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Reutimann Earns First Pole

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By TONY FABRIZIO

afabrizio@tampatrib.com

Published: November 15, 2008

HOMESTEAD - Zephyrhills' David Reutimann isn't racing for a championship during Ford Championship Weekend. He did steal a little thunder from one Friday, though.

He captured his first Sprint Cup pole, putting his No. 44 Toyota up front for Sunday's Ford 400 with a one-lap speed of 171.636 mph at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, the two title combatants, qualified 30th and fourth, respectively. Johnson is assured his third consecutive championship if he finishes at least 36th.

Reutimann, 22nd in the standings, has posted top-10 finishes in three of the last 11 races, and he started fourth last week at Phoenix.

"When we started building our own cars in-house, that's when things started changing," Reutimann said. "The cars are lighter by an extreme amount."

Reutimann joked about how much easier this season has been compared to last year, when he didn't have top-35 status and had to qualify each week on speed.

"You guys saw me throwing up on pit road and stuff like that," he said. "I have been able to move on from that, and now we have our first pole, so that's coming a long way in a short time."

NASCAR BANS TESTING: NASCAR moved to save teams money next year by banning testing on sanctioned tracks for 2009. The change covers NASCAR's three national series and regional Camping World divisions and is supposed to save the industry tens of millions of dollars at a time when several teams are having trouble finding sponsors and are laying off employees.

"There were a lot of conversations about a lot of different options," NASCAR president Mike Helton said. "Along the way, with the economic conditions turning they way they have been ... we began to think differently about testing."

The ban does not cover tire testing, and Helton allowed for the possibility rookies and inexperienced drivers will get extra track time. Details such as whether data-acquisition technology (telemetry) will be allowed on the first day of race weekends are being worked out.

Daytona International Speedway president Robin Braig said he's in discussions with NASCAR to bring in drivers, crew chiefs and car owners for the fan and media portions of "Preseason Thunder."

"We just won't have the hot laps," he said.

ALMIROLA WAITING: The merger this week of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing has left Tampa's Aric Almirola knowing only one thing: He still has a ride for next season.

Signed to drive DEI's No. 8 Chevy full-time in 2009, Almirola doesn't know who his crew chief or sponsors will be. That uncertainty existed before the merger.

"Now that they've got the merger side of it handled, I think we're going to look at the logistics of where we're going to work on our cars, who's going to build them and who's going to work on them," Almirola said.

Sponsor U.S. Army and crew chief Tony Gibson are leaving the No. 8 car, which Almirola has shared with Mark Martin, for Ryan Newman's team at Stewart-Haas Racing. Most of the No. 8 crew apparently is disbursing.

Tony Fabrizio

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