Power Rankings: Smart strategy working out for Reutimann
Updated June 8
A couple of weeks ago, crew chief Rodney Childers told his driver to stay out on the track as rain began to fall at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
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| David Reutimann has piled up four top 10s in his last 14 races. (AP) |
Sunday at Pocono, Childers decided to roll the dice once again. After bringing Reutimann in during on a caution on Lap 160, Childers made up his mind that they weren't going to make another stop for fuel if the race stayed green.
And that strategy paid off as one by one drivers had to head to pit road for fuel and Reutimann picked up spot after spot, eventually winding up in third at the checkered flag.
"He has been keeping us up front all year," said Reutimann following the race. "We had a pretty decent car all day, he told us to save, save, save that last pit stop and said we were probably one of the few cars that could make it. There towards the end I think we were all running five seconds slower. We were supposed to be trying to save fuel and it ended up working out.
"This place has never really been all that kind to me. Matter of fact, this time last year I was sitting parked in the middle of Turn 1 and 2 out of fuel and didn't even come back to the start-finish line. Little better deal today."
Reutimann finished 30th after running out of fuel on the last lap in his previous trip to Pocono and before Sunday had never finished better than 19th in four visits to the triangular track. But things have changed for the better for the Michael Waltrip Racing driver this season.
He now has four top 10s through 14 races, matching the total from the first 63 races of his career. He's also in the thick of the Chase hunt, currently residing in the 11th spot. While he expected the team to improve this season, it's not a position he expected to find himself.
"No, not really," Reutimann replied when asked if he thought he'd be a contender for a Chase berth.
"I'm not exactly the most confident guy here, but I knew the potential was there, the way we finished out last year. I was like, 'Man, if we can just do this and do a couple of things a little bit better I think we might be able to do that or at least be in contention to do the stuff.'
"Anyway, it's worked out so far. We have definitely had some races that we would like to forget, but for the most part it's been a pretty good year and it's been pretty productive especially if you look back at the previous years and the results we have had compared to last year, there's just no comparison. In the end I felt like if we did the right things and we were heading in the right direction, I knew the possibility was there, and up to this point, I had not even had the possibility to do that, so I'm pretty happy with everything."
Power Rankings after Pocono:
| POWER RANKINGS | ||
| Current | Driver | Previous |
| 1 | Tony Stewart | 1 |
| It took the most incredible Chase performance in NASCAR history for Stewart to pull it off, but his five wins in the final 10 races of the playoff schedule earned Smoke his third Sprint Cup championship. Turned in one of the most driven efforts in NASCAR history Sunday to claim the title in a finale for the ages. | ||
| 2 | Carl Edwards | 2 |
| Any other year Edwards' 4.7 average finish over the course of the Chase would have been good enough to win the championship. Edwards did all he could to bring Jack Roush a Nationwide and Cup title in the same season, but could not deny Stewart. If you have to lose one first before winning a championship, Edwards is in fine shape for next year and beyond. | ||
| 3 | Matt Kenseth | 3 |
| Rebounded from a trip into the wall for a top-five finish in another vintage Kenseth performance that was indicative of his season. Had it not have been for his feud with Brian Vickers at Martinsville, perhaps Kenseth could have stayed in the draft of Stewart and Edwards to at least be in the championship picture down the stretch. But he can still be proud of his consistent campaign. | ||
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | 4 |
| The 2011 season will be remembered as Keselowski's breakthrough campaign and when he firmly established himself as a Sprint Cup title contender. He was on the short end of some pit strategy Sunday but still ran at the front of the field most of the afternoon and appears poised to make the jump to the next level in 2012. | ||
| 5 | Kevin Harvick | 5 |
| Got involved in a bit of controversy with Edwards, who accused Harvick of not racing him above board. But that may be the least of Harvick's concerns as rumors of some sweeping changes at Richard Childress Racing could point to a drastically different looking 29 team next year, including a new crew chief to replace Gil Martin. | ||
| 6 | Kasey Kahne | 6 |
| Did not back down one bit from his impressive late-season performance and followed up his Phoenix win with another top-10 finish. The future of Team Red Bull may be very much in doubt but there's no wondering about where Kahne is in his career as he makes the move to Hendrick Motorsports next season. | ||
| 7 | Jimmie Johnson | 7 |
| His year went up in smoke with a very uncharacteristic spin Sunday and a finish well back in the field. But while Johnson did not meet the high level of expectations he's set for himself (could anyone, really?), he was hardly a non-factor this season. The question now is will Johnson be able to bounce back next season and if crew chief Chad Knaus is indeed calling the shots or moving on to a new role as has been speculated. | ||
| 8 | Clint Bowyer | 8 |
| Bowyer showed that he's talented and a pro's pro by ending his tenure at Richard Childress Racing going as hard as he could. The next phase of his career should be very interesting to watch as he migrates to Michael Waltrip Racing as part of that organization's overhaul. | ||
| 9 | Jeff Gordon | 9 |
| The 2011 season will be remembered as one of rebirth for Gordon, who broke a long winless drought while also being part of the championship picture. He had a strong car Sunday at Homestead and finished the campaign with a solid outing and one that should provide a nice boost of momentum and confidence into the offseason. | ||
| 10 | A.J. Allmendinger | 9 |
| The Richard Petty Motorsports driver didn't join the first-time winners list as many predicted but did elevate his game from last year when he was part of the uncertainty surrounding the race team. There's no reason to believe Allmendinger will lose a step in 2012, and look for him to get that first career Sprint Cup victory then. | ||
| 11 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 11 |
| Had one of the fastest cars of the weekend at Homestead, which was a pleasant surprise for Earnhardt who has struggled at the track during his career. Ultimately he wasn't able to challenge for the win and will carry his victory drought into 2012. But compared to where Junior was at this time last year, there's a marked improvement for the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet. | ||
| 12 | Denny Hamlin | 13 |
| It must have been bittersweet for Hamlin to return to Homestead a year after being in the thick of the title Chase. But he continued his turnaround at season's end with a strong outing and has at least a good head start to 2012, when Hamlin hopes to return to championship contention. | ||
| 13 | Kyle Busch | 14 |
| Was stout at Homestead and had the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 at the front of the field and in the mix for a potential win. But now Busch enters the most important offseason of his career as decisions will be made about his future and perhaps his role in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. The 2012 season will be the most pivotal of Busch's career and he'll need to focus on his priorities during the winter months. | ||
| 14 | Kurt Busch | 14 |
| A transmission failure on Lap 2 frustrated Busch to the boiling point early Sunday with a single-digit salute to some lucky soul caught on his in-car camera. It appears a new crew chief will take the job of trying to harness Busch next year with Steve Addington's reported departure to Stewart-Haas Racing. | ||
| 15 | Greg Biffle | 15 |
| As predicted, Biffle did challenge for a win Sunday and was in the mix until an engine failure, one of several for Roush Yates engine drivers. Showed he could be a factor at times this year but will have to find a more consistent level in 2012 to be a Chase candidate. | ||
