JAMES RIVER, NS (April 1, 2009) – Riverside International Speedway has confirmed one of NASCAR’s top drivers as entering the 2009 edition of the IWK 250 Presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body on July 18. David Reutimann, currently 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings, will pilot a car fielded by Antigonish’s Nova Racing as a teammate to regional racers Donald Chisholm and George Koszkulics.
While Reutimann has been a NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor since 2007 when he joined Michael Waltrip Racing, 2009 is his best season-to-date, scoring a career high fourth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (NV) in early March - and an average finish of 15.7 in six starts.
Before joining the Sprint Cup ranks, Reutimann spent time in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series – where he was the ’04 Rookie of the Year while driving for former NASCAR champion and current television personality Darrell Waltrip (Michael’s brother.) All tolled Reutimann has 248 NASCAR starts (69 Sprint Cup, 103 Nationwide, 76 Camping World Truck) with two wins, one in ’07 on the Nationwide Series and one in ’05 on the Truck Series.
Before joining NASCAR, David Reutimann earned his stripes running short tracks in his home state of Florida and throughout the southeast, capturing the ’07 Slim Jim All Pro Series Rookie of the Year Award, and the Sportsman ship Award in the same series a year later. The Slim Jim All Pro Series featured late model cars similar to the one Reutimann will run at Riverside.
Riverside International Speedway track owner John Chisholm and president Donald Chisholm met Reutimann two weeks ago at Bristol Motor Speedway (TN) and were very pleased; coming away certain his personality and driving style will be a hit with Riverside fans, and vice versa.
The Chisholm’s remain in negotiation with Regan Smith, the ’08 winner of the event – also a NASCAR driver, and hope to have an announcement in the near future.
Reutimann is the fourth NASCAR driver the track has hosted in the last three years – starting with Regan Smith and Ricky Craven in ’07, and then Smith and Aric Almirola in ’08.
The IWK 250 is one of three “Triple Crown” super show events on the 2009 CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour so will attract a large field of the best short track racers from eastern Canada. Besides pitting their talents against those from NASCAR, the racers will vie for their share of the ’09 event purse – expected to exceed $100,000.
Since the inaugural IWK 250 in ’07, the event has raised more than $40,000 for the region’s largest children’s hospital. Plans are already underway to add to the total during the ’09 edition of the IWK 250.
The IWK 250 Presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body is set for July 18, with the weekend festivities starting Friday July 17 with the NAPA 100 Sportsman Super Series race and Maritime Legends Tour.
Ticket information and a detailed event schedule will be released as available.
About the IWK: The IWK Health Centre, while located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is an essential resource for women, children, youth and families from across the Maritimes and beyond. Each year, thousands of Maritime children and women come to the IWK requiring emergency care, surgery for critical illnesses, and inpatient care for ongoing medical conditions.
About Steve Lewis Auto Body: Steve Lewis Auto Body is located on Beech Street in Sydney. The company is in their 33rd year of business and proud to support many community and charitable efforts, including a 15-year involvement with the IWK.
About Riverside Speedway: Riverside Speedway, a 1/3-mile high-banked asphalt oval, is located in James River between New Glasgow and Antigonish at exit 30 off Trans Canada Highway 104. Opened in 1969, the facility was totally rebuilt in 2006 to become a premiere motorsports site, compared to the best short tracks in Canada and the U.S. The 2009 schedule includes two CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour events on June 6 and August 22; the IWK 250 event on July 17-18, also sanctioned by the CARQUEST Pro Stock Tour; and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event on September 19. For more information about Riverside Speedway, please visit www.riversidespeedway.ca or call 902.863.2410.
From Paul McLean / Manager / Riverside Speedway/ Antigonish Mall
