Reutimann Gets Screwed by Waltrip, NASCAR System

Michael Waltrip, co-owner of the NASCAR team Waltrip Pastrana Racing, announced last week that veteran driver Mark Martin would be driving the #00 Toyota Camry for a part-time schedule in 2012 and 2013. Any time you’re able to put a living legend like Martin in a car it’s a good thing, but unfortunately it means that the three-car team had to drop a driver. That driver was David Reutimann and in my opinion Reutimann got screwed. 

David Reutimann was screwed for multiple reasons. The first reason is probably the biggest reason. Reutimann is one of the older drivers on the circuit at 41-years old and Reutimann is also not one of the more attractive drivers. You’re probably thinking to yourself that that shouldn’t matter over driving ability and you’re absolutely right, but in a sport that relies on sponsors for success the better looking you are the easier it is to find sponsors … this is why Kasey Kahne will never have a problem securing a ride.

The second reason why Reutimann got screwed is that there is a worse driver on his team … Martin Truex Jr. Over the last four seasons, Reutimann has outperformed Truex. Reutimann has won twice in the last four seasons (both wins are the only two wins that Waltrip’s team has ever had in the Sprint Cup Series) compared to Truex’s big goose egg, nada, zero wins. Reutimann has 12 top 5s over that span, which is five more than Truex. The two drivers have the exact same average finish in the points standings over the last four seasons averaging a 21^st place finish, but Reutimann has one more top 20 finish in the standings than Truex over that span. I will admit, just to be fair, that Truex does have more top 10 finishes over the four-year span than Reutimann.

All of these stats, in my opinion, prove that Truex should be the driver looking for a new ride in 2012 and not Reutimann, but fortunately for Truex he’s got the looks and is a full decade younger and evidently that matters more than skill. As for Michael Waltrip, you’d think he’d have more respect and loyalty toward the only man who’s ever won races in his cars, but I guess it’s the money that truly speaks.