Ricky Rudd

NASCAR Winston Cup Career: 1975-present

A driver with an aptitude for road courses that has excelled at every type of venue, Rudd continued his 16-year streak of winning at least one race every season through the end of the 1998 season. Rudd made the statement that he was contending on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit in 1977 when he won Rookie of the Year honors. Since then, Rudd posted wins for car owners Bud Moore, Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress before making the transition from hired gun to team owner and driver. Rudd's 15th win came at New Hampshire International Speedway in July 1994 and marked a milestone in his career as the first win for Rudd Performance Motorsports, a team he was forced to sell at the end of the 1999 season. He is a three-time winner (1989, '91, '94) of the Sears DieHard Racer Award for completing the most competitive miles in a season.