Wayne Reutimann

Last updated
Wayne Reutimann
Born (1944-12-31) December 31, 1944 (age 79)
Zephyrhills, Florida
Car number00jr
Championship titles
1965, 1973 Florida Governor's Cup [1]
1976 New York State Fair Champion

Wayne Reutimann (born December 31, 1944) is a retired American racing driver from Zephyrhills, Florida. Never one to turn down a challenge, he successfully competed in dirt Modified, aslphalt Late Model, and Sprint cars. [2]

Racing career

Wayne Reutimann followed his older brother Buzzie into racing with one of their father's old Modifieds, a 1935 Chevy coupe numbered as 00 jr. and powered by a GMC six-cylinder engine. Reutimann moved on to asphalt Late Models competing success fully at the Golden Gate and Sarasota-Brandenton Speedways in Florida, and in 1965 gained notoriety by becoming the youngest winner of the Florida State Late Model Championship with a half-car-length victory over Bobby Allison at Golden Gate. [3] [4] [5]

From 1972 to 1977 Reutimann went north to try his hand at dirt-track Modified competition and became a consistent winner at New Jersey's East Windsor Speedway and Pennsylvania's Nazareth Speedway. [2] He claimed the Orange County Fair Speedway track championships in 1975 and 1977, and also won the 1976 New York State Fair Championship at the Syracuse Mile. [6] [7]

Wayne Reutimann. was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 2008. [2] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modified racing</span> Racing events with modified factory autos

Modified stock car racing, also known as modified racing and modified, is a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other on oval tracks. First established in the United States after World War II, this type of racing was early-on characterized by its participants' modification of passenger cars in pursuit of higher speeds, hence the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super DIRTcar Series</span>

The Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds is a North American big block modified touring series currently promoted by World Racing Group. The series primarily races on dirt ovals in the Northeastern United States and Canada along with select dates in Florida and North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buzzie Reutimann</span> American racing driver

Emil Lloyd "Buzzie" Reutimann is a former NASCAR driver from Zephyrhills, Florida. He is the father of former driver David Reutimann. Reutimann was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Eastern Motorsport Press Association Hall of Fame in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange County Fair Speedway</span> Speedway held in Middletown, Orange County, New York

Orange County Fair Speedway is a 0.625 mi (1.006 km) dirt oval speedway in Middletown, Orange County, New York. The facility used to hold weekly stock car races and demolition derbies during the summer months. The track was built in 1857 for horse racing at the Orange County Fair and staged its first automobile race on August 16, 1919. The fair began as an agricultural exhibit in 1843 and was permanently located in the Wallkill–Middletown area in 1857. The speedway is located at 239 Wisner Avenue in Middletown on land which was known as The Ogden Tract in the mid-1850s. It was originally a half-mile horse racing track known as the Harry Clay Oval, named after a race horse that was famous at that time. Over the years, the track was widened and lengthened to a true 5/8-mile race track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syracuse Mile</span> Horse and auto racetrack

The Syracuse Mile was a 1-mile (1.6 km) dirt oval raceway located at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York. Originally built for harness racing in 1826, the first auto race was run in 1903, making it the second oldest auto racing facility in United States history. The racetrack was also nicknamed "The Moody Mile" after driver Wes Moody turned a 100-mile-per-hour lap in 1970. The track and grandstands were torn down in 2016 by state government officials with the plan to modernize facilities.

Kenny Brightbill, nicknamed the "Shillington Slingshot" and "Mr. Excitement" is a former NASCAR and professional dirt modified driver from Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. He has won 441 career professional races and is also the all time wins leader of Reading Fairground Speedway with 135 career wins. Brightbill has won many of the most noted races for dirt track modifieds in the Northeastern United States, most notably 1988 Syracuse Miller High Life 300.

W. Alan "Rags" Carter was an American stock car racing driver from Miami Springs, Florida. He won the 1965, 1966 and 1969 championships at the Nazareth Speedway in Pennsylvania.

