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Race Recap: No. 10 Beringer Toyota Camry – David Reutimann
Auto Club Speedway
February 20, 2010
FONTANA, Calif. (February 22, 2010) – David Reutimann returned to the seat of the No. 10 Beringer Toyota this weekend at Auto Club Speedway for the first of three races in 2010. With just one goal in mind - that of giving Beringer their first win as a primary sponsor in the Nationwide Series - Reutimann and the Beringer team worked hard throughout the weekend to make that goal a reality. Fighting hard for every position throughout Saturday’s 150-lap race, Reutimann worked his way up to the second spot in the final laps before a problem with the transmission cost him a shot at the victory.
Following two practice sessions on Friday afternoon, Reutimann reported to his crew that the No. 10 Beringer Camry was handling very well and would be a strong contender for the win on Saturday. As race day arrived, Reutimann lined up 11th to start the Stater Bros. 300. Battling it out for position inside the top-10 in the early laps, Reutimann was shuffled back to the 13th position as he struggled with a tight-handling condition in his Camry.
A spin on the track brought out the first caution of the day on lap 33. Crew chief, Stewart Cooper, called Reutimann to pit road for service. The Beringer crew changed four tires, added fuel and made an air pressure adjustment that Cooper hoped would help with the handling condition reported by his driver. A solid stop allowed Reutimann to maintain the 13th position when green-flag racing resumed.
Over the course of the ensuing green-flag run, Reutimann meticulously worked his way forward. Within just a few laps, he had moved inside the top-10 and was gaining significant ground on the leaders. Midway through the run, Reutimann reported that the handling balance of his Beringer Camry had greatly improved. By the time the field began making their next round of pit stops under green-flag conditions, he had moved into the sixth position.
On lap 77, Cooper called his driver back to pit road for their second pit stop of the day. After changing four tires, adding fuel and making an air pressure adjustment, the Beringer crew sent Reutimann back out onto the track. Once the pit stops cycled through, Reutimann and all three Braun Racing teammates were solidly inside the top-10.
Over the next ten laps, Reutimann methodically worked the No. 10 Beringer Camry into the fifth position. Running lap times comparable to those of the leader, he continued to gain ground with every lap. When the caution was displayed on lap 86 for debris, Cooper made the call to keep the No. 10 out on the track in an effort to gain some valuable track position. The decision proved to a good one as Reutimann took over the second position for the restart on lap 91.
Once green-flag racing resumed, Reutimann focused on chasing down the leader and taking the lead. He moved right up behind the lead car on lap 97 and attempted to make the pass on the outside. Unfortunately, as he made the move outside, his car bobbled just enough to cause him to scrape the outside retaining wall. He quickly reported that he had right front fender damage, which was confirmed by his spotter on the next lap. As a result of the fender damage, the car became extremely tight in its handling as evidenced by the Beringer Camry quickly dropping back through the field.
Reutimann fell all the way back to the 17th spot before the caution was displayed on lap 119. Relieved to have the opportunity to pit for service, he quickly hit pit road under Cooper’s guidance. The Beringer crew changed four tires, added fuel and made what repairs they could to the right front fender. Reutimann returned to the track in the 20th position.
Over the next 20 laps, Reutimann battled hard for every position and with his car handling much better, was able to maneuver his way back into the top-10. With two laps to go on the race, the caution was thrown and set the field up for a green-white-checkered finish. Reutimann restarted 10th and seemed poised to bring home an easy top-10 finish when a transmission failure on the restart abruptly ended his day. The No. 10 Beringer team ended the day with a 26th-place finish.
Next Stop: The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend for the Sam’s Town 300. Saturday’s race will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN2 starting at 4:00 p.m. EST. The green flag is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EST.
