Reutimann learning to see bright side of successes

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Alfred E. Neuman has nothing on David Reutimann. The iconic figure that has graced the cover of Mad Magazine for the past five decades is known for the catch phrase: "What, me worry?"

But Reutimann's anxiety could make Neuman break out in worry lines.

So far, so good

It's still early, but guys like David Reutimann, Bobby Labonte and Michael Waltrip are in the top 12 in points.

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Reutimann spent the first half of last weekend's race at Las Vegas worrying about an oil leak. He spent the second half worrying that he might run out of fuel. And he still recorded the best finish of his Cup career by winding up fourth, putting him fifth in the points heading into Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Rose-colored glasses in Reutimann's pockets? Not a chance. When asked Friday if his fast start in 2009 might prove the naysayers wrong, Reutimann admitted it's still too early to tell.

"A couple races don't mean anything at this point," Reutimann said. "If we make the Chase and win the championship then I may want to stand up here and say, 'Thanks to all you guys who didn't believe in me,' but we're not to that point at all yet. It does feel good and it also feels good to be able to go out there and have good races.

"I used to hear people say, 'He's never going to run good or he's never going to do this or he's never going to do that.' ... The funny thing about it is that those same people that say bad things about you are the same ones that want to come up and give you praise at the same time. You take the good with the bad."

So when will he know that this recent run of good fortune isn't just a break in the dark cloud that has seemed to follow Reutimann around since he made his Cup debut in 2005?

"I don't know if you ever know," Reutimann said. "I think it's more something that you feel because you walk in the garage and your guys are around you.

"For me, it's more of a feeling because you know you're going to have bad races and we've seen that before and everybody has them. I think if you have a bad race, being able to say that we still have a good product and we can bounce back where in the past I haven't felt that way at all. I felt like if we had a bad race then next week we are probably going to have another bad one."

But that's not the case any more. For one reason, Reutimann's Michael Waltrip Racing team seems to have finally left behind its growing pains.

"I knew that the work ethic was there and the want-to was there, but sometimes that's just not enough," he said. "You have to have that, along with a lot of other things.

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"There were definitely times when you were wondering if it was going to fly or not and I needed to think about maybe doing something different. I never wanted to do something different with anybody else. I thought there might have come a point when I wouldn't have a choice, but again about mid-point of last year we started to turn a corner and I got more relaxed and I knew it would be OK."

Things seemed to turn around when Reutimann posted back-to-back top-10 finishes starting at California, and leading 104 laps at Richmond. And even though the results failed to show it later in the season, Reutimann's Toyota started running closer and closer to the front.

So will success spoil David Reutimann? Not as long as there are anxious moments to consider.

"I'm pretty good at finding stuff to worry about as a rule," Reutimann said. "You quit worrying about one thing and replace it with another. I constantly worry about things: running well, qualifying well and all those things that come down the pipe there."

At the same time, there's a pretty good chance Reutimann might finally be able to put his worries behind him.

"I think I'm a little more at ease," he said. "I definitely feel better at the race track, I feel better about what's going on. I feel pretty good about what I'm seeing and the product we're producing and I'm having a lot of fun right now.

"Honestly, I can't say since I've been in the Cup Series that I've had much of that. I think when you're having fun and things are clicking, even if you have a bad race, the key is to keep that positive attitude in everything you do and it will carry over to your guys. That is what I'm experiencing right now and I'm enjoying that side of life quite a bit right now."