Reutimann battling emotions with losing his ride

David Reutimann talked to the media on Friday for the first time since being informed that he’ll be replaced next season at Michael Waltrip Racing (the team announced Mark Martin will drive the car in 25 races each of the next two years)

UPDATES BELOW WITH COMMENTS FROM MICHAEL WALTRIP

Reutimann, whose contact was good through next year, said he’s “bummed out, to put it mildly’’ about the situation. Reutimann said his contact did not have a performance clause that he was aware of, but also said he didn’t know what the contact between MWR and sponsor Aaron’s. Reutimann says he doesn’t know what he’ll do for next season.

On if he saw it coming over time:

REUTIMANN: “No. It’s been an awful season for us for sure, haven’t run up to our expectations or our standards.’’

On if this is just business or if he takes it personally because Michael Waltrip said it’s only business and he still likes you.

REUTIMANN:  “It’s only business if it doesn’t happen to you.

So it’s personal?

REUTIMANN: “It’s hard for me not to take it personal. I’m an emotional guy anyway, so it’s hard for me not to take everything personal. People telling me it’s just business, really doesn’t make it any better. It’s still a disappointment.’’

On his future:

REUTIMANN: “The thing about it is there’s not a lot out there and if there were to be something out there, it’s going to involve you doing the same thing that got done to me. I’m not exactly up for that, either.  I don’t know what will happen. It may come down to something like that. When one person’s gain is another person’s big loss, you’ve got to weight the pluses and I’m not sure there is a lot.’’

Don’t you have to look out for No. 1 in such a case?

REUTIMANN: “People looking out for No. 1 is what got me in this situation to begin with. That’s the mentality. I’m no angel, but I’m just struggling a little bit with it. I know how bad it feels for me right now. You’ve just got to wonder if it’s worth it in the long run. I don’t know.’’

What is the alternative?

REUTIMANN: “The alternative is not doing it at all and that’s not a great alternative to have. Again, just got to look at it from the perspective from what situations are out there. I just want it as bad as anybody in the garage. Just because I don’t get out of a car if we had a bad race and yell at my crew and throw my helmet and stuff like that, just because you can’t visibly see how bad I want it doesn’t mean that I don’t. I want it worse than anybody that’s ever set foot in this garage and I still do. I can still win races, I can still get the job done. Let’s not forget last year that we were able to win and actually had a shot at making it in the Chase. That’s only been a year ago. I can still do that if I can get into the right situation. It’s unfortunate that things worked out like they did.’’

More on his season:

REUTIMANN: “It hasn’t been a pretty season for us, it’s been a real disappointment. Some of the blame, for sure, I’ll take some of the blame. I’ve messed up some for sure. At the end of the day, it hasn’t been all me, either.

On if he would go to the Nationwide Series:

REUTIMANN: “Obviously, I would like to stay in the Cup series. I don’t know what the options are. I haven’t talked to anybody. I haven’t talked to a soul about anything. I’m not even sure what is out there. You guys know the climate in the garage area, there’s not a lot of stuff going on right now. It’s a bad time to be out of a job.’’

 COMMENTS FROM MICHAEL WALTRIP

On the decision to let David Reutimann go:

WALTRIP: "It was very difficult. I love David. He's a great man and he's always been there to do anything I needed him to do. We weren't where we were supposed to be in the points and our contract (with sponsor Aaron's) was winding up. It's important as a team owner to extend those relationships and give the sponsors what they want. Heck, the Wood Brothers fired me and they're my favorite people in the whole world. It's business. It isn't personal. Chuck Rider fired me and. I felt forever indebted to Chuck for giving me the opportunity to start racing. I know it was hard for David to get the news. That all didn't go like I had planned. I do believe that he will wind up with a great opportunity somewhere, and I'm thankful that he drove for me for so long.''

Did Reutimann know he was in jeopardy if he was at a certain spot in the points at a certain time in the year?

WALTRIP: "Yes. Most of my contracts in the history of NASCAR said that if you're outside the top 25 or whatever, the sponsor could leave or you could be terminated for those reasons. I don't want to discuss the specifics of his contract but that's not unusual.''

Why did it not go the way you intended in telling Reutimann?

WALTRIP: "He went to Vegas on Tuesday. I had to be out of town on Monday and when I got home Monday night, I thought I would meet him for breakfast on Tuesday morning and he was off early to Vegas. Poor planning on my part I would say. It was totally quiet Monday and it was totally quiet Tuesday morning and I thought, "Well, when he gets back, we'll sit down and talk about this,' and then it blew up. I called Rob (Kauffman, MWR co-owner) and told him I was disappointed the way it went down. He made me feel better, he said, "It wouldn't matter how it went down, it would be sad. There wouldn't be a good way to do this, so don't beat yourself over it.' We had a good conversation on the phone. I think my brother called as well. David was very professional and very focused on what's next.''

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