Reiser returns to No. 17 team with COT at Bristol

CONCORD, N.C. -- After serving a four-race suspension, Robbie Reiser, the long-time crew chief of Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DeWalt Ford team, returns to the track this weekend for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. By missing the Daytona 500 in February, it was the first race Reiser missed atop the pit box as Kenseth's crew chief since 1999, a streak of 255 races.

Reiser will return in time for NASCAR's much-anticipated debut of the Car of Tomorrow. With the introduction of the COT, the No. 17 team was forced to retire chassis number 89, which had run every race at Bristol since the beginning of 2001, collecting two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s, one pole and led a whopping 742 laps during that span.

Matt Kenseth and Robbie Reiser

Reiser takes blame

In the middle of serving a four-race suspension for rules violations at Daytona, Robbie Reiser kept a running diary and Bill Weber shares it in his weekly column.

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Q: It's been since Feb. 11 that you've been at a track, at least for a NASCAR weekend. Has your time away from the track given you a different perspective on your position as crew chief of the No. 17 team and really, where you're at in your career?

Reiser: Well, I think that I pretty much wanted to do something else down the road and get away from the racetrack. But, going through the suspension I kind of realized that I enjoy the track quite a bit and still enjoy the competition and I want to do it for a little while longer.

Q: The team has continued to perform at a high level in your absence. Does that give you a sense of satisfaction or pride?

Reiser: No question. If it fell apart it would show that we hadn't done a very good job. But, seeing that we have a lot of quality people here that have been loyal over the years, in my absence they were able to step in and fill the roles and do the things that they need to do to run competitively.

Q: So, you're saying that's the reason it's been able to keep its level of competition is because of the continuity of the team?

Reiser: I think if you look over the years, this team has stuck together more than probably any other team in the garage. Chip Bolin, stepping in, he's been here since we started this program, and I have four or five guys, Russ (Strupp, jack man/mechanic), Todd (Millard, tire specialist), Dean (Rosenberry, mechanic), and Randy Slack (engine tuner) who came from our Busch program that have been a big part of this team over the years. Not only those guys, but then there's been another group of people that have been here the last three or four years and are able to keep this team running at the level it always runs at. (Continued)