B
bowtie
Guest
will carry son's colors on car
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
AP
Veteran driver Ricky Rudd (left) and son Landon, 8, pose with his car.
What makes Ricky Rudd run?
"It's the demand and the challenge of Winston Cup racing," said Rudd, who will make his 700th consecutive start Sunday at Pocono Raceway, extending his own iron man streak. "If you ever get to victory lane, it's so sweet that you want to get back there again and it's not easy."
If Rudd should get a victory in this weekend's milestone race, he'll do it in a No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford carrying a paint scheme designed by someone very close to him - his 8-year-old son Landon.
Rudd didn't know Landon was designing the car until it was unveiled
Wednesday during a taping of the "Totally NASCAR."
The final result surprised Rudd's wife, Linda.
"I was sure that the car would be black," she said. "Landon's favorite color is black, but when he draws he usually likes to use a lot of color. He drew a yellow car and he used the flames (red and green) and the blue lightning bolt across the hood to show that the car is fast."
The car also carries a personal message from Landon to his father behind the car number and on the back of the car that says, "Go, Dad!"
Rudd who has finished in the top 15 in his past four races, has been to victory lane 23 times in his Cup career, most recently on June 23, 2002, when he won at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
His consecutive race streak also started in California, at Riverside on Jan. 11, 1981. His first career win also came at Riverside in 1983 while driving for Richard Childress.
Sunday's race will be Rudd's 787th start overall, ranking him fourth
all-time behind Richard Petty (1,177 races), Dave Marcis (882) and Darrell Waltrip (809). Only two active drivers have at least 700 career starts - Terry Labonte with 764 and Bill Elliott with 714. Labonte had held the consecutive start record at 655 before Rudd broke it in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May 2002.
Rudd, who had his eyelids taped open so he could run a race following a crash at Daytona in 1984, said that despite his records longevity has never been his primary focus.
"Just going out and driving a car, it doesn't do anything for me," he said.
"I was the kind of kid growing up that if we were riding bicycles and made a play track, I didn't want to just ride with those guys, I wanted to beat them all. What motivates me today is the thrill of getting behind the wheel of a race car that can compete and win a race."
Rudd has 358 top-10 finishes and has earned more than $30 million in his Winston Cup career. He won at least one race in every season between 1983 and 1998, a 16-year streak that is a record he shares with Rusty Wallace, who won at least once every year between 1986 and 2001.
Rudd, who will turn 47 in September, said he doesn't know what his final career numbers will look like. But he does have an idea of how he'd like to see his consecutive race streak end.
"When it comes time to exit, it will probably be pretty quick - luckily on a high note," he said. "It would be great just to finish your last race and go out in victory lane and then leave the sport. That would be my dream.
"It's probably unrealistic to have it happen that way, but my goal is to try to go out on top if it's possible - at the top of my game anyway."
Rudd and his Wood Brothers Racing team will dedicate his milestone start to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, donation a portion of proceeds from souvenir items to that charity.
By DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
AP
Veteran driver Ricky Rudd (left) and son Landon, 8, pose with his car.
What makes Ricky Rudd run?
"It's the demand and the challenge of Winston Cup racing," said Rudd, who will make his 700th consecutive start Sunday at Pocono Raceway, extending his own iron man streak. "If you ever get to victory lane, it's so sweet that you want to get back there again and it's not easy."
If Rudd should get a victory in this weekend's milestone race, he'll do it in a No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford carrying a paint scheme designed by someone very close to him - his 8-year-old son Landon.
Rudd didn't know Landon was designing the car until it was unveiled
Wednesday during a taping of the "Totally NASCAR."
The final result surprised Rudd's wife, Linda.
"I was sure that the car would be black," she said. "Landon's favorite color is black, but when he draws he usually likes to use a lot of color. He drew a yellow car and he used the flames (red and green) and the blue lightning bolt across the hood to show that the car is fast."
The car also carries a personal message from Landon to his father behind the car number and on the back of the car that says, "Go, Dad!"
Rudd who has finished in the top 15 in his past four races, has been to victory lane 23 times in his Cup career, most recently on June 23, 2002, when he won at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
His consecutive race streak also started in California, at Riverside on Jan. 11, 1981. His first career win also came at Riverside in 1983 while driving for Richard Childress.
Sunday's race will be Rudd's 787th start overall, ranking him fourth
all-time behind Richard Petty (1,177 races), Dave Marcis (882) and Darrell Waltrip (809). Only two active drivers have at least 700 career starts - Terry Labonte with 764 and Bill Elliott with 714. Labonte had held the consecutive start record at 655 before Rudd broke it in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May 2002.
Rudd, who had his eyelids taped open so he could run a race following a crash at Daytona in 1984, said that despite his records longevity has never been his primary focus.
"Just going out and driving a car, it doesn't do anything for me," he said.
"I was the kind of kid growing up that if we were riding bicycles and made a play track, I didn't want to just ride with those guys, I wanted to beat them all. What motivates me today is the thrill of getting behind the wheel of a race car that can compete and win a race."
Rudd has 358 top-10 finishes and has earned more than $30 million in his Winston Cup career. He won at least one race in every season between 1983 and 1998, a 16-year streak that is a record he shares with Rusty Wallace, who won at least once every year between 1986 and 2001.
Rudd, who will turn 47 in September, said he doesn't know what his final career numbers will look like. But he does have an idea of how he'd like to see his consecutive race streak end.
"When it comes time to exit, it will probably be pretty quick - luckily on a high note," he said. "It would be great just to finish your last race and go out in victory lane and then leave the sport. That would be my dream.
"It's probably unrealistic to have it happen that way, but my goal is to try to go out on top if it's possible - at the top of my game anyway."
Rudd and his Wood Brothers Racing team will dedicate his milestone start to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, donation a portion of proceeds from souvenir items to that charity.
