Rudd finally finds Victory Lane at Pocono
By Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive
June 18, 2001
10:43 AM EDT (1443 GMT)
LONG POND, Pa. -- Ricky Rudd, who has been so close to victory so many times since joining Robert Yates Racing in 2000, finally put the famed No. 28 Ford into Victory Lane on Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
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Rudd is the second driver in as many races to win from the pole.
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Taking the lead from RYR teammate Dale Jarrett on lap 176 of the 200 lap event, Rudd earned his 21st career win, snapping an 88-race winless streak.
It was a flip-flop of last week's event at Michigan, where Rudd was chasing point-leader Jeff Gordon. Gordon held on and won the race. Fast forward one week later, and it was Rudd holding off a late charging Gordon in the flame-adorned No. 24 Chevrolet.
The last time the No. 28 was in Victory Lane was in 1997, with Ernie Irvan behind the wheel at Michigan.
Rudd's last victory was at Martinsville in September 1998. He almost snapped the streak there earlier this year until getting passed by Jarrett with five laps left.
His '98 win occurred with a failed cooling system on his No. 10 Tide-sponsored car. Totally exhausted and blistered, he fell out of the car and did the victory interview while lying down.
The driver who went 16 consecutive seasons with at least one trip to Victory Lane, had been winless since that time. Utilizing his Bud Pole Award starting position, patience and horsepower, the Chesapeake, Va., native puts himself back into the winner's circle.
More importantly, it was his first win with his RYR team since climbing into the No. 28, made famous by the likes of Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan and Jarrett, who drove the No. 28 to victory at Pocono in 1995.
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This is Rudd's first win since Martinsville in 1998.
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The battle for the lead came about while Jarrett was trying to put Dale Earnhardt Jr. a lap down. As they got side-by-side heading into Turn 2, Rudd saw the opening and made his move inside.
He passed both of them and held off Gordon for the checkered flag.
"We kept sizing (Jarrett) up," a happy Rudd said in Victory Lane. "Early in the race, we didn't have much for him. We kept adjusting the car and the chassis. I got to sizing him up and could see I was beating him in Turn 1 pretty bad.
"I got side-by-side and drove down to the inside and made it three wide. I looked up and saw daylight and said, 'Man, that's what I want to see.' Eighty-eight races, that's a good number for Yates Racing and it worked out to be the day for us."
Gordon, who led 86 laps, started to mount a surge with four laps to go.
"We did everything we possibly could to try and win this race," Gordon said. "Sometimes you just can't control when the cautions come out and when they don't. Unfortunately that got us behind and we played catch up the rest of the day.
"It's one thing holding off those Yates cars, it's another thing trying to pass them. Ricky drove a great race and made the moves for the win when he got into a three-wide with Dale Jr. He was gone after that."
Rudd had been the scrutiny of questions asking why he hadn't won yet with such a successful team.
"This certainly makes it easier not having to explain why you finished second and third," he replied. "I like this."
After Brett Bodine's No. 11 Ford came to rest on the entrance to pit road on lap 120, bringing out a caution, Jarrett took the lead coming off pit road, with Rudd and Gordon following.
Jarrett led five times for 62 laps. His encounter with Earnhardt Jr may have cost him the race, but Jarrett felt otherwise.
"He did his job, he did what he's supposed to do," Jarrett said. "He's got a good racecar, they weren't getting the fuel mileage they wanted and that got them a lap down. He got that hope, especially on a restart, that he can stay out front there.
"It could have cost me, but then again, I don't know. I wouldn't put it on that. Ricky had a really good car and I don't know if I could have held him off."
Rounding out the top 10 were Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Ken Schrader and Jeff Burton.
On lap 157, rookie driver Casey Atwood lost the motor in his No. 19 Dodge. It was a tough break for the Ray Evernham-owned machine after running in the top 10 for part of the race, and top 15 for a large portion of it. The incident also caused a recalculation of fuel mileage as teams on the lead lap were able to pit for enough gas and fresh tires to finish the race.
What could have potentially been a devastating multi-car crash on lap 53 turned into a spin fest with body-only damage to a handful of the 14 cars involved. As Brett Bodine came out of Turn 2, his No. 11 Ford's back end broke loose and sent him into multiple 360-degree spins.
His car spun on the track surface gliding toward the infield grass. Those who were behind him spun or dove low to avoid contact. They hit the muddy and soggy grassy area, made that way by heavy downpours overnight, sending mud and grass flying.
Ward Burton's No. 22 and John Andretti's No. 43 Dodges got the worst of it.
"I don't know what happened," Andretti said. "Everybody started crossing in front of me. I slowed down but I had been hit so much in the back that I didn't stop. I should have just stopped and that would have been good enough. But, I didn't and got involved in another deal."
All drivers drove away from the incident that brought out the race's fifth caution.
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