NASCAR BGN: Joe Ruttman to drive Busch race at Milwaukee
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
June 28, 2001
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Joe Ruttman returns to the driver’s seat of the #1 Yellow Racing Chevrolet in Sunday’s Sears DieHard 250 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series event at The Milwaukee Mile.
It is Ruttman’s second Busch race in a three-race deal with the #1 Yellow Racing team. Ruttman competed at Kentucky Speedway on June 16 and he will make his third start in Pikes Peak, Colo. on July 28.
"I think Marc (Reno, crew chief) offered me the ride this Sunday because I have a lot of ‘Milwaukee miles’ on my tool belt," said Ruttman. "I raced there against A.J. Foyt, Rusty Wallace, Alan Kulwicki and many other drivers who went onto Winston Cup success. It’s a track where I have a lot of experience and as much success as any other driver."
In addition to the #1 Yellow race car, Ruttman will take part in the Saturday’s truck race with the #18 team owned by Bobby Hamilton Racing. Driving for both a Busch team and a truck team this weekend means additional practice time on the 1-mile oval. Ruttman will be very busy, but he thinks the extra laps will pay off in Sunday’s 250-lap event.
"After driving the Yellow Racing car at Kentucky, I realized that competing in both races would be to my advantage," said Ruttman. "It should help both my teams equally. It’s almost like having more practice time. To me, there isn’t much difference in handling between the Busch car and the truck so I can get a better idea on how the car reacts to the track.
"Everyone told me before the Kentucky race that the two cars drove differently," said Ruttman, who finished 34th in Kentucky. "I was expecting a difference, but it never came around. As a result, I over-analyzed and made some changes to the #1 race car that weren’t necessary. Now that I can look back on the weekend, I realized that the two cars were similar. I won’t be second guessing myself this weekend."
Ruttman is driving for primary #1 Yellow Racing driver Jimmy Spencer. Spencer will return to the driver’s seat for the remaining NASCAR Winston Cup/Busch companion events. His next event is July 14 at Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway.
Text provided by Chris Hunt
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