Ricky Rudd:" I hate to predict championships, but we've got to get to that top 10, and I think that is realistic. It's going to be hard, but I feel it is realistic." Credit: Autostock

Q&A: Ricky Rudd

Ricky Rudd has answered questions regarding tracks and races from his fans during 2004. Fans also sent the driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft Racing Taurus a number of general questions this past season. Ricky responds to a number of these for the final "Ask Ricky" column this year.

Q: You have driven Fords most of your career. Do you prefer driving Fords, or is it up to the sponsors, team, etc.?

RICKY RUDD •   Driver Page •   2004 Stats •   Ford Driver's Eye •   Superstore: Rudd gear

Ricky Rudd: Over my career I've driven some different makes of cars and it would have been nice to be able to say that I was going to drive for this team because they have 'X' brand of cars, but I always went to the very best team I could. I've always felt a sense of loyalty to Ford, and a lot of friendships have been developed over the years at Ford.

But there were some hard things to do when I drove for Bud Moore in the mid-, late-'80s, when it came time for me to leave that team and go to Kenny Bernstein's at that particular time in my career. The only negative, or sort of negative, was they ran a different brand of car. And, the driver has to go where he can run his very best and hopefully keep his brand loyalty. As time has gone by, that has sort of changed now, it seems like. It is a little easier to stay loyal to a car brand than it used to be.

Q: If you could change the new point system would you and how?

Rudd: I don't know. This is quite a difference from what we've had over the years. I don't know that I would change anything. I sit back and watch this top 10 cutoff and you feel left out of the Chase, but we had an equal chance to get in there like everybody else. We just didn't get it done. We weren't even close to getting it done when the cutoff mark came.

All we can do is regroup and prepare for next year. I'm kind of waiting to see how this thing unfolds. If you can make that top 10, it's anybody's guess as to who can win the thing. I've finished in the top 10 in points 19 times in my career, and I'm looking back and, certainly with those percentages and odds, we would have won some championships along the way, if we were going by the new system. So, let's wait and see how it works out. I guess if we make the top 10 cutoff next year, then I'll be a fan of it.

Q: Do you miss the days of being an owner/driver?

Credit: Autostock

Rudd: No.

Q: Have you thought about writing an autobiography of your life?

Rudd: I've had several people approach me about it, and I'm not saying that I won't do it, but maybe at some other time. I'm not ready to do that just yet.

Q: Any thoughts of running the paint scheme your son, Landon, designed or having him create another special paint scheme for a race?

Rudd: I really liked that. I like that the sponsor, Motorcraft, gave us the freedom to do that. I didn't realize all that was going on at the time. It was a neat deal the way the whole thing unfolded -- and then surprising me on Totally NASCAR. That was a special moment and I know he got really excited about it. I think that is almost like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because so much goes into that. For a sponsor to give you that kind of opportunity is really nice. To have them give it twice -- I don't think that would happen.

Q: I read that you are a pilot. Do you fly your own plane to and from the track? What kind of planes are you licensed to fly?

Rudd: I'm a multi-engine engine pilot. I'm licensed to fly piston-engine, twin-engine airplanes. I used to fly quite a bit. Now I just fly the twin-engine plane. I've got a lot of time flying the King Air, a King Air 300, which is a turboprop plane. I'm not licensed to fly the jet. I'd have to go to the same school our captain went to. It's a 14-day school to get certified. The requirement hours -- I've got that. I just have to go to school.

I keep saying each year I'm going to go and get my license, and each year I kind of enjoy the little vacation time that we get. Fourteen days in school would be pretty intense training. I kind of use that time to clear my head, but maybe one day. We've got really professional guys flying us and I've learned a lot flying with them. The school is pretty intense, and right now I want to spend that time with my family.

Q: Prior to a race, do you have a favorite food or "good luck" meal that you eat?

Rudd: No.

Q: Do you chew gum or eat snacks of some type during a race? Some drivers have drinks, do you?

Rudd: No, I just try to drink a lot of fluids during the race. And I drink a lot of water to keep hydrated and stuff. Just a habit that I've had since I was a kid; I chew a lot of gum during the race.

Q: You almost missed the field at Atlanta. If that would've happened, would you and the Woods have been able to purchase a ride so your consecutive streak could have continued?

Rudd: I can't answer that. I don't know. I guess that is something to think about. I guess that kind of snuck up on us so quickly that I don't think we were really prepared for it. I don't know what the end results would have been. It was pretty nerve wracking to see that going on. We didn't run a good lap and there were circumstances with Bill Elliott that I didn't realize were going on and with Terry Labonte and the previous champion rule and all that.

It was a lot closer than I had figured it. As far as what would have gone on if it had happened, I guess we would have dealt with that had it happened. We really didn't have a plan in place. I'll say that.

Q: Do you have family that is interested in racing? Like the Pettys, Earnhardts, etc., the Rudd name needs to be carried on.

Rudd: I've got a nephew that has as much talent as probably anybody I've seen out there. He's in his early to mid-20s right now. He's got a super amount of talent, but he doesn't have the backing to get any further than what he has. I guess it is not about what you know, but who you know. They've spent all the money they can. He just hasn't gotten a break.

Rudd with crew chief Michael "Fatback" McSwain Credit: Autostock

I guess his best finish was second in an ARCA race about two years ago out in Kansas. He's got a lot of talent, but he hasn't been out there. It's kind of a Catch 22. You need to be out there running every week to be recognized, and they don't have the budget to do that and hasn't really been lucky enough to find a sponsor to keep him going. I'd like to be able to help him, but we spent quite a bit of money to keep our own team going, and you can't do it on the amount of money we've got. I'll put it that way.

Q: When was the last time a truly "stock" car (not a hand-built chassis) ran in a Cup race?

Rudd: I wouldn't have a clue.

According to Wood Brothers Racing founder Glen Wood: "I'd say it was 1966. We ran the frame that came under the Galaxie then. The Fairlane came out in 1967, and that was a uni-body car. The frame was only from the windshield forward and the back window back. Ralph Moody cut down the Galaxie frame to run under the Fairlane and NASCAR okayed it. Basically, it is the same thing they have today. I'm not sure about the other makes. I only know for sure about the Fords."

Q: With the improved performance since Fatback and Hoyt have joined you, what are the realistic goals and expectations for the 2005 season?

Rudd: I look sort of at the before-Fatback era and the after-Fatback era. I've seen two different reports -- if we erased everything and started from 0 when he showed up, we'd either be seventh in the points or 10th in the points. Again, I've seen two different reports. Our average finishes have been steady enough to keep us in the top 10 in points. And our goal, and I think it is a very realistic goal, and we are going to have to work hard for it -- but I feel like top 10 in the points at the cutoff point is not impossible. I think it is a realistic goal.

I look at the point system that if you make it to the top 10, the way it unfolded this year anybody can win it. The guy that has the least amount of problems, accidents, attritions from motors or whatever, I think if you make the top 10 cutoff, it's anybody's guess at that point. I hate to predict championships, but we've got to get to that top 10, and I think that is realistic. It's going to be hard, but I feel it is realistic.