Chevy American Revolution 400 - Ricky Rudd Notes

RICKY RUDD ON NIGHT RACING: "Actually, it's better because you don't have glare to deal with."

NASCAR goes to Richmond International Raceway this week, and Ricky Rudd, driver of the #21 Motorcraft Racing Ford Taurus, answers questions from his fans about racing the popular three-quarter mile track.

Does night racing make it any harder to hit your marks and judge distance between cars than a day race? "No, the light systems we have at all these race tracks are so good it's just like running under daylight skies. Actually, it's better because you don't have glare to deal with. That can sometimes bother you a little bit when the sun starts to set at a certain angle it can kind of upset your line of sight and your vision. For me, I prefer nighttime racing over daytime."

Will the new tire change the setup from last year, or do you change setups each year anyway? "Right now all of these teams are running what I call kind of crazy setups compared to what they were running a year ago, two years ago. For sure, the notebooks that worked a year or so ago are obsolete now. I will be able to answer that question after our test. We're not really sure what we are going to run now. Things are different now. They seem to change weekly. We'll probably use last year's setup to start, but a lot of things are changing because of the aerodynamics. The teams are becoming more educated on aerodynamics and this is a trend that has been going on for about the last five years. Now, the aerodynamics are dictating what springs you put in the car. That never really was a consideration in the past. The aero downforce on the car is directly related to the type of springs you put in the car. A lot of this is learned in the 40 percent scale models the teams have access to."

Is the preferred setup loose or tight there? "Richmond is going to have new pavement and that will allow you to run a pretty free race car there. Whichever way is fastest. We don't look at just short runs or qualifying. We look at long runs and sometimes loose is faster for a few laps, but when you get to lap 20 it is quite a bit slower. That is one reason we test. Some are tighter. Some are looser. We let the watch dictate what we need to do."

What kind of rpm and speeds do you run there? "Probably a little over 9,000, 9,300, 9,400. Speeds, I don't know. They will probably be pretty quick with the new pavement, but I'm not sure of the mph. I'd be guessing."

Are brakes a major factor at Richmond or do you lift a lot in the corners there? "Brakes can be an issue. You can beat yourself by not treating brakes seriously at Richmond. They are nowhere near the issue they are at Martinsville, but most of these cars have adjustable brake bias - how much you run to the front and how much you run to the rear. If you don't pay attention to it you end up with too much front brake. You'll see a lot of the guys toward the end of the race the front brake rotors will be glowing red. They can get that hot. So, you have to pay attention to that at Richmond. You just have to make sure you don't have the weight balanced to the front or the rear for that matter. You pretty much know after practice."

Is Richmond an easy track for you? "It's a fun track. I like Richmond because it is unique. It is a three-quarter mile track where you can run some pretty decent speed. But you're not too fast with these cars. A lot of places they can't run nose to tail without pushing. You don't have that at Richmond. When you talk about aero push, it is not an issue at Richmond. You've got an inside groove and an outside groove. It's a fun track to drive. If you end up having a mechanical problem or pitted out of sequence you can drive your way back to the front. It takes a few laps for the traffic to thin out after a restart. It tends to jam up, but after a little while it spreads out and if you've got a car that can do something you can start moving to the front."

After last year's confrontation with Kevin Harvick at Richmond, have you two spoken yet (besides the weekend after), and has he apologized to you yet? "That incident was over and done with a year ago. Have we spoken? We aren't the best of friends, but when we pass each other we say hello."

Also, considering your late track record with Harvick at this track over the last 2-3 years, do you think anything will escalate between the two of you this time around? "I don't see it escalating. You just don't know how a race is going to turn out when you get late in the race. We're both pretty intense, but hopefully we won't get together again."

You have more top-five finishes at Richmond than at any other track. What will it take to get another top-five added to your stats this week? "You just have to have your car together. It has to be good in the corners and you have to have staying power. And, at Richmond you need a little luck to get to the end of the race, to stay out of some of the wrecks they have there."

You have a huge fan following at Richmond. Does this inspire the team to work harder on the car and you as the driver to perform better? "We do have a huge fan following at Richmond. I think that is because we grew up not too far from there. And the association from when I drove for Junie Donlavey. They sort of adopt you in that town when you drive for Junie. It's been a long time since I drove for Junie, but we picked up a lot of fans then and they have stayed loyal to us. And, we've run well at Richmond so that helps to bring the fans out. But there were a lot of people we went to school with and you know them or somebody they know from back in Chesapeake. A lot of those people are there. There is a little extra pressure to do well. You always want to do well. We'll go there to test. We feel that it is important enough to use one of our test dates."

Was your win at Richmond the week following your Daytona wreck your favorite? "Yeah, that still has to be one of the fond memories. After having such a tough week at Daytona, and then being able to come back. First of all, to come out and win any race is great, but considering the previous week it was kind of like the highs and the lows all in one seven-day period. So I'd say that is one of my favorite race wins over the years."