Rudd would like victory to close out ownership phase of his career

Mike Harris

Friday, Oct. 22, 1999 | 7:56 a.m.

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - The emotions of closing down his own team haven't hit Ricky Rudd, yet.

Right now, Rudd's focus remains on trying to continue the much-publicized string of 16 consecutive years with at least one Winston Cup victory.

Heading into Sunday's Pop Secret Popcorn 400 at North Carolina Speedway, Rudd, who is shutting down the 6-year-old Rudd Performance Racing team to take a ride next season with Robert Yates, has four more chances to get to victory lane as a driver-owner.

"I just know to me it is another race that we are going to try to win," Rudd said. "Even though our team and ownership days are winding down, my biggest thoughts are on the need to win.

"Then, as an owner, I'd like to go out with the win streak from Day One until the last day. There's not many owners that can say they won a race every season. I don't think the emotions of the thing will hit until I'm sitting in the starting lineup for the last race in Atlanta."

The closest the 43-year-old Rudd has come to a win this season is a third-place finish on Aug. 28 in Bristol, Tenn. In fact, that has been his only top-five so far this season.

"We haven't been a dominating car, but we've been a top-five, top-10 car on occasion."

One of the problems Rudd has faced as an owner is constant personnel changes, including crew chief.

Michael McSwain came on as his crew chief midway through the season and has done well enough that Yates decided to bring him with Rudd next season.

"Michael came in and basically inherited a lot of baggage with cars that we had," Rudd said. "We were not up-to-date with the way the cars were built, so he had to be in a rebuilding mode right way.

"Ever since we first started getting his cars in the system, we've run a lot better. We still don't seem to have the finishing results that we should be getting. Some races have slipped away from us. But I think there's been real improvement."

Talking about next season, when he will become a teammate of current Winston Cup points leader Dale Jarrett, gets Rudd excited.

"Right now, I'm kind of looking forward to it winding down," he said. "Ever since July, when it was announced that Tid wouldn't be back (as his team sponsor), it has been a pretty hectic pace.

"Now we're in the shutting-down phase and it's not that simple to shut a business down. There's a lot of extra hours that we've been putting in. It's as detail-oriented and time-consuming as it is to start a business."

The current plans call for Rudd to auction off his race property during Thanksgiving week, although he said there are still three people interested in buying the entire operation.

"If they can come up with the money before the auction, then we can work something out. But I'm looking forward to closing this chapter and starting a new one."

Meanwhile, Rudd, who picked up one of his 20 career wins here in the fall of 1996, likes the 1.017-mile Rockingham oval.

"It's one of those good percentage tracks you look forward to going to because you usually know you are going to do something good here," Rudd said.

Practice and qualifying were scheduled to begin today.