Home | Winston Cup | Grand National | Bill Elliott Racing | Raycefan's Rave In-Car Radios | Silly Season | Forum | Photo Gallery | Newsletter | In the Pits   Joe Flu By Tammy Brewington Winston Cup veteran, Bobby Hamilton, calls it infectious. The Dana Dodge Truck team refers to it as contagious. Still others say it’s “ketching”. All unanimously agree that Joe Ruttman, the driver of the #18 Craftsman truck, brought it with him when he joined Bobby Hamilton Racing late last year. What might this “malady” be? Why, nothing more than pure excitement and a positive attitude; a recipe for a future championship! “We all know that we can win races and that’s the contagious part,” states Ruttman. “We don’t want to just win one race, but ten races! I’ve been around racing my whole life and you can certainly sense the optimism growing within this team. Of course, all the team is much younger than I am, but they can see the kid still living inside this old man.” Ruttman, a self-described raceaholic, admits his desire to win races is as strong as ever. “There’s still a fire inside,” said Ruttman. “The word retirement does not come out of my mouth. I think desire and health are the determining factors on retirement for anyone. If my desire or health happen to flame out, then it’s time to consider retiring.” Ruttman has been competing in some form of racing for nearly 30 years including the Winston Cup Series, although he never visited Victory Lane while steering a Cup car. He has accumulated an impressive 350+ wins in a variety of motor vehicles. “I’d love to get a Cup win,” said Ruttman. “I’ve been very close to a win in Cup, but it never happened, but not winning helps keep the fire burning too. Maybe Robert Yates will consider putting me in one of his Cup cars a few times. I definitely think a win would be possible with that kind of superior team.” In December 1998, Ruttman received an unexpected blow to his career. He was released as the truck driver for Roush Racing. In the beginning, Ruttman suffered through the normal gamut of emotions including hurt and anger, but several months after his release, he began to reconcile the fact that he may not drive again soon. But, a late night telephone call from Bobby Hamilton would prove to be a major turning point in Ruttman’s career. “When Bobby called around 10:30 one night the first thing he asked me was if he was interrupting me,” said Ruttman. “I probably shouted-NO! Bobby asked if I could meet with him and I enthusiastically asked….right now? I think he may have laughed and said it could wait until morning. I was ready to go to his racing shop that minute. It goes to show you that dreams do come true and it made me almost want to go and thank Roush for “putting” me in this better situation.” Almost. Ruttman joked, “Heck, I think I may have scared Bobby a little bit with my enthusiasm and eagerness!” “I beg him all the time to take me with him while he tests Cup cars. I want to watch him work on the cars and learn things like shock technology. Right now, I can’t seem to get enough of racing,” added Ruttman. “Our Dodge team is connecting on all levels,” said Ruttman. “We’re all linked together by our love of the sport and we have a cumulative wealth of racing knowledge, starting with our exceptional owner and sponsor and on down the line. This new team is 2 for 2 in Craftsman Truck poles and we are hungry for that first win. Our sponsor, The Dana Corporation, seem to be tickled to death as well.” For nearly a century the Dana Corporation has been a leader in the automotive market as a parts supplier. The Ohio-based company not only supplies automotive parts, and 86,000 jobs worldwide, but could also be described as the best “cheerleaders” in NASCAR! “Dana is a great sponsor,” said Ruttman. “They are supportive and realize how far this team has come in such a short time. I’ve driven for a lot of great sponsors, but Dana is by far the very best!” “The Chairman of Dana, Woody Morcott, told me he used to receive email drawings of the #18 truck with a turtle on its back,” said Ruttman. “But, now that’s all changing. The company is very excited about the 2 poles in 2000. I told them poles are great, but we want to win.” “I explained how we are in the beginning stages and we have ALL the ingredients to dominate, plain and simple.” “It may sound arrogant to say we expect to dominate, but it isn’t arrogance, it’s confidence,” Ruttman said. “We realize we have no weaknesses in this team, we could not have a better situation as far as owner, sponsor, and equipment. “If we could figure out how to make the driver younger, we’d be even better”, joked Ruttman. The Dana Dodge team is not looking for a ‘cure’ for the excitement and domination they hope to spread around the racetracks in the 2000 season. Beware of standing too close... it’s “ketching”!   Home | Winston Cup | Grand National | Bill Elliott Racing | Raycefan's Rave In-Car Radios | Silly Season | Forum | Photo Gallery | Newsletter | In the Pits ©Copyright 2000 Race 2 Win. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.