LAS VEGAS, NV (March 2, 2008) Sunday was long day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for David Reutimann and the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine team.  Under sunny skies and windy conditions, Reutimann started the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series UAW- Dodge 400 fourteenth and seemed poised to have a good day.  After all, he had a respectable starting position for the race and it was his 38^th birthday.  However, Vegas luck did not shine on the No. 00 Sunday.

Coming out of turn two on lap two, Reutimann got a little sideways and spanked the outside wall causing a right-rear flat and substantial damage to the rear quarter panel and back bumper of the Dream Machine. David brought the car to the pits, and under the direction of Crew Chief Ryan Pemberton, the crew went to work on the car, hammering sheet metal and applying large sections of tape to keep the rear chassis secure while trying to keep Reutimann as close to the lead lap as possible.

Returning to the track four laps down from the leaders and in the last (43^rd) position, Reutimann reported that the car was terrible through the turns and that he was doing all he could to keep it from spinning out again.  Pemberton and the crew made several chassis and suspension changes over several pit stops though the first 20 laps but never got the car to return to pre-race condition.

Mired back several laps down from the leaders for the remainder of the race, Reutimann and Pemberton turned the misfortune into a positive and experimented with various chassis and suspension combinations to help with future setups on similar tracks later in the year.  In the process, the Dream Machine picked up several positions before the checkered flag and finished with a respectable 37^th place finish.

Owner Michael Waltrip finished 31^st and teammate Dale Jarrett finished 39^th.

After a tough day for the Aaron’s Dream Machine, Reutimann drop 12 spots in the Sprint Cup Championship points placing him in the 30^th position with many races to go.

The next race will be at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Sunday, March 8^th, Reutimann will be behind the wheel of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine for the Sprint Cup Kobalt Tools 500.  Coverage is live on FOX at 1:30 pm ET.