David Reutimann and the No. 83 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota team finished 38th after suffering brake problems late in the race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Sunday afternoon. After starting back in the pack at a short track where track position is always at a premium, Reutimann picked up 20 spots to race inside the top 20 during the 500-lap race.
During the opening laps of the race, the team worked to adjust the handling of their Camry. Despite being tight in the center of the turn, the No. 83 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Toyota had good drive off the corner, allowing Reuitmann to pick up several positions on the track. With a long race and a series of pit stops, the BK Racing crew utilized stop to fine-tune the handling their Toyota.
Nearing the halfway point, Reutimann and another competitor made contact coming off turn four which sent Reuitmann spinning across the racetrack. The driver skillfully avoided contact with the inside retaining wall and the other competitors to continue on in the 500-lap event.
Racing inside the top-30 with less than 100 laps to go, the No. 83 Burger King / Dr. Pepper Camry suffered a broken brake rotor forcing Reutimann down pit road under green-flag conditions on lap 416. With green flag laps taking less than 20 seconds, the team worked quickly to replace the broken brake rotor and get Reutimann back on the track. However, the incident left the driver out of contention at the historic track.
After 500 laps of side-by-side competition, Reutimann crossed the finish line in the 38th position.
“I’m proud of all my guys for their hard work this weekend,” commented Reutimann. “We overcame several challenges, but the Burger King / Dr. Pepper team never gave up and kept working hard. We’re getting better every week, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish this year. We have a big weekend coming up next week at Texas Motor Speedway with Dr. Pepper on the car and a lot of guests coming to the track. I know the guys are working hard to prepare our No. 83 Toyota Camry, and I’m looking forward to putting on a good show for everyone.”
BK Racing PR
