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 Growing
up in the Tidewater area in eastern Virginia, Ricky Rudd hung around his
father's salvage yard. It was there that he picked up his interest in
mechanics. Tinkering with the old cars, he learned how and why mechanical
things worked.
The area around his home was rife with stock car racing. It was this area which opened the doors to two-time NASCAR champion Joe Weatherly and journeyman driver Bill Champion. It was Bill Champion who picked Ricky to drive his two-year-old Ford in 1975's spring 500-mile race at the North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham. It was a big step for the 18-year-old, but one he wanted to take. So with their permission the racing career began. In his initial venture in NASCAR's major
league, Ricky was able to qualify 26th in a 31-car field. With Champion's
coaching Ricky drove for owners Bud Moore, Kenny Bernstein and Rick Hendrick before forming his own team in 1994.
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and using prior knowledge, Ricky came home 11th. Ricky's big
break came five years later when he was driving the Chevrolet his family owned
and maintained. They went to the fall race at Charlotte and stunned
everyone by qualifying second and finishing fourth. The display got him a
ride with the DiGard team for 1981 where he won three pole positions. The
following season he moved up to Richard Childress' operation. With
Childress, he drove to his first career victory at Riverside's road course in
June 1984.
