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No Such Thing as a Win without Honor?

by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

July 11, 2010 11:33 pm CDT No Comments

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Which is harder; to not have won a Cup race at all, or living with your only win questioned by your peers for having come in a rain shortened race?

I don’t know. I’ve asked plenty of racers the “Is there such a thing as a win without honor” question. They have all said that there is no such thing. Every single one of them told me the same thing. Maybe they lied.

David Reutimann doesn’t care anymore. He won the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway convincingly, decisively. Honorably.

The voices will stop now. No more whispers about the way he won the 2009 Coke 600 while sitting in pit lane with MWR team owner Michael Waltrip, praying for rain. No more asterisks.

That all goes for the #00 Michael Waltrip Racing team too. While Reutimann passed the resurgent Jeff Gordon twice for the lead, on the track, the Tums team was near flawless all night in the pits. A late race, green flag pit stop, from the lead, went perfectly.

And David Reutimann drove away to another win. Sounds good doesn’t it Beak?

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc

Filed under: Chicagoland Speedway, David Reutimann, Michael Waltrip, Michael Waltrip Racing, NASCAR, Sprint Cup Series

Tagged with: Beak, LifeLock.com 400, MWR

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NASCAR Pictures from Chicagoland Speedway Saturday Night

by Charlie Turner

July 11, 2010 11:26 am CDT No Comments

NASCAR photos of action at the LifeLock.com 400

Race winner David Reutimann photos and the #00 team’s final pit stop pictures plus a few more NASCAR racing photos of the atmosphere of night racing at Chigagoland Speedway. More to come.

: MWR #00 team gets it done at Chicagoland

: Reutimann team fueling car at Chicago

: David Reutimann final pit stop

: The Miller Light pit after dark at Chicagoland

: Waiting in the NAPA pits at Chicagoland Speedway

: Chicagoland pits after dark

: Chicagoland Speedway at night

: On Pit Row after dark at Chicagoland Speedway

: Kurt Busch's pit box- night at Chicagoland

Photo credit: Reutimann pit stop sequence - Bethanne Heisler. All pics for OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Chicagoland Speedway, David Reutimann, Kurt Busch, NASCAR, NASCAR photos

Tagged with: LifeLock.com 400, NASCAR pictures, pit stop photos

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Tony Stewart Gives NASCAR Fans the Show They Crave at Daytona

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

July 5, 2009 8:47 am CDT No Comments

Tony Stewart was able to make the last lap pass of his former teammate, Kyle Busch, to win the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

However; in the process, Busch went spinning in a last lap wreck that saw him get airborne and land on Kasey Kahne’s car, very reminiscent of the final lap at Talladega where Carl Edwards went into the spectator fence.

The Shrub was able to get out of his mangled race car and walk toward the garage, where he was intercepted by track personnel that escorted him to a safety vehicle for a trip to the infield care center. Busch was later released with no injuries other than a bruised ego. Busch was able to get past Stewart on the white flag lap when Tony slowed, trying to make his pursuers lose momentum and avoid the last lap onslaught.

The move backfired on Stewart with Busch taking the lead and then going into full blocking mode. Stewart was able to get his #14 just up to Busch’s quarter panel when they touched, sending Stewart to a win and Busch to the wall. Stewart explained:

It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just racing. I mean, it’s a product of the environment. It doesn’t mean the environment is bad, it just means that’s the way it is. Like I said, he did what he had to do, and he defended his spot and we held our(s). It wasn’t even that we tried to hold our ground, we just got on his quarter panel, and that’s just how you suck up. As soon as he moved, I didn’t anticipate him moving, and went across the nose.

Stewart had the dominate car all race as he never fell outside the top three. During the seven pit stops for the Burger King car; each time he came in first and left first.

One other thirteen car melee took out some of the cars battling for the final positions in The Chase. Most of the cars involved in that incident were able to repair their cars and finish the race. Twenty-eight cars finished on the lead lap, with Jeff Gordon bringing up the rear of the lead lap cars. Mark Martin ended his day in 38th and David Reutimann finished 36th, severely hampering their efforts to make it into the Chase.

Therefore; this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW is:

Aren’t the finishes at Talladega and now Daytona, exactly what NASCAR fans say they have been missing from the other tracks?

Let us know what you think and we may use your comments on this week’s ON PIT ROW radio show. Listen live every Tuesday from 5-7pm ET. Give us a call on the Bench Racing Hotline at 1-800-645-2946 and if we pick your call as the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Call of the Day you will win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead.

photo credits: Jerry Markland (wreck), Rusty Jarrett (Stewart)/Getty Images for NASCAR

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, David Reutimann, Daytona International Speedway, How to fix NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, NASCAR, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart

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Reutimann’s NASCAR Memorial Day Parade Rained On–YES

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

May 26, 2009 9:54 am CDT 5 Comments

Some of the media were referring to the Coca-Cola 600 as the 24 Hours of Charlotte because the holiday weekend dodged rain storm after rain storm.

