Buzzie Reutimann loves to race. Even at 84 years old, he still carries the same passion to compete that has run through his family for generations.
The Zephyrhills, FL, native competed regularly at Volusia Speedway Park this year and will again pilot his No. 00B DIRTcar UMP Modified during the race weekend that means the most to him – the 12th Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial, Nov. 20-22.
It honors Buzzie’s father, Emil Reutimann Jr., his brother Dale Reutimann, and family friend Gordon Stone, who were victims of a drunk driving crash in 1973.
“When we started the deal, it was just a race for my dad and my brother Dale,” Reutimann said. “It has grown into an event. I find that people talk about it all year long. All year long, some of the guys are preparing for the Reutimann race, and that attracts some of the top drivers to get the purse. All the people who donate to the deal and buy the laps, that still seemed like a family thing. It really makes us proud to be able to honor my dad and my brother that way.”
Buzzie joins a stout field of the best DIRTcar UMP Modified drivers in the country competing for the $10,000 payday on Saturday, along with the race’s iconic Crystal Tractor trophy. And he may have an edge on most of them, having spent the year adjusting to the track’s new dirt compound.
“It’s been taking a little getting used to with the new surface and everything,” Reutimann said. “It’s really smooth and a little bit on the slick side to suit me. But, it’s a deal where it doesn’t wear out, so that’s very good there. We haven’t ran quite as good as I want to run this year, but we’ve worked on this car quite a bit in the past few weeks, so we’ll see what we can do.”
The Hall of Famer secured his first Volusia track championship in 2022 during a season that was highlighted by a Feature win at the Blazing Guns 25. While he’s seeking his first triumph since then, he enjoys the challenge of racing against the best that the “Sunshine State” offers.
“You always want to run to win,” Reutimann said. “I mean, that’s what I come here for. But this is a competitive track. There’s a lot of good runners from the amount of cars I see coming here. If you win a race here, you really win against the best there is anywhere. A lot of good drivers, good motors, so that’s a challenge. I’d sure like to outrun these kids, so that’s really why I keep coming back, it’s the challenging part that comes with being here.”
Among Reutimann’s long list of accomplishments, an unexpected honor was bestowed upon him in October when Super DIRT Week unveiled the Emil Lloyd “Buzzie” Reutimann perpetual trophy. Reutimann won the first two editions of the marquee Big Block Modified race in 1972 and 1973, and a silver casting of the Modified he won with in 1972 will forever remain atop the new trophy.
“At that moment, it caught me off guard,” Reutimann said about seeing the trophy for the first time. “I didn’t know anything about the award that was coming up. I thought, ‘Well, gosh, I guess I won my share of races to have something like that with your name on a trophy that’s permanent.’ I won a lot of races, but something like (Super DIRT Week), that’s the top. I don’t think it gets any better than that.”
Reutimann was a seasonal resident of Asbury Park, NJ, when he raced in the northeast. He made annual visits to the New York State Fairgrounds for Super DIRT Week from 1972 to 1985, racing against the top Big Block Modified drivers in the country.
“It’s a deal there where I went up north, and I didn’t know anybody there,” Reutimann said. “I started racing, and I always raced the guys the way I would like to be raced against. As it went along, I picked up a few fans here and there, and it worked out.
“It’s really been quite a career for me to be able to do that and create as many fans up there as I did. I really had no idea I would have that many fans because I always tended to what I was doing. It’s quite an honor to have that many fans up there and racing the guys the way I’d like to.”
Buzzie has shared much of his racing knowledge with his son, David Reutimann, who owns and operates Beak Built Chassis. The former NASCAR Cup Series driver’s UMP Modifieds can be found around the United States, including multiple drivers that Reutimann faces at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile.”
“I told David the other day, ‘David, pretty soon, if I keep going out to Volusia, I’m gonna be running against all Beak Built cars,’” Reutimann said. “‘Quit sending down such good cars here!’ So that’s quite an honor to be with my son and have him build a car. As a matter of fact, he built the car I’ve got now, so it’s quite an honor to have a son that builds cars like that, and I get to be able to drive one of his cars.”
Reutimann will wrap up his 2025 racing season in the 12th Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial on Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 20-22. The event begins with practice on Thursday, before racing action on Friday and Saturday conclude the 2025 season at Volusia Speedway Park.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.