RICKY RUDD, SNICKERS® RACING TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY APRIL 29, 2007

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 24, 2007) – The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend for the Aaron’s 499. This will also mark a weekend full of events commemorating the achievements of the #88 Snickers Ford driver Ricky Rudd. On Saturday, April 28th, Rudd will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame located in Portsmouth, VA. The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame was designed to pay tribute to anyone who has made a lasting contribution to the cause of sports in Virginia, the nation, and the world through outstanding achievement or service. This includes athletes, coaches, administrators, and other contributors to the game. Rudd will become the seventh member inducted from the NASCAR community and will join the ranks of Joe Weatherly, and brothers, Glenn and Leonard Wood. Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 will also mark another career milestone for Rudd. By starting Sunday’s race, Rudd will move himself to second on the all-time career starts list passing Dave Marcis’ previous record of 883, and giving Rudd his 884th start.

Quoting Snickers Driver, Ricky Rudd:
How does it feel to know that with this weekend you’re going to be second on the career all-time starts list? “It’s a record that just kind of sneaks up on you. I started out as one of the youngest guys and now I’m one of the oldest guys out there still racing. It’s a real honor to be able to have this kind of longevity with a long and fruitful career. I’ve been so lucky to have remained healthy and competitive to have made it this far. It just is something that I really hadn’t kept track of, but it is a great honor to be joining the ranks as now the driver with the second record of career all-time starts.”

How much of an honor is it for you to be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame? “It’s a tremendous honor. I’ve always been proud to say that I’m from Chesapeake, Virginia. There are some great race car drivers that are a part of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, but it’s a very small representation of the motorsports industry which makes it even more of an honor to be inducted.”

How optimistic are you heading into Talladega this weekend and returning to a superspeedway? “This is probably the most optimistic I’ve been heading into a weekend since Daytona. As far as performance goes, Daytona was our best performance of the year so far, so looking at that, I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to have similar results this weekend in Talladega. The Robert Yates Racing cars have proven they have the engine power to handle these superspeedways.”

# NOTES OF INTEREST: By starting Sunday’s Aaron’s 499, Rudd will have his 884th start and become second on the all-time list of career starts. Richard Petty is the leader on the all-time starts list with 1,184 starts and will now be followed by Rudd with 884, and then Dave Marcis with 883
# Rudd will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 28th
# Rudd has 58 starts at Talladega which is more than any other active driver
# Rudd’s best start at Talladega was from the pole position in the spring of 2004
# Rudd’s best finish at Talladega is third place which he has accomplished four times (1979, 1986, 1999, and 2002)

CHASSIS #65 Chassis #65 is what the #88 team will be running this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. This is the same chassis the team used in 2006 at Talladega and was the back-up car for the 2007 Daytona 500 car.