Mike Bliss won a rain shortened Nationwide Series race on Saturday night, but the 600 couldn’t roll off the starting line on Sunday because of persistent rain. By the time Memorial Day Monday rolled around, the teams, drivers and media had had enough of trying to kill time. But it didn’t take long for the first of several rain delays to stop the action at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

It looked early on as if the scheduled 400 laps would never be seen and a race to halfway was going to be the order of the day. Michael Waltrip Racing’s David Reutimann got the teams first Sprint Cup win by staying on the racetrack when the final rain delay hit the speedway.

I think we sat on pit road eight hours today is what it felt like. We just kept waiting. Rodney and I talked. I was like, I’ve been in situations like this before, obviously not in a Cup race, but different situations. This deal never goes my way, so I don’t see why it should now. We talked about what we were going to change on the car when we came down pit road. Rodney told me, I’m either going to get us a win or lose us 10 spots, one or the other. It’s a gamble. I said, I’ll stay out. That’s what he told me to do. That’s what I do. When I’m told to do something, I generally do something.

NASCAR waited about two and a half hours before finally calling the race over and done. By that time there weren’t many fans left in the grandstands to celebrate. MWR, had seen its share of adversity throughout its first two-plus years of competition. From the jet fuel incident it first year, to not making races times have been tough. Reutimann made all those heartaches and mis-steps seem long removed when he was able to paddle his #00 into the winners circle.

This week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW ponders:

How does Reutimann’s win stack up as far as first wins go?

Let us know what you think and we could us your comments to this weeks ON PIT ROW radio show. Listen live every Tuesday from 5-7pm ET at onpitrow.com. Call the show at 1-800-645-2946 and you could win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead if your call is the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Call of the Day.

Filed under: David Reutimann, Lowes Motor Speedway, Michael Waltrip, Michael Waltrip Racing, NASCAR, Nationwide Series, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio

Tagged with: David Reutimann, Lowes Motor Speedway, Michael Waltrip, NASCAR

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Dancing With The Cars and Singin’ in the Rain at Lowes

by Charlie Turner

May 25, 2009 11:19 pm CDT 2 Comments

Rain shortened races are never perfect, unless you’re the winner. Or the winning owner. Or sponsor of the winning car.

That last rain delay for the 2009 Coca Cola 600 was so long, that David Reutimann’s main sponsor Aaron’s Rent got almost as much exposure as the race’s title sponsor Coke.

And leave it to car owner Michael Waltrip - once referred to as a “NAPA hatted Ho” in the funniest blog title ever by Darren Fauth of One Bad Wheel. Mikey was hangin’ around spreading the NAPA colors right along with Reuty.

Coca Cola got unlucky with the weather but they had plenty of marketing ammo on hand for the event. Bobby Allison was there as grand marshall in the ‘69 Mercury Cyclone he drove to the ‘71 Coke 600 win.

And Dancing with the Stars winner Shawn Johnson did some laps with Coca Cola Family driver Kyle Petty and taught Petty some moves. Check out the pics below. Click the thumbnail for a full size view.

: Shawn Johnson stuck this landing too

: I guess if Kyle wins again, he'll have a victory move now

: Where's Danica?

: Nice jack...person Kyle

: I have nothing to say

: Guys, you don't have to tweet when you can actually talk to each other

: She never would have won with Kyle

: Kyle as Travolta?

: Is this a jig or what?

: Bobby Allison, Grand Marshal for the historic 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600

Photo credit: Worth Canoy

Filed under: David Reutimann, Kyle Petty, Lowes Motor Speedway, Michael Waltrip, Michael Waltrip Racing, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media

Tagged with: Aarons, Bobby Allison, Coca Cola 600, Dancing with the Stars, NAPA, Shawn Johnson

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David Reutimann Nails it: On Pole for the Samsung 500

by Charlie Turner

April 3, 2009 11:45 pm CDT No Comments

I watched David Reutimann today as driver after driver tried to take away his top qualifying spot for Sunday’s Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. I think I was more nervous than Reut.

He sat calmly chatting with several people along the pit wall as the best of the best went after his time. Maybe he just knew that he’d run the perfect lap today.

According to Darrell Waltrip - talking on the Speed TV broadcast of qualifying - Reutimann calls himself “The Franchise” when trash-talking with his boss, Michael Waltrip. I don’t think that’s too much of a stretch.

Watch video of David here as he talks about his pole and what it means to his Michael Waltrip Racing team.

Filed under: Bench Racing TV, David Reutimann, Michael Waltrip, Michael Waltrip Racing, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, NASCAR video, SPEED TV, Texas Motor Speedway, The Waltrips, Toyota