David Reutimann has been stressing over his future, wondering whether he has done well enough as a rookie in NASCAR’s major-league level to earn a shot back next year. Now that Michael Waltrip Racing has presented him with a contract offer for next year, he’s trying to puts himself in the best situation he can for a long-term future in NASCAR. One of the sticking points in closing the deal, Reutimann said Tuesday, is that MWR wants to develop a young driver in its full-time Busch Series car. Reutimann, who is second in the Busch standings, wants to continue racing full-time in Busch. “I know they have to plan for the future,” Reutimann said. “Michael [Waltrip] is not going to drive forever, and neither is D.J. [Dale Jarrett]. They need to bring somebody into the company they can develop. But at this point, I’m not ready to step out of the Busch car.” Ty Norris, general manager for MWR, did not return phone calls Tuesday. Reutimann said MWR made him an oral contract offer last week and presented him with a contract on the plane ride from team headquarters in North Carolina to Dover International Speedway. It’s a multiyear deal “with conditions that hinge on sponsorships and other things like that. It could be a multiyear deal, or it could not, depending on how things fall. It’s a different kind of contract than what I’ve had in the past.” It’s unclear whether Reutimann would return with the #00 Toyota team, which had one-year sponsorship deals with Domino’s Pizza and Burger King, or move to one of the organization’s other two other cars, which have sponsorship with UPS [#44] and NAPA Auto Parts [#55]. There has been speculation that Jarrett, who turns 51 in November, will retire and move to the TV booth and talk that Michael Waltrip could step back from driving to concentrate on running his company. Reutimann said he has received no indication either Jarrett or Waltrip will retire or cut back. He said he was told the team will continue to run three cars in Nextel Cup.(Tampa Tribune)(9-27-2007)
