Ricky Rudd’s two years with Richard Childress Racing (1982-83)
Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).
Why? 1981 was a breakout year for the well-travelled Rudd, who finished sixth in points. However, his DiGard team chose to sign veteran Bobby Allison, leading to Rudd moving to Richard Childress Racing’s #3 car, where he replaced Dale Earnhardt.
How successful were they? Rudd took the RCR car to its first two wins in his second year, posting a pair of 9th place points finishes in the process. Considering that RCR was a small independent team prior to 1981, this was a major step up in performance.
What was the aftermath? Richard Childress went back to Dale Earnhardt Sr. for 1984, while an angry Rudd moved to Earnhardt’s old ride at Bud Moore Engineering. While the Earnhardt-Childress combo would go on to win six Cup championships, Rudd would become something of a journeyman.
Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 6 pairs of Wrangler jeans washed in Tide out of 10—not only was this the spark for the Earnhardt-Rudd feud, but it made Rudd one of only four people EVER to drive the RCR #3 car on a regular basis.
www.spaderacing.com updated four times weekly
Visit the store https://www.cafepress.com/spaderacing
Buy the book 100 Stock Car Racing What Ifs Unauthorized
A MOXOC Media production