Ricky Rudd Returns To RYR
Ricky Rudd will reunite with his former employer RobertYates
From 2000 to 2002, Ricky Rudd was one of the most consistent drivers on the NASCAR circuit as he finished 5th, 4th, and 10th respectively in the championship standings.
All three of those campaigns were spent driving for Robert Yates Racing.
After he tersely departed the organization after the 2002 season, Rudd’s career hit a downward spiral while driving for the Wood Brothers. In his three seasons with the single-car operation, Rudd finished 23rd, 24th, and 21st in the championship standings.
After the 2005 season, Rudd opted to step away from the 38-week grind and spend more time with his family. In fact, his only time behind the wheel was as a substitute for the injured Tony Stewart at Dover in June, and some intermittent testing.
But in 2007, Rudd will reunite with his former boss Robert Yates five years after their not-so-friendly break-up. He will be sponsored by Snickers along with other various brands of Masterfoods USA. Despite the success that Rudd and Yates enjoyed together throughout the early 2000’s, things turned ugly at Richmond in September of 2002 when a team member, Larry Lackey, took a swing at Rudd after the race. Rudd retaliated by throwing a water bottle back at Lackey. This scuffle was an upshot of comments Rudd had made earlier that week apparently regarding the team’s performance.
After Rudd’s emigration, Robert Yates Racing began to hit some bumpy roads as well, only accruing four wins since.
Rudd will pilot the fleet of cars that Dale Jarrett recently vacated, and it appears that the number 88 will be switched to 28, the number that personified Rudd while he was with RYR.
It is refreshing to see that Rudd and Yates were able to let bygones be bygones, however, this latest convergence will unlikely generate the same success as the previous. Back in 2000, Robert Yates Racing was fresh of a championship season, and was straightforwardly one of the top three organizations. Yates’ decision to bring Rudd back was astute; as he did what all intelligent Nextel Cup owners should do, select the best driver available.
Who knows, maybe Rudd can do what Jeff Burton did for Richard Childress Racing.
