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//  Saturday, July 31, 2010

Reutimann Takes Sunday's Pole

Saturday, April 4, 2009
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It was just two years ago when everyone was doubting Michael Waltrip Racing, and expecting them to fold, now David Reutimann has elevated this team to respectability.

David Reutimann beat out Jeff Gordon for the pole for Sunday’s Samsung 500 at Texas. Reutimann ran a lap of 190.157 mph on Friday.

"I guess that puts an exclamation mark on just how things have changed," said Reutimann, who drives the No. 00 Toyota owned by Waltrip.

Just one year ago rookie Michael McDowell drove the 00 in one of the scariest accidents in NASCAR history in his qualifying session. McDowell ran over some oil on the track when he spun out and made a hard collision with the SAFER Barrier before his car came back down the track and flipped eight times, amazingly he exited the car uninjured.

And it was two years ago Reutimann in the 00 was not able to make a qualifying attempt due to rain cancelling qualifying and the 00 was out of the owners points.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a miserable time in my life and we actually had a very good car," Reutimann said. "People tend to forget that it wasn't that long ago when we were struggling to absolutely make races. ... Going out there and getting poles shows that you're doing what you're supposed to do, and I think about those times often."

Now after six races Reutimann is sitting 11th in driver’s points and has won his second career pole, the last was Homestead at last season’s finale.

Jeff Gordon, who has never won a race at Texas, was on the pole before Reutimann, but his lap of 190.194 mph was good enough to keep him in second.

"We were pretty good here the last time, obviously, sitting on the pole. We were similar to that today," said Gordon, who has a record eight top 10s at the track despite the strange quirks in his record.

Matt Kenseth will start third, with David Ragan and Paul Menard rounding out the top five.

Carl Edwards, who won both races at Texas last year, was able to qualify 13th.

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