"The way it all shook out, everybody concerned is happy and where they want to be," Wood says. "Everybody has gotten what they wanted. There were a lot of times when we as a family team looked at each other and asked, 'Is this thing ever going to work out for us?' But it did. Plus, it worked out in a way where Elliott Sadler is getting what he wants by driving for Yates next year and Ricky is getting the chance he wanted to drive for us. Now everybody can move on and worry about racing again."
What Happened?Rudd says he has been left with some dissatisfaction because of how things fell apart with the famed No. 28 Havoline team and Yates. He had imagined he would drive for them until retirement.
When word broke that Sadler was bringing the M&M's sponsorship to Yates to drive for a new team, talks of a third team led Rudd to believe he would still have a position within the organization.
"Probably what caused this to drag on for so long was some information I got back in May," Rudd says. "I was told, 'Ricky, we've decided to make a change and bring in Elliott Sadler to drive for us with a new sponsor.' My contract with Yates was coming to an end at the end of the year so they really didn't owe me an explanation, but it would have been nice to know there wasn't a place for me with the team since May. I had a great race team, and I didn't just want to walk away from it if there was any hope of continuing it. I was told there were going to be three teams at Yates next year, not that it was a two-team deal with me not in the picture."
Rudd says the ongoing saga with Yates is what played a major factor in him having to wait so late this season before he was able to finally settle his plans.
"I ended up taking the fall in the deal," Rudd says. "I wish that hadn't happened because it would have made everybody's life easier like all the other teams and drivers that were waiting to sign their own deals. The only thing I regret is how the scenario unfolded. Everybody was reporting that I was taking the No. 28 with me, but I had absolutely no control over that number. I respect what Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan, and Kenny Irwin did with that number, so I didn't feel like it was mine to take. That was never part of the deal."
Seeking OptionsRudd had a plate full of options to continue racing. The most likely looked like he would be driving a Dodge for a third Ganassi team. Ganassi currently fields Dodges for Sterling Marlin and Jimmy Spencer.
"With all the talks that went on with Chip Ganassi and myself, it did look like I would be driving for him next year," Rudd says. "But in the end, Chip and I simply couldn't come to final terms, and believe me, we tried. I guess we just couldn't agree on some of the smaller nuts and bolts of the contract. That was the sticking point. We tried to put a contract together, but we worked for three weeks and simply couldn't come to terms."
Rudd says his family time was something he wasn't willing to sacrifice because of numerous sponsor commitments that Ganassi would have required. In addition to wife Linda, Rudd has 8-year-old son Landon.
"I value the time I get to spend with my family, but I was going to lose more of that time than I wanted to," Rudd says. "The personal appearances weren't the only issue. It was that even on my weekends off, I would have still been on-call. I couldn't have scheduled a vacation with my family on an off-weekend. To a lot of drivers, their kids are grown so that really isn't an issue with them. That was one of my sticking points."
According to sources, another problem in Rudd's contract negotiations with both Yates and then Ganassi was Rudd's asking price of $2.5 million to $3 million per season plus 50-percent of the race winnings. Rudd won't discuss specifics of his new contract.