Late-race tire problem costs Rudd potential win

POCONO, Pa. -- Ricky Rudd might start looking under his chassis for gremlins.

Or, in the case of Sunday's Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway, perhaps some Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs.

For the second consecutive week, Rudd lost a lead -- and a possible victory -- in the day's final moments. This time it happened within 10 laps of the checkered flag, with Rudd out front. A right rear tire suddenly softened, forcing him to shift his focus from fending off teammate Dale Jarrett, to finishing at all.

"We were just sitting there biding our time, you know," Rudd said. "Waiting and watching the laps count down and watching the rearview mirror, and keeping that space with D.J. back there,"

But it wasn't enough. Jarrett took the lead with six laps remaining. Rudd drifted back to fourth, nursing the tire for the best possible points finish. It finally blew with two laps left, banging him into the turn 3 wall, and consigning him to a 17th-place finish instead of a possible top-five.

"That was all I had, and he was driving as hard as he could," Rudd said of Jarrett. "But it looked like we were going to end up there with about a second lead at the end of the race. And it just didn't happen."

Sunday's breakdown followed last week's last-minute disaster at Dover, where a loose wheel cost the then-second-place Rudd a chance to hunt down eventual winner Jimmie Johnson in the final 22 laps. Several weeks earlier at Richmond, a collision with Rusty Wallace had knocked Rudd out of the lead, and out of that race.

"Don't give me a gun to play with right now, and you sure don't want to take me to Las Vegas with you," said Mike McSwain, Rudd's crew chief.

Part of the No. 28 team's frustration stemmed from Sunday's circumstances. Rudd started 43rd because his team changed engines following Saturday practices. He spent much of the race's second half (100 laps) in the top five, and also led the most laps -- three times for 60 laps. Even more aggravating, he was on reasonably fresh tires at the end.

Most of the leaders had pitted after the day's final caution on lap 169, and Rudd, who was leading at the time, emerged fourth after a 13.5-second stop. The new rubber helped him catch then-leader Jeff Burton on lap 179.

"I might could have caught Ricky right at the end, but we were so even," Jarrett said, citing his and Rudd's Robert Yates Racing engines. "I've always said that if you're trying to win a race, the hardest thing to do is try to chase down another Yates engine. I was going to be perfectly happy in finishing second."

But it wasn't to be, a now-familiar refrain to everyone associated with the No. 28. A win might have diverted some attention from Rudd's will-he-or-won't-he retirement saga. And perhaps the only consolation is the Winston Cup points standings. Rudd had entered the day in 10th place; he leaves in eighth place behind leader Sterling Marlin.

"They all sort of run together," said Rudd of his recent, miserable luck. "I guess the good thing is we're up front when we're having trouble, leading races, and just a lot of freak circumstances."