Rudd rues standings slip
Ricky Rudd says he is in danger of finishing the 2001 Winston Cup season on a low after losing his second place in the standings to Tony Stewart at Atlanta on Sunday
Rudd is now in third after finishing 35th in the NAPA 500, 26 points behind Stewart and only 13 points clear of the charging Sterling Marlin in fourth. Rudd is hoping for a turnaround in fortunes at the season-ending race in New Hampshire on Friday - a track at which Stewart has won on before.
"We kind of figured that it was just a matter of time before he wrapped it up," Rudd said of Jeff Gordon's title-clincher at Atlanta. "We've been fading hard the last three weeks and I'm not really sure what is going wrong. We've got to get back on the programme a little bit.
"We knew the championship was out of hand, but it looks like we're gonna give up second and maybe third if we are not careful."
The long, hard season has taken its toll on Rudd, who will likely have some type of treatment for his back over the short off-season.
"I've got to get it worked on this winter, but it just hurts when you sit in that seat for a long time."
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