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Familiarity with Citrus County Speedway track helps Wayne Reutimann Sr. overcome problem
By LOGAN NEILL
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 11, 2003
INVERNESS -- For standout sprint-car driver Wayne Reutimann Sr., it came down to experience in the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association's season opener at Citrus County Speedway on Saturday night.
Despite having to fight a sometimes ill-handling car, the 56-year-old veteran made winning the 35-lap feature event look relatively easy.
"The important thing about running Citrus is knowing how to drive the track," said Reutimann, a three-time TBARA champion.
"I had a few problems but, overall, the car was really quick all night. I think that's what made the difference in the end," he said.
By earning the pole position, Reutimann was able to take advantage of being the pace-setter. But shortly after the green flag dropped over the 30-car field, he began feeling the heat of his toughest competitor, Keith Butler.
Butler, 28, spent much of the early going keeping his 750-horsepower machine within striking distance of Reutimann's No.99. But it seemed every time Butler was able to get the momentum to pass the leader, the caution flag came out.
"It was a little frustrating," Butler said. "I actually got by Wayne twice, only to have it called back because the caution had come out. It's just one of those things you can't do anything about."
On Lap 25, officials threw the red flag to complete a lengthy clean-up of a wreck caused when Scott Adema hit the Turn-4 wall. After the restart, Reutimann began to notice that the handling on his car was out of whack.
"I don't know if it was a tire doing down or shrinking or what," he said. "By those last few laps, I was cranking as hard as I could on the steering wheel to keep the car straight. It got really bad."
For the Zephyrhills driver, who last season was winless, it felt good to be back in the victory circle.
"I've been doing this for about 45 years now, and it's getting harder and harder to beat these young guys," Reutimann said. "Any time you can do it, it feels just wonderful."