Don't even mention the idea of retirement to 62-year-old Joe Ruttman. He prefers to call the last five years away from the Craftsman Truck Series a "hiatus."

"You never heard the R word come out of my mouth because I've still got the desire, my health is still good," said Ruttman, who will drive a limited schedule for Bobby Hamilton Racing this season, starting at Kansas Speedway. "I'm sure my reactions are a little bit slower, my eyesight's not as good as it was at one time but hell, that could be an advantage.

"You have to play to your strengths. I truly have never had a legitimate job. It's scary facing the possibility that I might have to be a greeter at Wal-Mart or something. Nothing wrong with that, but I wasn't ready for that yet."

Consider that only a handful of today's drivers were even alive in 1963 when Ruttman, a native of Upland, Calif., made his NASCAR debut as an 18-year-old at nearby Riverside International Raceway.

More than four decades later, when getting to the pharmacy and back is a big adventure for most people his age, Ruttman can't think of anything better to do with his life than climb back into a racecar at 190 mph.

"I don't golf, I don't fish, I'm too old to chase women," Ruttman said. "Racing has been my life.

"I've always been movitated because my interest has been and always will be racing. You could cut my head open and springs and motors and chassis and aero would come out. That's my whole life."

Ruttman said even during his time away from the series, he kept track of what was going on.

"Whether it's watching a race and trying to figure out why one team is better than the other, why one driver is better than the other, that's never gone away," he said. "Whether I'm watching it on TV or at the racetrack, talking to the guys at the shop, that's always been my interest and I don't ever see that changing."

When BHR began looking for a driver who could fill in for Ken Schrader at standalone races this season, it seemed like a perfect situation for Ruttman, the younger brother of Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman. His desire to race was still there, even though his 13th and last CTS victory came at Pike's Peak in the 2001 Jelly Belly 200.

"We're both in the Nashville area, BHR and myself," Ruttman said. "When Bobby's death came along, it kind of rekindled the friendship that I had on the team from prior years of being with him. That's what piqued our interest in deciding that maybe we could work something out."

If anything, Ruttman is grateful for the opportunity to get back on the track again.

Ruttman in 18 Dodge

Joe Ruttman spent his last three full seasons with Bobby Hamilton Racing and won five races with the team.

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"There's no guarantee of tomorrow," he said. "I think if I would have an advantage, it would be that I realize that you've got to grasp the moment.

"I think when you're younger, you just say, 'I've got tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.' I realize every tomorrow is a blessing in my case. I embrace that 100 percent."

If Ruttman had his druthers, Kansas wouldn't be his choice of places to make his comeback. Still, Ruttman said the secret to running well anywhere is as simple as the definition of "chassis neutral."

"What that means to me is when you enter the corner, when you turn the steering wheel, you want the front to turn and you want the rear to follow," Ruttman said. "In other words, you don't want the back end trying to pass you and you don't want to turn the wheel and the thing want to go straight.

"You hope to go off in the corner at the bravest speed you can and you want both ends of the vehicle to be in control. No matter what track you're at, that's the key to winning and losing races."

It wouldn't be surprising if Ruttman's somewhat rusty right off the bat, but at the same time, he knows the expectations that are being placed on him. With 111 top-10 finishes in 168 truck races, Ruttman is used to running near the front.

"The one thing everyone questions is how well you're going to perform," he said. "I realize that as well as anybody because I've been in this sport longer than anybody that's breathing right now. It's a performance sport, and if I don't perform, I'm out.

"So do I realize the importance of every opportunity? You better believe I do. I'm going to give it 110 percent and let the chips fall where they may. I've got the capability of performing at the level I need to perform at. Now I just have to go out and back up those big words and perform."