Sports: Driving home a point

Driving home a point

Ricky Rudd wants to prove he still has what it takes, and his new Wood Brothers team is set to help him.

By JOANNE KORTH, Times Staff Writer

DAYTONA BEACH -- Beyond the new team, new car and snazzy new red racing suit, there is an obvious difference in veteran Winston Cup driver Ricky Rudd this season.

He's smiling.

Like a man with a secret.

One he can't wait to share.

Cast aside last season by Robert Yates Racing in favor of a younger driver, Rudd, 46, is eager to prove he and the Wood Brothers team still have what it takes. Rudd makes his debut in the No. 21 Ford tonight in the Bud Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.

"I'm fired up, more now than ever," said Rudd, entering his 29th year in Winston Cup. "I see this team as a sleeper. I'm anxious to get out there and show the world this is a great race team. I can't remember being this hungry to get going in a long time."

Rudd remains mystified as to what went wrong at RYR, where in three years he helped resurrect the No. 28 team with three victories, four poles and finishes of fifth, fourth and 10th in the points standings.

"Usually teams fall apart when they're not doing well and they're having trouble performing," said Rudd, who has started a NASCAR record 680 consecutive races dating to 1981. "The hardest pill to swallow was that the team, as a group, performed well."

But Robert Yates, whose other driver is 46-year-old Dale Jarrett, saw a chance to plan for the future. He hired 27-year-old Elliott Sadler, who incidentally drove the past four seasons for the Wood Brothers. Yates did not want to run a third car to keep Rudd.

So after one of the most publicized free agencies in Winston Cup history, Rudd, a Virginia native, signed with the Virginia-based Wood Brothers.

"When the stars and the moon all line up, it's your time," co-owner Eddie Wood said.

The Wood Brothers team is among NASCAR's oldest and most storied. Founded in 1950, it has at least one Winston Cup victory in each of the past five decades.

Its list of former drivers includes David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Neil Bonnett, Marvin Panch, Buddy Baker and Jarrett.

The single-car team located in Stuart, Va., nearly two hours north of NASCAR's hub in Charlotte, N.C., enjoyed its greatest success with Pearson, who won 37 races and 47 poles before a less than amicable parting five races into 1979.

the past 20 years several inexperienced drivers used Wood Brothers as a proving ground. Kyle Petty, Jarrett and Elliott Sadler got their first victories and Michael Waltrip won the Winston all-star race in the No. 21.

But Wood Brothers has not had a quality veteran driver since Pearson left.

Until now.

"Back in the '70s with David Pearson, we had the best driver on the racetrack, and it showed," co-owner Len Wood said. "We feel Ricky is one of the best drivers out there right now, so hopefully we can recapture part of our past and get back into the winner's circle, a lot."

During a recent test at Daytona, Eddie Wood spotted for Rudd in a drafting session and was amazed at the depth of feedback Rudd provided in a short amount of time.

"It was almost like I was connected to Ricky," Wood said. "He could feel this, see this, see that. There's so much input that comes from a guy with experience like that. It's like, 'Wow, human telemetry.' When he is in the race car, his legs, his feet, his toes, his hands become part of it."

Though Wood Brothers has an alliance through Ford with Roush Racing's multicar powerhouse, it operates as a single-car team in terms of manpower. Rudd's experience allows the team to be more productive, keeping it from wasting time and resources.

"I don't feel like I'm a fix-all for everything, but they can plug me into the seat and I can tell them what's going on with the car without having to look at a stop watch," said Rudd, who has 23 victories and has finished among the top 10 in points 19 times. "I can pinpoint what needs to be worked on, so the time we spend on these cars won't be spent frivolously going off in the wrong direction."

The Wood Brothers also will benefit from increased support from Ford, which wanted to keep Rudd in its stable of drivers.

In addition to more money from primary sponsor Motorcraft, which enabled Wood Brothers to meet Rudd's salary demands, the team is guaranteed increased engineering help and time in a wind tunnel.

But the greatest benefit is intangible.

"Confidence is everything," Len Wood said. "We want a guy who thinks he can win every week rather than, 'Well we're going to give up this week because I don't run well at Pocono or Indy.' We want a guy who knows he can win every week.

"That's what we've got now."