Reutimann extends Waltrip deal

The 40-year-old, who is currently in his fourth full season at NASCAR's top level, will remain with the Toyota outfit until 2012 after the team announced that both him and his current sponsor have signed new deals.

Reutimann won for the first time in the Sprint Cup last year in a rain-shortened event at Charlotte and two weeks ago he claimed a categorical victory at Chicagoland Speedway, which has placed him closer to the top 12 in the drivers' standings, seven races before the series' playoff starts.

"I'm glad both Michael Waltrip Racing and [sponsor] Aaron's want to keep me around," Reutimann joked. "I've been asked about my contract for the last month and we've had a handshake agreement, but now it's done and I'm glad I can finally talk about it. I'm thrilled.

"This is where I want to be - at Michael Waltrip Racing driving the #00 with Aaron's on the hood.

"Michael and Darrell Waltrip have given me just about every chance I have ever had in NASCAR since 2004 and I don't want to go anywhere else. Good things are happening here and I plan to be a part of it."

Team owner Michael Waltrip, who gave Reutimann his first Cup chance in 2005 and ran him in the team's debut season in 2007 as a rookie, said the team and driver's mutual faith in each other made it an easy decision to carry on with their partnership.

"We never wavered on wanting to extend David and neither did [our sponsor]," said Waltrip. "[They] are like family to me. They've both been a large part of Michael Waltrip Racing since the very beginning and have stuck with us through thick and thin.

"In the beginning we all took a chance on each other. You might say it was a high-risk, high-reward proposition for everyone involved, but we all believed in each other and we are now starting to see those rewards a little more each day."

Reutimann currently ranks 15th in the Sprint Cup series standings, 98 points outside a possible Chase berth, and ahead of his younger and highly-rated team-mate Martin Truex Jr.