In 1986, he
competed in the 24hrs of Daytona race when he co-drove a Ford
Mustang for Roush Racing with fellow Winston Cup drivers Bill Elliott,
Kyle Petty and Ken Schrader.
Ricky Rudd was named the 2006 "Virginian of the Year" and inducted into the
2007 "Virginia Hall of Fame."
Ricky had won at least one race in 16 straight
seasons from 1983 - 1998
Took over the "Iron Man award for 656 consecutive WC Starts at Charlotte May 26, 2002
Record now stands at 788
Al Rudd Auto — Ricky began his career driving family owned unsponsored cars. His first Winston Cup was at Rockingham in 1975, where he finished 11th. In 1977, Ricky was NASCAR, Rookie of the Year. Ricky got his big break in racing in October 1980, when he took an old, family-owned car to Charlotte and qualified 2nd, finishing the race in 4th place. This showing earned Ricky a job driving for DiGard in 1981. Ricky then caught the eye of Richard Childress, who hired Ricky to drive. Ricky won his and Richard Childress' first race in June 1983 at Riverside, California. It was Ricky's 161st career start. In his '83 season, he won 2 more races and captured 4 poles.
Wrangler — In 1984, Ricky went to drive for Bud Moore and he won 6 races and 5 poles the next four seasons. Ricky drove for Kenny Bernstein in 1988 and 1989. In 1990, Ricky went to drive for Rick Hendrick. While with Hendrick Motorsports, Ricky had 4 wins, 4 poles and finished 2nd in Winston Cup points (1991 - his best finish). In 1992, Ricky drove in the IROC series and took the championship.
TideRide — In a shocking move, in 1994, Ricky left Hendrick Motorsports and formed his own team. Ricky went on to win his first race as a driver/owner at New Hampshire and finished in the top 5 in Winston Cup points. Ricky raced as a car owner until 1999. Ricky has an amazing streak by winning at least 1 race every year for 16 years. Unfortunately, this streak ended in 1999. In 2000, after Tide pulled their sponsorship from Ricky, he explored his options and sold his shop to drive for Robert Yates Racing in #28 Havoline Ford, where he is teammates with Dale Jarrett. In 2000 Rudd finished 5th in Winston Cup points. It marked his first top 5 since 1994 and the 17th time he has finished in the top-10 in points in his career.
—In 2003 Ricky will take the wheel of the Wood Brothers #21 Motorcraft Ford - "I have been in this sport a long time. I have great respect for its traditions. I have been fortunate to drive for several of the teams that have helped build those traditions, including Richard Childress, Bud Moore, Rick Hendrick, Robert Yates, and now I am looking forward to the opportunity to drive for another Great Team, the Wood Brothers." "Everything about Ricky fits us," co-owner Eddie Wood said. "We just did the young driver development deal, so we were looking for a veteran who could come in and help our team. With his knowledge and experience, that brings a lot to the party." It's been a long time since Rudd felt like a party.
