NASCAR Trucks: Family History is Deep at Fontana for Joe Ruttman
24 October 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
When Joe Ruttman and the Dana Racing Team
enter the California Speedway this week, they will be eyeing the trophy
for
winning the Motorola 200 and finishing up the 2000 season on a high note.
But there will be one other thought on Ruttman's mind. Every year he
comes
back to the Southern California area, he is reminded of his family's
history
in the area. "I've always loved California," said Ruttman. "The weather is great and I have several friends still in the area. It's also where I was born and lived for some time. So it's always going to have a special place in my heart."
Ruttman was born in Compton, California and grew up in nearby Upland, California before moving to Detroit, Michigan. But while he was growing up in California, his father worked at what is now California Speedway. Ruttman's father worked at Kaiser Steel Mill when it was in its prime, turning out steel by the tons.
"It's pretty neat to race on the same ground my dad worked when I was growing up," said Ruttman. "It's always amazing how time changes things, yet everything pretty much stays the same. I think it's one of the reasons I like racing here. I feel like it's familiar ground."
Last year in the Motorola 200, Ruttman must have felt something because he came within two tenths of a second of beating Jack Sprague to the finish line for the win.
Joe's Birthday: On Saturday the 28th, race morning, Ruttman will celebrate his 56th birthday by doing what he loves. He'll strap into the No. 18 Dana Dodge and try and improve on last year's second place finish in the Motorola 200.
Points Race: Ruttman and the Dana Racing Team sit sixth in the points standings, just 48 points out of fifth place and only 24 points ahead of Dennis Setzer in seventh place. With one race remaining, the No. 18 team will be looking to race for the win, not the points.
"Over the last two races, we've had some bad luck," said Ruttman. "But Sprague has had worse luck. We've got a chance to get in the top five but we're going to go out there and run just like we have all year. We're going out to win the race and the points situation will take care of itself."
40 and Counting: When Ruttman takes the green flag to start the Motorola 200 at California Speedway, it will be his 40th career start in a Dana Dodge Truck. This would be a new record for the number of starts by any driver in the Dana Corporation's five-year history in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
"That first race with the team was interesting," said Ruttman. "At the time, I was out of a ride. So when Bobby called me to drive, I had my bags packed before we got off the phone with each other. It's pretty cool how my one-race deal turned out."
Ruttman's Quotes for California Speedway
"I don't get too excited about my birthday. I just treat it like any other day of the year. I guess that's because I always say you're only as young as you feel and I still feel like a kid."
"It's real important to end the year with a strong finish. It's a long time between the last race of the season and the start of next season. So to go to California and get a top five finish like last year would make the off-season go by a little faster."
Text Provided By David Pepper
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos
and art, visit
The Racing
Photo Museum and the
Visions
of Speed Art Gallery.