A model of racing consistency, Ricky Rudd learned early how to be a winner. He had his first experience behind the wheel when he began racing go-karts at the age of eight in his hometown of Chesapeake, Va. In 1971, his seventh year of go-kart racing, he won the International Karting Federation National Championship at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Ricky raced karts and motocross until he became a Winston Cup driver in 1975. In his first race, in Rockingham, he started in the 26th position and crossed the finish line in an impressive 11th place. Two years later, he was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

In October 1980, a gamble paid off for Ricky when he took an old, family-owned car to Charlotte, N.C., and qualified it on the outside pole, then finished fourth in the race. That exposure earned him a job driving for DiGard in 1981.

Two years later, as a driver for Richard Childress, he won his first NASCAR Winston Cup race in Riverside, Calif. That day was a momentous one, for it was the beginning of a 16-year period in which Ricky won at least one Winston Cup race in each season -- a feat unequaled in Winston Cup driving. In 1992, he emerged as the International Race of Champions (IROC) Series champion. He then became owner and driver of his own NASCAR Winston Cup car from 1994 to 2000.

A rare blend of consistency, leadership, talent and savvy made him a natural for Texaco/Havoline and the Robert Yates Racing team, which he joined in 2000. That year, he finished fifth in the Winston Cup Series points standings, won two poles and a 125-mile qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway and scored 12 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes.

In 2001, he had an excellent season, with wins in Pocono, Pa., and Richmond, Va., as well as 14 top-fives and 22 top-10s and finished the season in fourth place in points -- the 17th time in his career he scored in the top-10. His Pocono victory marked the first victory by the No. 28 Texaco/Havoline car since 1997.

As he enters the 2002 season, Ricky’s illustrious career includes 22 wins, 27 poles, 179 top-five and 344 top-10 finishes.

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