Was released awhile ago, that my favorate Nascar driver since 1975 Yes I've followed Ricky for 31 years, has returned to Yates for another go around, Ricky started back in 1975 in the Bill champion car, Ricky then in 1976, 77, 78 was in his fathers Al Rudd Auto Part car # 22, I could go on but it might bore ya,
My cousins were big and still are Nascar fans, They followed the King Richard Petty, so I wasnt allowed to pick him, so at 13 years old we were listening to a race on the radio and talking about who i should pick and my cousin suggested Ricky Rudd a new Driver and was doing pretty well, so Ricky it was and have followed him ever since, Still a Harvick # 29 fan, but Ricky's back so all is good.
COMMON DAYTONA............ <img src="/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif" alt="" />
Together again
By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! SportsRudd's new ride. (Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ricky Rudd and Robert Yates parted ways in far from amicable fashion at the end of the 2002 season, and there was only one way that the duo would ever work together again.
When hell froze over.
The dissolution of their racing marriage was almost as ugly as the current battle playing out between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, with charges and counter-charges of who did what and who was wrong.
"The last half [of 2002] wasn't real pleasant," Rudd said Tuesday during the second day of preseason testing here at Daytona International Speedway. "The unfortunate thing is we were on the verge of probably winning [a] championship.
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"We were [competitive] before this thing blew apart. That was the sad thing."
About the only thing Rudd and Yates ultimately agreed on by the end of the '02 season was that their relationship was irreparably broken and they needed to go their separate ways.
But fate had a funny way of continually bringing them back together. In the pits, in the garage, at various racing and social functions, they'd bump into each other more often than Dale Earnhardt Jr. bump-drafts opponents on the race track.
Each time Yates would nod and acknowledge Rudd, ask him how he was doing, and Rudd would do the same in return. They went from not talking to, at the very least, being cordial to each other.
Gradually, as things got bad for Yates' organization and Rudd started to get the itch to return to racing after taking the 2006 season off, the pair began to act like a divorced couple that had second thoughts about whether they did the right thing in walking out on each other.
First, they rekindled their friendship. Then they started talking about a future together again.
And then, a few weeks ago, after both realized life is too short to hold a grudge and that they were truly better together than apart, Rudd and Yates once again took the plunge together, hitching up each one's future with the other.
The reason for reunification was really pretty simple.
"Time has gone by," Rudd said. "I think after leaving and looking from the outside-in, there were a lot of things that were right about [the relationship]. There were a few things wrong, but there were a lot more things that were right.
"I think Robert sat back and evaluated it and he sort of came up with the same conclusion, to let bygones be bygones and let's work for the future. We had something that did click [once], let's see if we can't get it back."
And with that, hell indeed had frozen over.
Not that such reconciliations are completely unheard of.
"You have some pretty bitter spats with your brothers and sisters over the years and say, 'I'm never talking to them again. I won't call 'em. I'm not even going to the Thanksgiving deal get-together we've had for all these years. That's how mad I am,'" Rudd said.
But then, with a smile on his face, Rudd added, "all of a sudden a little time goes by and the next thing you know everything is back to normal again. That's kind of how I put this."
And now Yates and Rudd embark upon at least a two-year marriage (the length of Rudd's new contract), but the 50-year-old driver has no preconceived notions about instant success in the coming season as he replaces Dale Jarrett in the No. 88 car.
"I'm not going to fix it by myself, obviously," he said. "But I feel like I can bring some tools to the team that can help benefit them."
Yet at the same time, Rudd still has hopes of adding to the 23 career Cup wins he already has, and even qualifying for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
"I would not have taken this job if I thought we were going to go out there to run 10th or 15th or 25th every week," Rudd said. "I know there are a lot of people out there predicting that we won't make the top 30 or whatever it is, but I've always enjoyed the challenge and like proving people they're wrong."
He's already doing that, as Rudd was the fourth fastest (183.872 mph) in Tuesday's morning session and sixth (186.312 mph) in the afternoon period at Daytona.
"I feel like I'm kind of needed here," said Rudd, whose job will also include serving as mentor to teammate David Gilliland. "They've got some work to do and I feel like I can contribute and make it a better race team."
He's already done that by simply forgiving, forgetting and coming back.
Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski is Yahoo! Sports' NASCAR columnist. Send Jerry a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
Updated on Tuesday, Jan 9, 2007 7:02 pm EST
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