Joe Ruttman

Joe Ruttman

Ruttman in 1996
Born (1944-10-28) October 28, 1944
Upland, California, United States
Achievements 1980 USAC Stock Car champion
Awards 1978 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
255 races run over 20 years
Best finish 12th (1983)
First race 1963 Riverside 500 (Riverside)
Last race 2004 MBNA America 400 (Dover)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 60 3
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
21 races run over 8 years
Best finish 41st (1985)
First race 1982 Sportsman 200 (Dover)
Last race 2005 Aaron's 312 (Talladega)
First win 1982 Sportsman 200 (Dover)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 5 0
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
172 races run over 9 years
Best finish 2nd (1995)
First race 1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic (Phoenix)
Last race 2007 Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 (Gateway)
First win 1995 Pizza Plus 150 (Bristol)
Last win 2001 Jelly Belly 200 (Pikes Peak)
Wins Top tens Poles
13 111 17

Joe Ruttman (born October 28, 1944), is a retired American stock car racing driver who competed in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series. With 13 career wins in the Truck Series he is currently tied for 11th on the all-time wins list (as of February 21, 2014).

USAC Stock Cars

Ruttman was the United States Automobile Club's 1978 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year, and the 1980 USAC Series champion.[1]

NASCAR

Ruttman's 1983 NASCAR Cup car

Ruttman made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (then known as the Grand National Series) debut in 1963 at Riverside International Raceway, finishing 10th at the Winston Western 500.[2] He drove in three more Series races between 1964 and 1980, while racing local tracks in between. Ruttman caught a big break in 1981 when J.D. Stacy, who had just bought Rod Osterlund's team, hired him to take over for Dale Earnhardt, who left the team mid-season to join Richard Childress Racing.[3] Ruttman went on to run a full Series schedule from 1982 through 1984, 1986, and 1991. His best season was in 1983, when he finished 12th in points. During his 20 years in the Sprint Cup Series he had 60 top-ten finishes and 19 top-fives.[4] He came very close to winning a race at Richmond in 1982, but a late power-steering failure sent his car into the wall and gave Dave Marcis the victory.

In 1995 Ruttman competed in the first Craftsman Truck Series season (now known as the Camping World Truck Series), winning two races that year on his way to finishing second in the inaugural championship. His success as a full-time driver in the Truck Series continued as he went on to win 11 more races between 1996 and 2007.

Personal life

Born in Upland, California, Ruttman is a resident of Franklin, Tennessee. He is the younger brother of Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman.[5] His father, Ralph "Butch" Ruttman, was an award winning mechanic on top Indy teams.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

Nextel Cup Series

Daytona 500
Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
1982 Jim Stacy Racing Buick 8 3
1983 Benfield Racing Chevrolet 11 4
1984 31 28
1985 Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 32 17
1986 King Racing Buick 40 28
1989 CalCar Motorsports Pontiac 17 13
1990 27 26
1991 RahMoc Enterprises Oldsmobile 14 3
1993 Moroso Racing Ford 36 38
1994 Melling Racing Ford 34 18
1995 Hover Motorsports Ford 27 19
1996 DNQ

Nationwide Series

Craftsman Truck Series

ARCA Re/Max Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

References

  1. "USAC Stock Car Championship History", ultimateracinghistory.com, Retrieved September 7, 2007
  2. "ESPN Sprint Cup: 1963 Winston Western 500 Results". Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  3. "Joe Ruttman Is Hoping To Make It in NASCAR". Reading Eagle. February 26, 1982. p. 44. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  4. "NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics: Joe Ruttman". Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  5. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E2DA173BF932A15756C0A961958260

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
A. J. Foyt
USAC Stock Car Champion
1980
Succeeded by
Dean Roper
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