Yates miffed by driver rumors, pit miscue

DOVER, Del. -- Robert Yates didn't know Sunday afternoon whether to be more upset about a late pit miscue that cost driver Ricky Rudd a potential victory in the MBNA Platinum 400 or driver change rumors that threaten his championship contending team.

	Robert Yates

Rudd, who came into the race ninth in points -- 280 behind leader Sterling Marlin -- was confronted Saturday at Dover International Speedway with continuing rumors that he would be replaced in the seat of his No. 28 Havoline Ford by Elliott Sadler in 2003.

Rudd has stated that he would give team owner Robert Yates a definite answer on his plans by July 15. On Saturday, he was upset at the potential disruption to his team's championship hopes after they finished fifth and fourth in Rudd's two previous years with Yates.

"What should he be upset for?" Yates said. "It's his ride, it's his deal and his date is July 15th. That's maybe the only thing that could upset him, maybe people not knowing what the deal is.

"That's ridiculous. The last thing I want to do is screw up something (that's going pretty well)."

Sunday, that unrest wasn't much apparent as Rudd and his teammate, No. 88 UPS Ford driver Dale Jarrett, spent most of the day in the top-10 and were both in the top six with less than 20 laps remaining.

But then the day came apart for crew chief Michael McSwain, the driver and the owner. Rudd had led from lap 308 to lap 362, opting in that stretch to stay out when all the other leaders took tires. However, on the final caution, with 28 laps left, he pitted to take four new Goodyears.

He restarted fourth with 22 laps remaining and had charged to second, less than two seconds behind Johnson, when with less than 10 laps left, he had to pit.

"We had a loose wheel on a pit stop and had to come back in to change tires," Rudd said. "This is a good race team (but) it seems like we always get these little deals that bite us when we've got a chance to win."

Ricky Rudd finished 19th. Credit: Autostock

Since Martinsville last season, the Yates Racing team has been baffled by a number of pit miscues that have cost both Jarrett and Rudd potential victories.

After exiting his car at Dover, Rudd hustled between two transporters and back to his motor coach without visiting his team's hauler.

"I don't know what to say," he said. "It's just bad luck, I guess."

"That sucks (but) it's a lot better to give it away that way than to have a terrible running car," Yates said. "It hurts. I've messed up with jacks, air wrenches and gas cans and that guy suffers. I mean, everybody suffers but that individual -- or the team that's on that deal -- they suffer big-time.

"It happens and that's why you don't need to bet on who's gonna win. That's all part of it -- the human element -- that's why our sport is so good. It depends on a lot of players. Once in a while there's the agony of defeat."

"We had a good car here last year and Rusty (Wallace) took us out of that (but) we took ourselves out of it today," McSwain said. "You have days like that. I wish we hadn't lost a lap, but we did so what are you going to do?

"It was a great effort by the team and a great effort by Ricky. I guess we'll take it home again, clean it up, cover it up, put a new motor in it and come back and try again."

Rudd said the firestorm of media speculation that Elliott Sadler would replace him in the No. 28 disgusted and upset him.

"I hated to see one stupid move one driver makes screw up two race teams," Rudd said. "This way, we've got a chance to let Robert Yates make his decision."

The team owner, who was not available for comment Saturday when Rudd's pique was exposed, said that, in his opinion, statements of Rudd's demise were premature. He said the team's focus would not be a problem.

"Certainly," Yates said. "I never hung out the vacancy sign so they shouldn't be getting on my butt about that. I've got a lot of mouths -- a lot of people -- to feed. Ricky earns every bit of what he does -- he earns his date and he can say he's in the driver's seat, literally, in both situations (and) we're not upset with that.

"The only thing I've told him is if you plan to do something like go to Australia or something just let us know. We'll see. The date is the 15th of July and I hope we don't have any more bad pit stops."

At the end of the day Rudd unofficially sat in 10th in the standings, 293 points behind leader Sterling Marlin, who finished 13th.

"We're still positive," Yates said. "We could race 'em tomorrow and beat 'em."