cuervo72
10-31-2007, 03:22 PM
From the Sports II Bracket, it's the first round matchup of the NASCAR drivers!
The Matchup:
Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd (born September 12, 1956) is an American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Busch Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is tied with Rusty Wallace for the longest streak of consecutive seasons with a victory, his lasting from 1983 to 1998. Rudd is known as the "Ironman" of NASCAR, holding the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR racing. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Rudd had made 788 consecutive starts, and has a total of 23 wins, 194 top 5's, and 373 top 10's. He was named the 2006 "Virginian of the Year" and inducted into the 2007 "Virginia Hall of Fame." Rudd spent most of 2006 out of racing, racing only at Dover, where he filled in for the ailing Tony Stewart. Late in the season, it was announced he would return to Yates to drive the #88 Snickers Ford full-time. His best finish since his return to the sport was a seventh at the Coca-Cola 600. Rudd made his 900th career start at California Speedway on September 2, 2007, where he received a shoulder injury. As he missed the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, it was the first time in Rudd's career where he did not make a start due to injury. Rudd has stated that he intends to retire for good at the end of 2007.
VS
Ricky Craven
Ricky Craven is a NASCAR driver. He last drove in the NEXTEL Cup in 2004 and raced in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2005. He does not have a racing job at this time. He is currently a NASCAR analyst for Yahoo! Sports. In 1995, Craven teamed up with Larry Hedrick Motorsports and Kodiak to run for Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. Hendrick Motorsports had recognized Craven's potential and lured the young driver away from a shared ownership deal with team boss Larry Hedrick for the 1997 season. He opened with a stunning third-place finish in the Daytona 500 and ended up 19th in the point standings. Craven spent much of 1998 recovering from post-concussion syndrome, resulting from injuries he actually suffered in 1997. Craven started 1999 racing for Scott Barbour, then signed with Scott Hicks after 12 starts. He stayed with Hicks through 2000, but garnered no top-10 finishes in either season. He came back in 2001 with a solid sponsor, Tide, on the technically proficient PPI Motorsports Fords. He scored an extremely popular first victory at Martinsville Speedway in October 2001, swapping paint with 1999 Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett on the last lap. It was a season in which Craven scored his first Bud Pole since 1998 and added four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. In 2002, while Craven did not visit Victory Lane, he did score nine top-10s and finished a career-best 15th in the Winston Cup standings, winning $2,421,967. After he didn't post a single top-ten finish three-quarters of the way through the 2004 season, he was replaced by Bobby Hamilton Jr., and only returned to run at his home track at New Hampshire. Still Craven was able to land another job, just in another series. He signed to drive the #99 Superchips Ford for Roush Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series. Despite a win at Martinsville Speedway and a fourteenth place finish in points, he and Roush parted ways when the season came to a close.
The Matchup:
Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd (born September 12, 1956) is an American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Busch Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is tied with Rusty Wallace for the longest streak of consecutive seasons with a victory, his lasting from 1983 to 1998. Rudd is known as the "Ironman" of NASCAR, holding the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR racing. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Rudd had made 788 consecutive starts, and has a total of 23 wins, 194 top 5's, and 373 top 10's. He was named the 2006 "Virginian of the Year" and inducted into the 2007 "Virginia Hall of Fame." Rudd spent most of 2006 out of racing, racing only at Dover, where he filled in for the ailing Tony Stewart. Late in the season, it was announced he would return to Yates to drive the #88 Snickers Ford full-time. His best finish since his return to the sport was a seventh at the Coca-Cola 600. Rudd made his 900th career start at California Speedway on September 2, 2007, where he received a shoulder injury. As he missed the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, it was the first time in Rudd's career where he did not make a start due to injury. Rudd has stated that he intends to retire for good at the end of 2007.
VS
Ricky Craven
Ricky Craven is a NASCAR driver. He last drove in the NEXTEL Cup in 2004 and raced in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2005. He does not have a racing job at this time. He is currently a NASCAR analyst for Yahoo! Sports. In 1995, Craven teamed up with Larry Hedrick Motorsports and Kodiak to run for Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. Hendrick Motorsports had recognized Craven's potential and lured the young driver away from a shared ownership deal with team boss Larry Hedrick for the 1997 season. He opened with a stunning third-place finish in the Daytona 500 and ended up 19th in the point standings. Craven spent much of 1998 recovering from post-concussion syndrome, resulting from injuries he actually suffered in 1997. Craven started 1999 racing for Scott Barbour, then signed with Scott Hicks after 12 starts. He stayed with Hicks through 2000, but garnered no top-10 finishes in either season. He came back in 2001 with a solid sponsor, Tide, on the technically proficient PPI Motorsports Fords. He scored an extremely popular first victory at Martinsville Speedway in October 2001, swapping paint with 1999 Winston Cup champion Dale Jarrett on the last lap. It was a season in which Craven scored his first Bud Pole since 1998 and added four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. In 2002, while Craven did not visit Victory Lane, he did score nine top-10s and finished a career-best 15th in the Winston Cup standings, winning $2,421,967. After he didn't post a single top-ten finish three-quarters of the way through the 2004 season, he was replaced by Bobby Hamilton Jr., and only returned to run at his home track at New Hampshire. Still Craven was able to land another job, just in another series. He signed to drive the #99 Superchips Ford for Roush Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series. Despite a win at Martinsville Speedway and a fourteenth place finish in points, he and Roush parted ways when the season came to a close.