deals. We’ll take ‘em anyway we can get ‘em.”

Reutimann was especially pleased to be able to deliver the first victory for his boss’s team. “Michael Waltrip gave me the opportunity to go racing in the Cup series when nobody ever would have thought of giving me the opportunity,” said Reutimann, the former dirt-track racer from Zephyrhills, Fla. “So, we got this one today, and hopefully the next one, we’ll earn it.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES RACE RESULTS: COCA-COLA 600 AT LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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