Race Like a Dream for Rudd

The first time Ricky Rudd saw Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he was a 15-year-old go-kart racer. It was 1971 and the teenager from Virginia won the national karting championship a few miles east of the Speedway, at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

“We came a little early and our registration was right over where the Brickyard Crossing [Resort and Inn] is now,” he said. “We took the tour, we went around the track on the bus, we went to the museum and everything.

“I thought that someday I would race here, but I had no idea it would be in a stock car. At that time I was dreaming of racing an Indy car. And I sure had no idea I would come here and win.”

Rudd, after winning the fourth Brickyard 400 Saturday, said he got nearly as much satisfaction from his slow drive down pit lane as he did in taking the checkered flag.

“I think every crew member out there on pit road came by and gave me a high-five as I was coming to Victory Lane. That really means something special when you’ve got your competitors who want to see you win. I guess everybody likes an underdog, and I guess that’s what we were.”

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Mike Skinner is a Winston Cup rookie from Susanville, Calif., who was racing trucks until Richard Childress tabbed him to be Dale Earnhardt’s teammate on the Winston Cup circuit this year.

In his first start at Indy, he led eight laps.

“It was so awesome leading that race, I thought I was going to wreck,” he said. “Every time I came by that tower I’d look up there and see my number at the top of the board. I almost forgot to turn left.”

Skinner was also in a last lap stampede, moving up from 14th to finish ninth.

“I thought I was back at Caraway Speedway [short track in Asheboro, N.C.] on that last lap. We were right in the middle of it. At first, I thought they were all crazy. Then I saw two or three guys sliding around, so I went down in the grass and passed them. Next thing I knew, I was passing a couple more guys. Everybody was doin’ stupid stuff.”

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Jeff Gordon’s third-place finish helped him extend his lead over Mark Martin in the Winston Cup race from 64 to 79 points. Defending Cup champion Terry Labonte, who started the day in third place, dropped to fourth after finishing a disappointing 39th. Dale Jarrett moved into third, 84 points ahead of Labonte.

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Dale Earnhardt, now 46 races into the longest losing streak of his career, was a discouraged figure after finishing 29th.

“I really don’t know what to say,” commented the seven-time Winston Cup champion. “We tested here for six days, and I thought we were ready for the race. I guess we weren’t.”