Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Rudd alert: Veteran to start 700th consecutive race

Friday, July 25, 2003 | 10:02 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Ricky Rudd already holds the title of NASCAR's "Iron Man," having established a record when he started his 656th consecutive Winston Cup race in May 2002.

When he straps himself into the cockpit of the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford for Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway, Rudd, 46, will take his record to another level as he will make his 700th consecutive start in a sport that is not always conducive to such streaks.

Rudd has not missed a Winston Cup race since he took the green flag for the Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway on Jan. 11, 1981, which was his 88th career start.

"It didn't seem like it was that long ago when we first started running the full season," Rudd said as he reflected on his streak. "It wasn't a record you were trying to establish. It just sort of developed over the years.

"I guess looking back at it, you've got to be pretty proud. I've been in every Winston Cup race since 1981 and not everybody can say that."

During his streak, Rudd has accumulated 23 victories and 358 top-10 finishes and has earned more than $30 million. His 23 career victories rank 24th on NASCAR's all-time win list.

Rudd was in jeopardy of losing his streak very early into it, when he flipped violently during the 1984 Busch Clash (now called the Budweiser Shootout) at Daytona International Speedway. Rudd's face was so swollen from the accident that he had to use duct tape to keep his eyes open for the Daytona 500.

"I got wrecked, somebody bumped in the back of me and barely touched me, but turned me sideways and I took a tumble down the front straightaway," Rudd recalled. "I spent the night in the hospital. They wanted me to spend a few more nights but I basically convinced them to let me go early.

"The actual damage I had was torn cartilage in the rib cage. All of the capillaries in my eyes had ruptured from the G-force of swinging your body around. There was just a lot of trauma; face swollen, I was bruised and battered pretty bad. That particular weekend was tough getting back in the car and the next couple weeks in a row were tough... but it wasn't anything other than just some pain to overcome.

Amazingly, Rudd came back and won the next race, at Richmond International Raceway.

Four years later, while driving for team owner Kenny Bernstein, Rudd was involved in a crash during The Winston all-star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway and ended up with torn ligaments in his leg.

"The Charlotte hospital wanted to keep me overnight, operate immediately and re-attach everything," Rudd said. "That would have meant being out of commission and being in a cast for six weeks. I didn't like what I heard and Kenny Bernstein agreed with me (that) he didn't like it so he flew me up to Indianapolis to see Terry Trammell, the guy that puts all the IndyCar guys back together, and he diagnosed the same injury but the treatment was quite a bit different.

"I was on an exercise bicycle the next morning and had a specially built splint for my left leg and I was off and running again. Those two injuries come to mind right away and then you've got your flu bugs and food poisonings. I've been through about two or three different cases of food poisoning over the years but I was fortunate to still be able to drive."

To put Rudd's streak into perspective, third-year driver Kurt Busch of Las Vegas, who has made 56 consecutive starts, would not make his 700th consecutive start until the 15th race of the 2021 season (assuming he makes every race until then and the schedule remains at 36 races).

Although he said he usually does not get caught up in records, Rudd admitted Sunday's start -- in a car that will carry a special paint scheme designed by his 8-year-old son, Landon -- will be special.

"I think 656 starts broke the modern record that Terry Labonte had and I think Richard Petty had it before him," Rudd said. "It was nice to do that but it didn't really do much for me. I think there's something a little bit magical about the number 700; it just sounds like a lot -- 656 doesn't sound like a lot -- but 700 in a row means a lot to me.

"I think the big thing, when I look back, I didn't realize the stats because you're racing and looking forward, but what someone pointed out was that nearly 50 percent of those races were top-10 finishes so I guess I'm kind of more (proud) of that than I am maybe of the number 700."

A former public relations director at tracks in Atlanta, Charlotte, Darlington and Daytona, Latford also ran the media center at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for its inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Busch Series and Winston Cup events from 1996 to 1998.

"Bob had a thorough knowledge and in-depth appreciation of our sport's history," said H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway. "He was a valuable resource in retrospect of that history. As a public relations practitioner, he understood what the media needed and provided it in a concise, accurate manner.

"His passing leaves a giant void that connects our sport's past to the present."

The financially strapped sanctioning body declined to say how much money it would need to raise. The announcement fueled speculation that the publicly traded series would soon be sold. CART last month announced that it had hired an investment banking firm to explore the possibility of selling the series. Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone is believed to be among the interested buyers.

Shares of CART have dropped nearly 30 percent in the past two days and closed at $1.85 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

After finishing third in the season opener in Evansville, Ind., the U-10 flipped after winning its final heat race earlier this month in Madison, Ind., and did not make the final. Dave Villwock and Miss Budweiser lead the driver and boat standings with 280 points. Weber and the U-10 are second on driver and boat points with 241.

The U-10, which usually is sponsored by Emcor, will carry sponsorship from Grand Central Casino for the Pacific Northwest swing of the 2003 Budweiser Hydroplane Series, which begins this weekend in Washington.

The track has been closed since a 5-year-old Las Vegas boy died as a result of injuries he received in a crash on the track's peewee circuit. The primary motocross track has undergone changes to improve rider safety, Motley said.

As reported in the July 10 edition of the Sun, SCORE International officially has announced it has signed a multiyear agreement with the Laughlin Visitors Bureau, Las Vegas Events and the Laughlin Tourism Committee to stage the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge through 2006. The 2004 event will be Jan. 15-18.

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