Tough. As. Nails.
There is no other way to describe Ricky Rudd.
Known as NASCAR’s Ironman for more than a decade, the Virginia native held the Cup Series record for consecutive starts (788) before Jeff Gordon broke it in 2015. His 906 series starts rank second to Richard Petty’s 1,185.
During his 32-year Cup Series career, Rudd posted 23 wins, 194 top fives, 374
top 10s (seventh all-time) and 29 poles. One of the few successful driver /
owners in the modern era, Rudd won six races for his Rudd Performance
Motorsports team he operated from 1994-99, including the 1997 Brickyard 400.
Rudd, the 1977 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, earned a best points finish of
second in 1991. He scored at least one win in 16 consecutive seasons (1983-
98), which is tied for the third-longest streak in Cup Series history.
In 1998, Rudd was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.
