Except for the emotional aspect, the blood, sweat, and equity, of giving up ownership, Rudd calls his decision to join Yates a no-brainer. "It's just a super honor and wonderful opportunity to drive the #28 Texaco Havoline Ford," he says. Rudd, who ranked in the top 10 in points every year save one from 1979 to 1997, wants to win a championship in the worst way. At 43, he realizes time is running out. A major factor in his decision was to step into a ride that's already championship caliber.
The timing was near perfect. Yates, having opted for rookie Kenny Irwin two years ago, sought an experienced driver this time. Irwin, who has replaced Joe Nemechek at Sabco Racing, did a good job for a yearling, but his performance didn't meet the lofty expectations of Yates and Texaco. Surely they considered the probability that he wasn't ready for a ride of that caliber. Given that rookies rarely win-not everyone is a Tony Stewart-in the first two or three years, it appears that Irwin was shortchanged.
Yates disagrees. "Kenny needed experience, and we gave him that, but it was too much to expect him to be successful in two years," Yates says. "We expected to be better than we were." Yates and Rudd do agree that Irwin will be a winner and has a bright future.
There is every reason to believe that Dale Jarrett and Yates' '99 Winston Cup champion #88 team, led by Todd Parrott, is capable of repeating in 2000-if Yates hiring five members of Jeff Gordon's specialized, over-the-wall pit crew means anything. The Ford Quality Care team has amazed with 18 victories and a first, second, and two thirds in the championship standings in its four-year existence.
But Yates' original #28 hasn't been a championship contender since mid-1994, a bid that ended when driver Ernie Irvan received near-fatal injuries in a crash. Before that misfortune, Davey Allison, who probably would have been Yates' driver forever, was killed in the crash of the helicopter he was flying. Irwin debuted in #28 with a splendid third in the '98 Daytona 500 but faded to two other top fives in two years. Yates is counting on Rudd to return the car to the front. "We need to win some races," Yates says.
Rudd believes that wins and a top-five in points are realistic for year one. "If I don't do that, I'll probably be looking for a job," he says. "However, I firmly believe the tools are there." With the input available from teammates Jarrett and Parrott, Rudd won't rule out a championship.
Rudd doesn't believe the owner/driver concept is necessarily dead, but he quickly adds that proper funding, multicars, and the right circumstances would be imperative.