Reutimann hasn't let go of Indy miss last season

Last year David Reutimann finished third in the Kroger 200 Nationwide Series race at O'Reilly Raceway Park. It left him elated -- and disgusted.

Elated, he said, because the run felt like a win on a track which he had previously struggled. Disgusted because fellow Toyota driver Jason Leffler got into him while making a pass in the closing laps.

Fast facts

What	Kroger 200
When	8 p.m. ET Saturday
TV	ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio	MRN (Sirius Ch. 28), 7:30 ET

• Track Page | Tickets | Travel
• By the Numbers: ORP

"Up until last year, I did horrible at that place," Reutimann said. "The year before we were a lap down, maybe two. Even when I ran the Craftsman Truck Series, I never ran very well there. Last year I was able to have a good run. It felt like a win leaving there, even though we didn't get it but we were close."

Reutimann paused and gazed. It was the disgust's turn.

"Leffler ran over me twice, that's why I was upset," he finally said. "He did it earlier in the race, and he did it later. It was a racing situation, though. He had a better car, and he used us up."

Leffler went on to win while Reutimann stewed. It would be another three months -- at Memphis -- before he won his first race.

Reutimann gets another crack at the .686-mile track in suburban Indianapolis on Saturday.

"Indy was always a thorn in my side, and this year I'm looking forward to it," Reutimann said. "I'd love to win there this time. It's not going to be easy."

In Reutimann's first Nationwide start at ORP, he finished 36th in 2006. In three races there in the Truck Series, his average finish is 20.7, including a 34th-place finish in his most recent run in 2006.

As he did last year, Reutimann, who is fourth in the Nationwide standings, will split time between ORP and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sprint Cup qualifying is Saturday morning and there are two afternoon practice sessions. Nationwide qualifying is late in the afternoon. The race begins at 8 p.m. ET.

"I didn't practice the car any [last year]. I just showed up and raced," Reutimann said. "Maybe that's what I need to do. Maybe I need to just let somebody else practice the car and I worry about all of the other stuff."

Earlier this week, NASCAR issued a technical bulletin informing teams of a rule change that will result in a loss of 10-12 horsepower in Toyota engines (read more). Although Reutimann is winless in 2008, Toyota has won 14 of the 21 races.

"Some people complain about us having more horsepower or whatever," Reutimann said before the ruling. "That's how NASCAR racing is. Maybe Toyota has a little advantage now. Down the road, it could be Ford or someone else. It goes back and forth."