NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
CUP: Waltrip Team Enjoying Rise
MWR's David Reutimann is the defending winner of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted May 29, 2010   Charlotte, NC
David Reutimann (Left) and Martin Truex Jr. (Right) are both starting near the front in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup race. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Michael Waltrip Racing will be well-represented in the top 10 at the start of Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup race.

Martin Truex Jr. will start third, and David Reutimann will be sixth on the grid at the 6:15 p.m. green flag of NASCAR’s longest race.

A year ago, Reutimann won this race as rain pelted the speedway and shortened the event. It was MWR’s landmark first Sprint Cup victory and put some underpinning in place for a team that struggled to get off the ground in 2007, its first full-time season.

A week ago, Truex popped something of a surprise in the Sprint All-Star Race, rolling home in a strong second place.

Entering the 600, Truex is 12th in Sprint Cup points, just under the qualifying line for the Chase. Reutimann is 20th with a pair of top-five finishes.

The easy conclusion reached from totaling these numbers is that MWR is on the rise and within range of challenging the series’ top teams – not there yet but sort of around the corner.

“We have just been steady as a race team and doing all the things we need to do to get points, finishing races,” Truex said. “There’s been a few races [where] we’ve had really good cars and a few races we were off but still managed to get good finishes, and that’s why we’re sitting here.

“I feel like the last month, month and a half, we’re starting to gel and figure out our race cars, find some speed and know where to go to get that speed when we need it. I’ve been very happy with that, and we’re still continuing to work on our stuff to try to get better.

“I know nobody remembers who finishes second in the All-Star Race, but, for us as a team, it felt good and meant a lot to us and it’s something we can build on. We’re looking forward to the rest of the year and to keep building on that momentum and keep trying to get better each week.”
MY SPEED is devoted to the passionate fans who celebrate motorcycles, motorsports and the automotive lifestyle.

Truex said some of the team’s rise is related to how well he and Reutimann and their crew chiefs [Rodney Childers with Reutimann and Pat Tryson with Truex] work together.

“I think he [Reutimann] is very, very underrated as a race car driver, and that’s probably the most important thing that I’ve learned about him,” Truex said. “He’s been a great teammate, a lot of fun to work with, and we share notes really well. Our driving styles are very similar.

“He and Rodney have a great baseline, and they understand their cars, and Pat and I have really leaned on them a lot as a team. They’ve been so gracious and have gotten along with our team and welcomed us into their team. It’s really become a very close-knit group this quickly.”

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.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.

Play! SPEED Fantasy Racing and Super 7 Sweep
mike.hembree's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Hembree

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.