David Reutimann finished 22nd driving the No. 99 Aaron's Dream Machine in the NASCAR Busch Series event at Darlington Raceway Friday night.

"We were disappointed with the result, but not with the effort," said Reutimann. "This was obviously my first NASCAR Busch Series race there and we survived it. I had to learn what I needed to feel in practice for the race. I talked to other drivers and tried to get a better idea of what I needed. However, you don't know what you really need until the race starts. I learned a lot from this experience."

Reutimann started 34th in the 147-lap event and immediately radioed to his crew chief (Jerry Baxter) that he was experiencing handling problems. After pitting at Lap 21 for tires and adjustments, Reutimann continued to battle tight conditions.

"We knew after 10 or 12 laps that we needed to be much better," said Reutimann. "The car was really tight under throttle. We came in and the guys adjusted on it. We were a little better, but we were still not where needed to be."

Approaching halfway, Reutimann was 19th and appeared to be making progress.

"We pitted at Lap 63 before halfway and the guys threw everything they had at it to get it better," said Reutimann. "I thought we were gaining on it. We were able to run in the top-20 for a little while. They made major changes to the Aaron's Dream Machine and tried to free it up under throttle each time we pitted. You name it, they did it. It was also the same instance when we pitted the next time."

Following his pit stop, Reutimann restarted 24th at Lap 67. Reutimann ran in and around the top-20 before reentering pit road at Lap 116 under caution for Michael Waltrip Racing to service his Aaron's Dream Machine again.

"For some reason, the car seemed to stop responding to changes," said Reutimann. "We got to a point where it seemed like it was going in the opposite direction. The Aaron's Dream Machine still stayed tight under the throttle on exit. Some of the changes we made ended up making it free in the center, but tight on exit. I'm kind of confused as to why the car would act like that. The guys kept working on it and doing the best they could."

Reutimann went on to finish in 22nd-place in his first time at Darlington in a NASCAR Busch Series entry.

"Right toward the end, some guys behind us took tires and we hadn't," said Reutimann. "We lost a couple spots there at the end. We finished just outside the top-20. The finish wasn't because of like of effort. Everybody did a great job."

Following the race at Darlington, Reutimann traveled to his hometown of Zephyrhills (Fla.) for his second annual golf tournament benefiting All Children's Hospital.

"Last year to this year was a huge difference," said Reutimann. "We had an awesome turnout. We were able to raise a little over $25,000 for All Children's Hospital. Thanks to my family and friends it was a huge success and a big increase from last year. Shawn Reutimann, Brantley Smith, Bud Smith and so many others were instrumental in making it happen. I loved the event. We're going to doing again next year. A couple of my guys from Darrell Waltrip Motorsports were able to be there. Next year, I'm hoping to bring everyone from the team down. They actually won the event. I had to ask for a recount because I wanted to make sure they didn't cheat."

This week Reutimann returns to racing his No. 17 Team Tundra Racing Toyota for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports at Lowe's Motor Speedway Friday night. Reutimann has recorded one pole, three top-five and four top-10 finishes in five starts this season. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular is currently third in the driver's points standings after a strong third-place finish at Gateway International Raceway in the most recent event.

"I really enjoy racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway," said Reutimann. "We've always ran well there. Lowe's is a type of track that Darrell Waltrip Motorsports excels at. Our program is really strong in that area. We're unloading fast and we're running up front. It's only a matter of time before we win this season."

Live coverage of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday, May 19th begins at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on SPEED Channel and MRN Radio.