Called “Ironman” because of his possibly unbeatable record of 788 consecutive race starts from 1981-2005, Chesapeake native Ricky Rudd ranks among NASCAR’s top 50 drivers of all time.
It started on go-cart tracks at home that finally took him to be named the 1977 NASCAR Rookie of the Year.
Over the course of his career Rudd went to victory lane at least once every year for 16 consecutive years, a modern era record he shares with Rusty Wallace.
He went on to win 23 races, including the 1997 Brickyard 400 (the winning car from this race is currently on display on the second floor of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame).
Rudd finished 7th All-Time on career winnings list when he retired from full-time racing in 2005. He announced a return to racing in 2007.
