NASCAR Rudd to sub for Stewart

Dover International Speedway is one of the worst tracks for an injured driver.
DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Rather than firing up the lawn mower this weekend at his North Carolina farm, Ricky Rudd will circle the track one more time in something a bit more powerful.
Rudd is ending his self-imposed sabbatical -- don't call it retirement -- as a relief driver for injured NASCAR champion Tony Stewart at Dover International Speedway. Stewart will start Sunday's race, then probably come out at the first caution to rest his broken shoulder blade.
"It's hard to do because you want to be in the car the whole time," Stewart said Friday.
Part of plan
Surprisingly, a big part of the plan was calling Rudd, who has not raced this season and seemed content with taking the year off after 31 seasons and a record 789 consecutive races. When Stewart was knocked out of Sunday's event at Lowe's Motor Speedway, making racing this week an arduous task, crew chief Greg Zipadelli had Rudd on the short list of possible replacements.
Rudd believes he's ready to shoulder the load for the defending champ.
"It was a real, real tough call," Rudd said, smiling. "Do I cut grass for six hours a day this weekend or do I go out to Dover and drive a race car? It wasn't a real hard decision about what I wanted to do."
There are no timeouts for drivers in NASCAR. It's either start the race or lose valuable points that would cripple a driver's championship hopes. Stewart has to start to keep his title hopes alive, though he can be replaced in the car anytime after the first lap.
Rudd turned the 10th fastest lap of 152.931 mph Friday, but the No. 20 Chevrolet will automatically start at the back of the field.
"I'm just kind of up here to help him come away without a big fall in the points situation," Rudd said.
He's serious
Even with the long layoff, Rudd said he can help Stewart's car remain a contender at the Monster Mile.
"I didn't come here to run second, third or fourth or just to ride around," Rudd said. "If we find ourselves in contention late in the race, being smart about it, let's race for the win."
While Rudd's rusty, there weren't many other tracks where he would have felt more comfortable attempting a comeback. Rudd's 55 career starts at Dover are more than any other driver, and he won four times on the concrete track.
"It's one of my favorite tracks. I've always had pretty good luck here," Rudd said. "Dover's one of those places that just sort of comes naturally to me. It's just a track that suits my driving style."
Rudd made his NASCAR debut in 1975 and completed his first full season two years later, winning rookie of the year honors in 1977. He has 23 career victories and finished a career-best second in the standings in 1991 while driving for Rick Hendrick.
Iron Man
He was an "Iron Man" in the sport and now he's helping Stewart keep his own modest streak alive. Stewart needs all the help he can get. He was knocked out of the race and knocked down in the standings -- dropping from second to fourth, 231 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson -- and faces a punishing month.
Dover International Speedway is one of the worst tracks for an injured driver. With its high-banked, tight, concrete layout, it's a fast and physically demanding track that wears on the healthiest of drivers.
Next week, it's 500 miles on the formidable triangle at Pocono, followed by Michigan, which runs very fast. Then it's the road course at Sonoma, Calif., where Stewart started a run last season of five wins in seven races en route to the championship.
"If we get through this weekend without any problems, then for Pocono we shouldn't have any issues," Stewart said.
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