Douglas "Doug" Hoffman was an American Modified racing driver. He won 482 feature events and 25 championships at 40 different tracks in nine states and two Canadian provinces.

C. William "Will" Cagle is a retired driver of modified stock cars. He won over 415 feature events and 26 championships at east coast venues stretching from Florida to Canada.

Joe Plazek is a Canadian stock car racing driver. He was a three time New York State Fair Champion, and also won Rookie of the Year honors while competing in the Canadian premier touring stock car series.

Billy Osmun is a retired American Dirt Modified racing driver. He focused his career on the Mid-Atlantic states, and won 59 feature events just in New Jersey.

Mervyn "Merv" Treichler is a retired American stock car racing driver who competed on both asphalt and dirt surfaces. In 1970 he won the Race of Champions, the premier asphalt race for modifieds. He also claimed the marquee events for dirt modifieds at Super Dirt Week in 1981 and 1982.

Clarence "C. D." Coville is a retired American Dirt Modified racing driver. Often-controversial for his aggressive and fearless driving style, he is credited with 150 career wins, including one Sprint car event.

Louis "Lou" Lazzaro was an American Modified racing driver. Equally adept on both dirt and asphalt surfaces, he raced from Daytona to Canada, and is credited with over 250 feature wins in a career that spanned six decades.

Robert "Bobby" Bottcher, Jr. was an American Dirt Modified racing driver. Bottcher had a 9-year winning streak at the Orange County Fair Speedway, capturing 26 modified features and the 1973 track championship at the venue during his career. Bottcher died at Palmerton, Pennsylvania on August 10, 2024, at the age of 85.

Thomas "Tommy" Corellis is a retired American Dirt Modified racing driver. Corellis captured 8 track championships at the Lebanon Valley Speedway NY during his career, including five consecutive titles from 1971 to 1975.

Howard "Howie " Westervelt was a pioneering American Dirt Modified racing driver. He was known for turning on a rooftop mounted blue light any time he took the lead in a race.

Robert "Bobby" Malzahn was an American stock car racing driver. He moved from Miami, FL, to New Jersey to further his racing career and became a standout on the Mid-Atlantic stock car circuit.

Robert "Bobby" Gerhart Sr. was an American race car driver, equally skilled at Modified, Supermodified, and Sprint car competition. He won three track championships and over 300 feature races in a career that spanned three decades.

E. David "Dave" Kneisel was an American dirt modified race car driver. He was also a noted builder of race cars, founding Kneisel's Speed and Sport shop in Clarks Summit PA, which continued to field cars for multiple drivers after Kneisel's death.

References

  1. ↑ Kelly, Godwin (November 16, 2013). "Strong entry list for Saturday's Governor's Cup at New Smyrna Speedway". The Daytona Beach News-Journal . FL. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Wayne Reutimann Elected Into NE Modified Hall of Fame". DIRTcar. May 14, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Reutimanns, Mclnnis Big Winners at Gate". Tampa Times. July 6, 1964. p. 12. Retrieved February 16, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Reutimann wins race". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. September 27, 1965. p. 9. Retrieved February 16, 2024– via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Woods, William (November 11, 1969). "Reutiman gears for stock car title". St. Petersburg Times. p. 48. Retrieved February 16, 2024– via Google Books.
  6. ↑ "Wayne Reutimann threatens brother". The Evening News. June 9, 1972. p. 10. Retrieved February 16, 2024– via Google Books.
  7. ↑ O'Brien, Dick (September 7, 1985). "Wayne Reutimann cops Fair race". Herald-Journal. p. 43. Retrieved February 16, 2024– via NewspaperArchive.
  8. ↑ Hill, John (May 25, 2008). "Racing Icons to be honored". The Post-Standard. p. C13. Retrieved February 16, 2024– via NewspaperArchive.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.