RICHARD LEE "RICKY" RUDD - 09/12/1956
a former American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and former NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is known as the "Iron Man" of NASCAR; holding the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR racing. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Rudd had made 788 consecutive starts. He retired in 2007 with 23 career wins under his belt. He began racing as a teenager in karting and motocross, but did not attempt stock car racing until he was eighteen years old, when he made his NASCAR debut at North Carolina Speedway in 1975, driving the #10 Ford for family friend Bill Champion. Qualifying twenty-sixth, he finished in eleventh place despite running fifty-six laps down. He ran an additional three races for Champion, his best finish being a tenth at Bristol Motor Speedway. He drove another four races in 1976 for his father, posting another tenth finish at the Firecracker 400. He went full-time in 1977, again driving the #22 for his father. He had ten top-ten finishes and was named Rookie of the Year. In 1979, he signed with Junie Donlavey to pilot the #90 Truxmore car, garnering four Top5's and a ninth place points run. In 1981, Rudd signed with DiGard Motorsports to drive the #88 Gatorade car. Although he had no victories, he won his first three pole positions, and
began his lengthy streak of consecutive race starts. In 1982 Ricky Rudd stepped into the #3 Piedmont Airlines Pontiac for Richard Childress Racing. He was able to get his first two wins of his career in 1983, at Riverside and Martinsville Speedway respectively, but stayed at 9th in points. He also ran the only three Xfinity Series races of his career that season, winning in his debut event at Dover Downs. In 1984, Rudd and Dale Earnhardt swapped rides with Rudd moving over to the #15 Wrangler Jeans Ford for Bud Moore. Rudd was involved in a horrific crash in the Busch Clash at Daytona. Rudd's car became airborne, and he suffered a concussion. If you watch the video replay closely you can see Rudd's arm flying out of the window as he flipped. Luckily that area never landed on the ground when his arm was out. In the first picture below you can see his window net has already come lose, and he head is titled out the window. Here is an interview about the crash with Rudd, and his car owner Bud Moore.
1976 Cup Series
1982 Daytona 500
His eyes were swollen so badly, that he taped his eyes open in order to be able to race in the Daytona 500. After learning of this long after the fact, NASCAR instituted the policy of examining all drivers involved in wrecks in order to assure that they will be able to race safely the next week. He won his first race for this team in only his second start at Richmond and improved to seventh in points. Motorcraft became the team's new sponsor the following season, and he moved up one spot in points in that season, and then a career-best fifth in 1986. Despite an additional two victories in 1987, Rudd left Moore at the end of the season. Rudd joined King Racing beginning in 1988 in the #26 Quaker State Buick Regal owned by drag racing legend Kenny Bernstein. He struggled with engine failures all season long and finished 11th in the standings,
his worst points finish in eight years. After his only win of 1989 came at the inaugural Sears Point event, Rudd departed the operation, and signed with Hendrick Motorsports to drive the #5 Levi Garrett Chevrolet Lumina. He was able to win The Bud at the Glen and finished seventh in the final standings. He was involved in a fatal pit road accident at the season-ending Atlanta Journal 500, when he spun into Bill Elliott's pit, crushing Elliott's tire changer Mike Rich. At that time there was no pit road speed limit and cars drove on pit road as fast as possible. As Rudd was coming in to pit his rear brakes locked up causing the car pit spin into Elliott's car that was already being serviced. Elliott was leading at the time of the accident, but took the car to the garage and quit for the day after being told of Rich's condition. In 1991, Tide became his new sponsor, and Rudd won his only race of the year at Darlington Raceway. Later in the year at Sonoma, Rudd crossed the finished line first, but had his win taken away after he spun Davey Allison on the last lap. You need to look closely at the video and see the old (and in my opinion better) configuration the races used to be held on... This is when they still raced the entire course, before they cut out turns 5, 6 and the carousel. (NASCAR went back to running the entire course in 2019 for a new years but cut out those corners again beginning in 2022) - He finished the year a career-best second in points. The following season, he won the Peak Antifreeze 500. In 1993, he left Hendrick. Rudd took Tide and formed his own race team in 1994, Rudd Performance Motorsports, and drove the #10 Ford Thunderbird that season. His first win as an owner/driver came at New Hampshire International Speedway, which led to a fifth-place points finish. 1995 saw his consecutive winning streak almost end before he won the Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix, the second-to-last race of the season. He had another near miss in 1996, but won at North Carolina Speedway. In 1997, Rudd had two wins, one of them coming at the Brickyard 400 and the other at Dover, his highest win total since 1987. His lone of win in 1998 came at Martinsville Speedway, as he dealt with high air temperatures and a faulty cooling system. As a result, Rudd suffered burns and blisters over most of his body, and gave his victory lane interview lying on the ground breathing from an oxygen mask. This would be the last win of his consecutive victory streak. Tide left his team, and Rudd chose to liquidate his equipment and close his team. After many rumors and speculation, Rudd was hired to pilot the #28 Texaco/Havoline Ford Taurus for Robert Yates Racing for 2000. Although he still did not win that season, he had two poles and moved to fifth in the points standings. In 2001, Rudd got his first win in three years at Pocono Raceway, followed by another victory late in the season at Richmond. He also matched a career-high 14 top-five finishes. He won his most recent race at Infineon in 2002, but dropped to tenth in the standings. Rudd left Yates at the end of the 2002 season. Rudd was hired in 2003 to drive the #21 Motorcraft Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, and he responded with four top-fives. In
2004, he won his final career pole at Talladega Super Speedway. He was able to earn nine top-tens in 2005. At the end of the season, Rudd announced he would "take a break" from racing, although not effectively retire. Rudd spent most of 2006 out of racing, racing only at Dover, where he filled in for the ailing Tony Stewart. Late in the season, it was announced he would return to Yates to drive the #88 Snickers Ford full-time. His best finish since his return to the sport was a seventh at the Coca-Cola 600. As he missed the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. Rudd finished his career with a 21st place finish at the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami. For his career Rudd ran in 906 Cup
events, starting an amazing 788 consecutive races earning him the nickname of "the Iron Man". Jeff Gordon would go on to break Rudd's consecutive start streak. He would start his first race on November 15, 1992 and not miss a race for he entire career. Gordon retired at the end of the 2015 season with 797 consecutive starts. Gordon came out of retirement as a favor to car owner Rick Hendrick when Dale Earnhardt Jr crashed and received a concussion and missed the second half of the season. Rudd Notched 23 wins and was a road course specialist. Of his 23 wins he got six of them on road courses, and finished second an additional five second times. He also won five times on short tracks, and had 15 second place
Martinsville win 1998
Richmond win
finishes. His most prestigious win came at Indy in the BrickYard 400 in 1997. He posted 194 top five finishes, and 374 top 10's. He finished second in the Cup points in 1991. Rudd did win the 1992 IROC Championship. In the photo above is Rudd's post race winners interview from 1998 at Martinsville - as explained above. In the final photo here you can see Rudd being presented an "Iron Man" award. It is being presented by Terry Labonte, the driver whose record he broke. Some info from WikiPedia
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