Michael Waltrip said Friday he is close to signing a driver to fill his third car [#00 Toyota], which will be sponsored by Domino’s Pizza and Burger King. Waltrip and Dale Jarrett [#33? #44?] already are signed to drive Toyotas for Michael Waltrip Racing next year, and Waltrip needs to fill that remaining seat. “I’d really like to get a kid or somebody that is young and try to work with them and see if they’re the deal or not,” Waltrip said. “You can’t ever tell who is. We have a plan to get the guy that we want still, and hopefully in the next week we can do it.” Waltrip already has a “youngster” in the not-so-young 36-year-old David Reutimann who will run the rest of the Busch Series events this year and will drive the entire Busch season next year. “Certainly he’s somebody that we’ve considered running both,” Waltrip said. “He’s always hauled the mail in everything he’s gotten in, so he is a possibility. If you will, we have to appreciate and think about every option that is available because it is getting late and the sponsors are getting nervous and they want us to show them who their guy is going to be.” Waltrip said he checked with Mark Martin to see if he had any interest in the ride and Martin left the door open. But Waltrip said he would like someone to run a full schedule and only would run a combination of drivers if no other drivers he wants are available. “I saw Terry Labonte said that he would race if it paid enough,” Waltrip said.(SceneDaily.com)(8-19-2006)
UPDATE: XM Radio NASCAR Channel’s Claire B. Lang reports that David Reutimann is the front runner for Michael Waltrip Racing #00 Toyota for 2007 pending approval of the sponsors Burger King/Domino’s Pizza in a meeting next Tuesday [Aug 29th].(8-25-2006)
UPDATE 2: While David Reutimann is Michael Waltrip’s top choice to drive his #00 Toyota in the Nextel Cup Series in 2007, Reutimann knows that doesn’t necessarily equate to a done deal. Waltrip said the decision will be made in conjunction with sponsors Burger King and Domino’s Pizza. And that’s why Reutimann thinks he’s “kind of a longshot.” Waltrip said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway that while he’s talking to several other drivers, one of whom is Travis Kvapil, Reutimann is whom he prefers at this point. Waltrip hopes to finalize things on Aug. 29, when meetings are set with both sponsors. Reutimann knows those meetings will likely determine whether he runs both the full Cup and Busch Series schedules next year, or just the full Busch schedule. “I think companies want somebody that maybe they’ve heard a lot about. And I can’t fault them at all for that,” Reutimann said. “At the same time, a year or so ago, nobody really knew about Carl Edwards or Denny Hamlin, either.” Reutimann, already slated to drive a Busch Series car for Michael Waltrip Racing next year, has the backing of both Waltrip and would-be teammate Dale Jarrett according to Waltrip. Waltrip said he loves Reutimann’s heart and desire and would like for him to be in the car. “But also, I’m in a position where there’s a couple of other guys that I think have the desire and the potential and the heart, too,” Waltrip said. “We’re to a point where we’re liking the drivers choosing from and we would like to run ’em past our sponsors on one last, personal meeting and then we’ll [make an announcement].” Reutimann certainly hopes he’s the man standing by Waltrip’s side when the driver of the #00 is announced. He’s looking forward to meeting with the sponsors.(SceneDaily.com)(8-26-2006)
