Siemens 300 - Ricky Rudd Notes

TIRE MANAGEMENT AND PIT STRATEGY KEY AT NEW HAMPSHIRE

Ricky Rudd - #21 - Motorcraft Racing Ford Taurus answers fan questions on racing at New Hampshire International Speedway and paint schemes for the remainder of the 2004 season.

What is the best race strategy? "New Hampshire has been a good track for us over the years. I've never seen a track that over the years has been more critical on pit strategy , tire management and tire strategy than you have at New Hampshire. Once you get racing, out of a 43-car field, 40 cars are running at virtually the same speed, and three cars seem to be a little faster than the rest. And then it's down to pit cycling - when to get two and when to get four. Track position is very, very important. I've seen a lot of good cars not get the finish they deserved and I've seen some cars that didn't run that well get a finish much better than they should have. It's one of those tracks that can be frustrating for drivers and teams because of that."

Where is the best place to pass at Loudon? "As far as the passing situation goes, most of the passing is done on the inside there. You get a run on somebody coming off the corner, you get a little more speed than they do on the exit and you get your nose up in their door area, and generally if you can accomplish that, then the bottom of the race track is the place to be. And, usually you take that position."

How has the track changed over the years? "At one time, New Hampshire was a track when they built it where you could race side by side. It seems like the last time we were there, you could race side by side again a lot easier than we could in years past. I think the big thing about New Hampshire, the last time we raced there, is that the asphalt stayed down. That was a first in many years."

Does anyone shift at New Hampshire? "It's happened over the years. Some teams have. I haven't. It must have been in the early days of the track that they tried doing some shifting there. In recent years, nobody that I know of has shifted there.

Do you still use restrictor plates there? "No, we only ran those one race, I think.

Is the red white and gold car going to be your main paint job for the rest of the year? "We'll have several paint schemes before the year is out. We are going to race the Rent-A-Center scheme and the Air Force scheme again. We'll have the Wonder Woman car from the Justice League at the Michigan race next month, and we'll have the red Motorcraft car again. So it will be a mixture between now and the end of the year."