THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 13, 1995 TAG: 9501130618
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Ricky Rudd still can't believe how his 1994 season, his first as a car owner, came together so quickly and so well.
The first months were so hectic, he has trouble remembering all the details.
``It's almost like it was a dream,'' he said Thursday during the Charlotte Motor Speedway's annual NASCAR Winston Cup media tour. ``I was in a fog because of all the things that had to be done. I probably should have kept a diary of how this whole thing came together.''
Although he was late in finding a crew chief (Bill Ingle didn't come on board until late December 1993), and he nearly failed to qualify for the third race of 1994 at Richmond, Rudd was remarkably consistent as the season wore on.
He finished more miles than any other driver in 1994, won the New Hampshire race in July and finished fifth in the Winston Cup championship. It was the second-best season of his career, topped only by 1991, when he finished second in points.
``It came together a lot quicker than I had anticipated,'' he said.
Rudd's goal for 1995 is to finish in the top three. Naturally, he believes his team is capable of it, and he can cite one solid reason why.
``I think the key to building a championship team is keeping your people together,'' he said. ``We're very fortunate. This past winter, we didn't lose a single person.''
Rudd loves owning his own car, but he said he probably wouldn't have been ready for it before last year.
``I guess in the very beginning, I never saw myself as a businessman,'' he said. ``I'm an outdoors type. I like to play. I didn't know if I could ever take a job serious enough to have the dedication it takes.''
But the burdens of ownership have actually made racing more fun: ``I probably enjoy racing more than I ever have in the past. I spend so much time in the front office, when I finally get into a racing environment, that's my fun, my hobby. That's my escape from the business world. It's like, `Let's go out on the race track and have some fun for a change.' ''
SPENCER SPEAKS: Jimmy Spencer, blunt as always, told the media tour he was feuding with his crew on the very day he won his second race last year - the Pepsi 400 at Daytona on July 2.
``We won some races last year, but the team fell apart in some ways,'' he said, explaining his move from Junior Johnson to the Travis Carter-owned Ford. ``I talked with Junior about it, and I just felt like I had to get back with somebody I could get along with.''
BODINE IN TRUCKS: Geoff Bodine said he plans to run about 10 of the NASCAR Super Truck races this season, filling his off weekends with more racing.
Bodine, sporting a No. 7 earring, said he believes he has a chance to win more races this year than last, when he won three, because he'll be on tires that can win every week.
Last year, he said, his Hoosier tires weren't as good as Goodyear's tires at a number of races.
And with Hoosier's withdrawal, ``now we're on Goodyears like everyone else, and we're going to have a chance to win every race, like everyone else, from Daytona on.''
DAYTONA SPEEDS: Robert Pressley, driving the No. 33 Skoal Bandit Chevrolet, tied Ford's best winter test speed Thursday, reaching 191.898 mph in the final day of a three-day General Motors test at Daytona International Speedway.
Ford driver Dale Jarrett had recorded the same speed - the winter's fastest - on Jan. 6.
Terry Labonte was second fastest Thursday at 190.840 in a Chevy, followed by Ken Schrader at 190.154 in a Chevy, Greg Sacks at 189.873 in a Pontiac and Bobby Labonte at 189.833 in a Chevy. The Fords return for a three-day test on Monday. Grand National cars test Jan. 20 to 22 and the GM cars return for three days on Jan. 23. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Ricky Rudd's first year as a car owner was the second best of his
racing career. He finished fifth in the Winston Cup championship
standings.
by CNB