“That one race did more for my career than anything else”: Ricky Rudd shares the emotional story of his NASCAR resurgence

Veteran NASCAR driver and Hall of Famer Ricky Rudd discussed the difficulties he faced early in his career when he was attempting to get more regular in the Cup Series back in the mid-1970s. He struggled with sponsorships, a competitive car, and finances, however, there was one race in 1979 that helped him get on his feet.

Rudd enjoyed a monumental career with NASCAR, that lasted over multiple decades from 1975 to 2007. He holds the most number of consecutive starts in the sport's history at788.

Despite his consistency, there was a point early in his career when Rudd was left behind without a seat. He raced for Donlavey Racing in 1979, piloting the #90 Ford. Despite his competitive results, the team did not continue with Rudd because of sponsorship issues. What followed was a dry spell for the Virginia native as he struggled with finances.

Speaking during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Rudd reminisced about the one race at Charlotte that flipped his career around for good. He discussed the 1980 season when Harry Hyde helped him tune a rented car prior to the start of the October Charlotte race.

"The following year, 1979, I was invited to drive for Donlavey. We had a really good season but [he] had to let me go at the end of the year because we couldn't raise the sponsorship money. There was very little racing the following year, and as a last chance effort Linda and I loaded up the car and took it to Charlotte," the 68-year-old said.

Ricky Rudd then mentioned that his wife Linda also got a part-time job at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and the two continued to prepare for the main race during the practice sessions.

"We rented an old apartment in Canapolis that would be our home for the next 45 days. Linda got a job working at the Charlotte Motors Speedway ticket office to help pay the bills and we ran an open cut practice session a week prior to the October Charlotte race. While at that practice, Harry Hyde a legend of the sport asked if he could roll under my car and take a look. He knew there was more speed in that car," Ricky Rudd said.

Rudd ran that race in the car and managed to finish fourth in the race, which helped him to get back on the track in his career. He expressed his gratitude towards Hyde for getting his car ready without any charge and stated that that race in Charlotte did more for his career than any other.

"Harry offered to take the take the car over to his shop and get it ready for that upcoming race at Charlotte. But I told Harry I didn't have any money to pay him. He said 'don't worry about that, I got it covered'. I'll never forget the work that Harry did on that car that week. Because the car we gave back the car that Harry gave back to us, it was able to qualify on the outside pole and we finished fourth in one of the biggest races of the year. That one race did more from our career than anything else," the 68-year-old said.

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Ricky Rudd shares positive outlook after 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction

Ricky Rudd is part of the Class of 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction alongside Carl Edwards. While the two only shared the field for a short period of time considering Rudd's monumental career, they became a major influence in the sport.

Speaking on his induction, Rudd mentioned that it was the highlight of everything he achieved in his long career, he stated.

"It's something special. I don't know how to word it because it is special, and you realize that. I've been fortunate to win some races but to me, this is the highlight of everything.

Ricky Rudd raced for teams like Richard Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. Adding to that list, is his own team called Rudd Performance Sports, with whom he won six races. All in all, the American amassed 23 race victories in the Cup Series, with his best performance being finishing as the runner-up in 1991, 195 points behind Dale Earnhardt.

Ricky Rudd also competed in three races in the Xfinity Series during the 1980s, with his only victory coming at the 1983 Sportsman 200, which took place at the Dover Motor Speedway.