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Making mark just by being there

In his home state, Ricky Rudd will tie Terry Labonte's Winston Cup ''iron man'' mark of 655 consecutive races.

By JOANNE KORTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 4, 2002

He was 24.

The 1981 opener was the biggest race of young Ricky Rudd's life, because it was being run that day. More than 20 years later, his attitude hasn't changed. Every race is important.

Too important to miss.

Tonight, when the green flag falls at Richmond International Raceway for the Pontiac Excitement 400, Rudd will make his 655th consecutive Winston Cup start, matching Terry Labonte's "iron man" record. At that historic moment, Rudd will do what he always does.

Drive, no matter what.

"I'm very proud of this record," said Rudd, driver of the No. 28 Ford. "To me, it says that I've worked hard and been determined to do what I'm hired to do each week. Hopefully, that says something about me personally. I love racing and am very proud to be known for such a long run of consecutive starts."

Just how long?

During the streak, Rudd, 45, has driven for seven owners, including himself. He has won 22 races and 27 poles. He has recorded 176 top fives. He has logged a dizzying 192,873 laps, a staggering 234,866 miles. That's roughly 4,000 miles shy of driving to the moon.

The moon.

The streak began Jan. 11, 1981, at the now-defunct Riverside road course in southern California. Nine days before Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th president. The same year IBM launched its first personal computer and NASA its first space shuttle.

Feeling old yet?

Too young to remember?

Rudd never has won a championship, but his career is marked by consistency. He is tied with Rusty Wallace for the modern-era record of 16 consecutive seasons with at least one victory, though Wallace could break it this season. Rudd's streak was broken in 1999, his last as an owner-driver.

"If I had to have one record or the other, I'd rather have the consecutive win streak than the consecutive start streak," said Rudd, who won every year from 1983-98. "But the two kind of go hand in hand. It's not something everybody can claim, I guess."

Rudd's iron man accomplishment comes at the Virginian's home track, site of his most recent win in September. It will be his 741st start, fourth on NASCAR's all-time list behind Richard Petty (1,177), Dave Marcis (882) and Darrell Waltrip (809).

But, as of tonight, no one will have started more in a row. Rudd is scheduled to break the record May 26 at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600; fittingly, NASCAR's longest race.

"Ricky's had a good career and I'm glad he's the one who's going to break it," said Labonte, whose 20-year streak ended in 2000 when he missed two races because of an inner-ear injury that caused dizziness. "We started racing about the same time and have been competitors for many years. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him."

In more than 20 years, Rudd never has failed to qualify. Never been so sick or so severely hurt that he could not race, though doctors would argue.

Twice, Rudd came close.

In 1984, Rudd was in a frightening crash the week leading up to the Daytona 500. It was Rudd's first race for owner Bud Moore, and he didn't dare relinquish the wheel to another driver. He left the local hospital against doctor's orders.

Rudd drove in the 125-mile qualifying race and finished seventh in the Daytona 500 with torn cartilage in his ribcage, his eyes nearly swollen shut and severe dizziness from the G-forces of the high-banked turns.

"One eye would go this way and the other eye would go that way," Rudd said. "It probably wasn't real smart of me to be driving. I basically was focused on the back bumper of the car in front of me. It was all I could see."

In 1988, Rudd crashed in The Winston at Charlotte, tearing the MCL in his left knee. Doctors wanted to operate, but owner Kenny Bernstein flew Rudd to Indianapolis, where a different doctor prescribed an aggressive exercise regimen to help the ligament mend.

Rudd could drive.

He just couldn't shift. Or brake.

"I use my left foot to brake with, besides using it for the clutch," Rudd said. "So, with a little improvising from the crew, we were able to basically put an amusement-park-type ride together where I had a handle that was my clutch lever.

"That was a weekend that it was questionable if I'd be able to run or not. And it took many, many weeks to get 100 percent again. I put a lot of miles on that exercise bike."

Sometime in the past 20 years, Rudd's hair turned gray. And, after climbing in and out of all those race cars, his back went bad. Offseason surgery fixed it, and he was back in the car for the 2002 opener.

Of course.

"It's just a way of life," Rudd said. "I've been battered and beat up before, but I never considered not starting a race. Every race is important, in my eyes."

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