David Reutimann didn’t take a quick and easy path to NASCAR success. The Zephyrhills, Fla., native was a Sprint Cup rookie at the tender age of 36, making his debut with the start-up Michael Waltrip Racing team – the group bringing Toyota into the Cup series for the first time.

Yet, his hard work and dedication have paid off in his career. The personable 40-year old enjoyed the second Cup win of his career Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway, holding off a pair of veterans and making a move toward the Chase for the Sprint Cup field.

For Reutimann, this win was just the latest step in what has been a quietly success career. Voted a fan favorite in his earlier racing days, the witty Reutimann has worked in the background in the Cup ranks. Not anymore. Rea White takes a look at five things you should know about Reutimann:
 

Reutimann’s first win may have looked easy to some fans, but it didn’t come without a lot of hard work – and a few anxious hours. His victory in the Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR’s premier races, at Charlotte Motor Speedway came in a rain-shortened event in 2009. It was the first Cup victory not only for Reutimann, but also for Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota. In that race, the rain started at Charlotte and the first 13 cars pitted. Not Reutimann. It took 2 hours, 3 minutes and 44 seconds for NASCAR to call the race – and hand the victory to Reutimann (pictured waiting with his dad, Emil "Buzzie" Reutimann).

He backed that win up Saturday, holding off Carl Edwards and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon in a spirited race at Chicagoland Speedway. His emotional win was not only the second of his young career, but one that showed fans the true enthusiasm and courage that drivers not always in the spotlight bring to the series.

In 2007, his rookie Cup season, Reutimann pulled double duty. Not only was he helping to build the new MWR organization on the Cup side, but he also was competing for the Nationwide Series title and running the full slate of races there. He earned his first series win, at Memphis, en route to a runner-up finish in the Nationwide ranks, where he was also driving for MWR.

In the Nationwide ranks, Reutimann made 35 starts that season, leading 287 laps. Not only did he win his first race, he earned 12 top-10 finishes, five of them top fives. He posted an average finish of 15.6 to finish second to Carl Edwards in the series standings.
 

Reutimann made his debut as a full-time driver in one of NASCAR’s three major touring series in 2004. He competed in what is now the Camping World Truck Series, driving for team owner Darrell Waltrip (pictured, right, with Reutimann). Reutimann earned his first pole position in just his second start, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Showing his potential and taking advantage of his chance, he made the most of it by winning the rookie of the year honor. In 25 starts, Reutimann earned 10 top-10 finishes, four of them top-fives, and a pair of pole positions. He finished 14th overall in the standings.

Reutimann has patiently worked his way through the ranks during his racing career. He began racing Modifieds in his native Florida, moving up to the NASCAR Southeast Series, where he competed from 1997 to 2002 and finished as the runner-up in 2002. He won several awards there, including the 1997 rookie of the year, the 2000 most popular driver and the 2002 Bud pole award title.

In 2002, he made his first start in one of NASCAR’s three major touring series, competing in the Nationwide Series for fellow Florida native Joe Nemechek. He would run a handful of races with Nemechek for the next few seasons before landing with the Darrell Waltrip team in the Truck series and starting his NASCAR career in earnest. When he announced his move to the Cup ranks, he was presented with the key to Zephyrhills, Fla., by Mayor Cliff McDuffie.
 

Reutimann came to racing naturally. He is the son of Emil “Buzzie” Reutimann, a racer well known on the East Coast who was inducted into the DIRT Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Eastern Motorsports Press Association (EMPA) Hall of Fame in 2006.