2000 Ford Taurus NASCAR Coupe

Ricky Rudd was born on September 12th of 1956 in Norfolk County, Virginia. Much like many others that would later enter the NASCAR circuit, Rudd began racing as a teenager in go-karts and motocross. When he was 18 he attempted stock car racing, making his NASCAR debut at North Carolina Speedway in 1975, driving the $10 Ford for family friend Bill Champion. He qualified in 26th place and managed an 1tth place finish despite running fifty-six laps down. By 1977, he was racing in the NASCAR series full time, driving the $22 for his father. He was awarded with 'Rookie-of-the-Year' honors after claiming one top-five and ten top-tens in a total of 25 starts. His career would earn him 14 victories and the 1992 International Race of Champions (IROC) Title. In 1994 he started his own team with sponsorship from Tide. His car was the #10. During his first year as team owner, he earned a win at New Hampshire International Speedway and would finish the season in the top-five in championship point standings.

In August of 1997, at Indianapolis, he became the first owner/drive to win the Brickyard 400. His racing career would earn him a spot as one of NASCAR's top-50 Greatest Drivers of all time. He ended his run as a team owner in 1999 having posted six wins for Rudd performance Motorsports.

For the 2000 racing season, Rudd joined team owner Robert Yates as the driver of the #28 Ford. Over the next three years, Rudd would finish in the top-ten in championship points during all three years and scoring three wins, 26 top-five and 41 top-ten finishes. Over his total 16 year NASCAR seasons, Rudd was in victory lane at least once during every season.

Along with his racing victories, he was also a true athlete. He was nicknamed NASCAR's 'Ironman' after starting an astonishing 656th consecutive career start at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

At the end of the 2002 season, Rudd left Robert Yates Racing (RYR). Yates changed the #28 car to the #38 in honor of Rudd - essentially, retiring the number.

This Ford Taurus Ricky Rudd Stock Car was constructed in the late 1990s by Robert Yates Racing and later updated to 2000 Winston Cup rules and dimensions. It competed during the 1998 season with several top finishes while being piloted by Kenny Irwin. During the 1999 and 2000 season, it was driven by Ricky Rudd.

It is currently decorated with the Texaco-Havoline livery and wears body number 4. It is powered by a 351 W Jasper 'Panther' crate engine that produces an estimated 700 horsepower. There are disc brakes and a four-speed gearbox.

In 2008, the Ricky Rudd Ford Taurus was offered for sale at the Hilton Head Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by Worldwide Auctioneers. It had an estimated value of $30,000 - $40,000. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, bidding had failed to satisfy the reserve and the lot was left unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2008