POCONO HOLDS SPECIAL MEMORIES FOR RUDD, NO. 28 HAVOLINE TEAM

    LONG POND, Pa. - It was one year ago when the NASCAR Winston Cup Series 
pulled into Pocono Raceway and the championship combination of driver Ricky 
Rudd and the No. 28 Havoline Ford Taurus were still looking for that magical 
touch. After all, it had been three seasons since Rudd had seen victory and 
four for the No. 28 Havoline car. 
    Thanks to a dominating performance, Rudd and the Robert Yates Racing 
Havoline car returned to the glory of yesteryear. That performance, in 
addition to a top finish here in the fall event of 2001, have the team 
excited and looking forward to the trip up north.
    "That was about the perfect weekend," said Rudd. "We were fastest in 
practice, we won the pole, then went on and won the race. I've always enjoyed 
racing at Pocono and was really surprised that I had not won here sooner. I 
think anytime you have success at a track, you look forward to returning."
    The mix of a veteran team and veteran driver took some time to become 
cohesive. The Pocono race of a year ago finally put the team and the driver 
back to the stages they always expected.
    Now, the Havoline team has gelled together and is looking to make the 
triangle-shaped track a place of domination. Throughout his 45 career races 
at the track, nearly half of them (20) have ended in top-10 finishes. 
    "Pocono is one of the most challenging tracks we run because there are so 
many variables that all have to be working together," Rudd said. "Horsepower 
is so important because of the long straightaways, but you have to handle 
well, especially in the tunnel turn (turn two) and off the final corner (turn 
three). If you don't handle well, then you can't get or stay in the gas 
longer and can't use the horsepower. 
    Despite some misfortune in 2002, Rudd remains in the top 10 in the point 
standings and is destined to find Victory Lane again. With his past 
experience at the track, and Yates Racing's three career wins at the track, 
all signs could line up for the coming weekend.
    "It's pretty interesting to compare last year and this year. Both are 
very similar. We started slow both seasons, but at this point last season we 
started really making our run. Last year, we got into July and August and 
then all of a sudden it was like 'where did these guys come from.' Then we go 
out and dominate at Pocono and our season just turned around. Despite for our 
misfortune of missing out on some wins lately and our recent fourth-place 
finish at Charlotte, I think the Havoline team is performing as well as 
anybody over the past couple of months."