Ageless Ruttman wins from pole at Daytona

By John Donovan, CNNSI.com
February 16, 2001
3:34 PM EST (2034 GMT)

Unofficial Results

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Veteran driver Joe Ruttman fought off challenges from relative youngsters Ricky Hendrick and Scott Riggs on Friday, pulling away in the last lap to win the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona.

Joe Ruttman's Dodge led the most laps in winning the second-ever Truck race at Daytona.

Ruttman, 56, notched his 12th Truck Series win in the 100-lap race, averaging 129.407 mph in a race marred somewhat by eight caution flags but made interesting enough by 28 lead changes among 12 different drivers.

"It's a ball racing those young guys," said Ruttman, who started on the pole. "I think that's what keeps me young."

Hendrick is a 20-year-old rookie and Riggs, 30, was running in only his 19th Truck Series race. For Ruttman, though, it was race No. 141.

Ruttman's team withstood a late pit error when his No. 18 Dodge fell off the jacks while changing tires. It slowed him down little, though, as he battled Hendrick (the son of Winston Cup team owner Rick Hendrick) and Riggs through the last several laps.

The three were in that order coming out of the final caution, with two laps to go. Riggs, in a Dodge, lost the draft and fell back to third, and Hendrick, in a Chevrolet, really never had a chance to make a run at Ruttman, who earned $84,310 for the victory.

"The draft is everything out there," said Lance Norick, who finished fourth in a Chevrolet. The race marked the first competition since NASCAR added an inch to the rear spoiler of the trucks, a half-inch on each side. The move was supposed to slow them down. Ruttman won the pole with a lap of 186.123 mph.

"It got a little hairy at times," Riggs said.