Rudd looks to get back on track after sobering pit stop with tragedy Countdown to Daytona
February 12, 1991|By Sandra McKee | Sandra McKee,Evening Sun Staff
Ricky Rudd is a soft-spoken race car driver. Despite the rugged business he is in, gentle is a word commonly used to describe Rudd's friendly, boyish disposition, his easy smile, his friendly hello.
But four months ago, he came down pit road at Atlanta International Raceway for a pit stop and the boy in him was lost forever.
The brakes on his car locked, spinning the 3,500-pound Chevrolet 180 degrees. The car slammed into the right side of Bill Elliott's race car, crushing one of Elliott's crewmen, who was changing a rear tire.
Mike Rich lost his life that November afternoon, and Ricky Rudd lost his youth. One is gone forever, while the other is left to deal with the loss for the rest of his life.
read more at …
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-02-12/sports/1991043179_1_ricky-rudd-pit-road-pit-stop