Veteran Edge Makes Rudd a Winner

Veteran Ricky Rudd showed Kevin Harvick that experience counts Saturday night, passing the aggressive rookie with six laps to go and winning the Monte Carlo 400 Winston Cup race at Richmond, Va.

Rudd, who became the second driver in a span of six laps to be bumped off the lead by Harvick on the 383rd of 400 laps, passed Harvick back on the inside of the fourth turn to win for the second time this season.

It was the Virginia native’s second victory at Richmond International Raceway, but first since 1984, and enabled him to climb within 222 points of leader Jeff Gordon, who crashed early and limped home in 36th place.

Harvick hung on for second place, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace, who had dominated for most of the race.

In the end, though, it was Rudd teaching Harvick a short track lesson to the delight of a crowd of 100,000, who hold Rudd as a hometown hero.

“He sort of got me a little ruffled under the collar there,” Rudd said of Harvick. “I had to be careful not to drive the wheels off it.”

Wallace had the best car for most of the night, leading for 276 laps, and had repeatedly demonstrated an ability to pull away after restarts.

He got a chance to do it again with 27 laps remaining, but with Rudd and Harvick right on his bumper and a tire adjustment leaving him loose, it was only a matter of time before Harvick and Rudd left him behind.

In that fight, Harvick threw a punch, but Rudd got the knockout.

“We did everything we could do,” said Harvick, who took over for the late Dale Earnhardt. “He had the better car.”

Of the contact with Rudd, Harvick said, “I just kind of misjudged up off of two and clipped him a little bit .... He had the better car.”

After 35 laps, Gordon’s troubles made it a possible points bonanza for Rudd, who started 342 behind, and Sterling Marlin, who was 478 back.

Gordon was racing Marlin for third place when Marlin made a move underneath him heading into the third turn. When Gordon moved lower on the track, Marlin held his spot, clipped Gordon’s car and it went skidding hard into the wall, sustaining significant damage to the rear end.

Gordon brought the car down pit road, a shower of sparks coming out of the back.

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Mike Faria’s rebuilt engine held up, and so did Jim Estes’ lead as the two riders won before a standing-room-only crowd at Costa Mesa Speedway at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

Faria, of Reno, won the four-lap scratch main event, starting on the pole and leading outright on the one-groove track. He finished ahead of Shawn McConnell and Bart Bast. Bobby Schwartz and Ryan Fisher rounded out the field.

“I just had the motor rebuilt and it feels a little tight,” Faria said before his victory. “It will be better next week once it breaks in.”

Estes was the winner of the eight-lap handicap main event and, like Faria, never trailed. “I was sure expecting some company,” said Estes. “I thought the whole pack would have me after I bobbled in Turn 2 on the last lap.”

It was a credit to his lead. He started on the 20-yard line, and was never seriously challenged by his pursuers, Costa Mesa’s Scott Brant, who started from the 30, and Fisher and Bast, both of whom started from the 40.

John DeFries won the support race.