Rudd honoured to reach 900 starts

Rudd kicked off his Cup career at the age of 18 in March 1975 at Rockingham, driving for Bill Champion without having driven a stock car before. Despite that, he finished 11th on his debut.

Now aged 50, Rudd is the oldest Nextel Cup regular in the field, and is in his final full season in NASCAR after announcing earlier this month that he will not return to Robert Yates Racing next year and that he is ready to hang up his helmet.

"This is a record that just kind of sneaks up on you," Rudd said. "I started out as one of the youngest guys in this sport and now I'm one of the oldest guys out there still racing.

"It's a real honour to be able to have this kind of longevity with a long and fruitful career. I've been so lucky to have remained healthy and competitive to have made it to 900 starts this weekend."

Rudd currently holds the record for most consecutive Nextel Cup starts, competing non-stop for 788 races between 1981 and 2005.

In 1984 he was close to missing the Daytona 500 after a horrendous accident in the Busch Clash qualifying race, but despite badly swollen eyes he started the main event using duct tape to keep them open, and crossed the finish line in seventh.

Rudd has raced for thirteen different teams through his career, including Hendrick Motorsports, where he had his best season ever in 1991, finishing runner-up in the championship to the late Dale Earnhardt.

He also competed for his own team Rudd Performance Motorsports between 1994 and 1999, winning six races including the 1997 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, at the wheel of the No. 10 Ford backed by long-term sponsor Tide.

"I have been lucky to have had wonderful sponsors, teams, and fans supporting me throughout these years," Rudd added. "I look back at my career and I still am amazed at the opportunities I have been able to enjoy.

"My 900th career start is honestly a record I hadn't kept track of, but it is a great honour to solidify myself in the record books as the driver with the second-most all-time career starts."

Only Richard Petty has competed in more Nextel Cup events than Rudd, with a massive 1185 starts between 1958 and 1992, although Nextel Cup seasons would consist of as much as 62 races back in 1964, nearly twice the number of events currently held in a year.