Joe Ruttman
American racing driver (born 1944)
NASCAR driver
Raymond Joseph Ruttman [ 1] (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 13th on the all-time wins list with Mike Bliss (as of October 13th, 2021). He is the younger brother of Troy Ruttman .
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.[ 2]
NASCAR
Ruttman's 1983 NASCAR Cup car
Ruttman made his NASCAR Grand National Series (now known as the NASCAR Cup Series ) debut in 1963 at Riverside International Raceway , finishing 10th at the Winston Western 500.[ 3] 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 .[ 4] 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.[ 5] 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. He also picked up a runner-up finish at the same track, finishing 5 seconds behind Kyle Petty in 1986, although, had Ruttman not been collected in a final-lap accident, he would have actually won.
In 1995, Ruttman competed in the inaugural NASCAR SuperTrucks Series (now known as the Craftsman Truck Series), where he would finally reach his potential. Joe Ruttman would dominate the middle of the season, winning two races that year on his way to finishing second in the 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. He won his last race at age 56, making him the oldest race winner in any NASCAR division.
At Rockingham in 2004, Ruttman made his first Cup Series start since 1995, driving a one-off race for Phoenix Racing . However, it was a controversial "start-and-park" run. Ruttman contributed to an ongoing controversy by not showing up with a pit crew, and only coming to collect a small share of the prize money. Ruttman was ordered off the track by NASCAR after one lap and team owner James Finch was admonished by officials. At the time, there was a controversy over unqualified "field-fillers" being in the race and led to changes in the NASCAR rulebook.
Personal life
Born in Upland , California , Ruttman is a resident of North Port, Florida. He is the younger brother of Indianapolis 500 winner Troy Ruttman .[ 6]
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
NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona 500
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
^ "Raymond Joe Ruttman, Born 10/28/1941 in California" . CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. Retrieved 12 June 2024 .
^ "USAC Stock Car Championship History" , ultimateracinghistory.com, Retrieved September 7, 2007
^ "ESPN Sprint Cup: 1963 Winston Western 500 Results" . Retrieved February 27, 2014 .
^ "Joe Ruttman Is Hoping To Make It in NASCAR" . Reading Eagle. February 26, 1982. p. 44. Retrieved February 27, 2014 .
^ "NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics: Joe Ruttman" . Retrieved February 27, 2014 .
^ "Troy Ruttman, 67, Youngest Winner of Indy 500" . The New York Times . 21 May 1997.
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1963 NASCAR Grand National Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1964 NASCAR Grand National Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1982 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1983 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1984 NASCAR Busch Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1985 NASCAR Busch Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1993 NASCAR Busch Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1996 NASCAR Busch Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2001 NASCAR Busch Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2002 NASCAR Busch Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2005 NASCAR Busch Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1995 NASCAR SuperTruck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1999 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 6, 2023 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1967 Season Results ARCA Racing Series" . TheThirdTurn . Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1972 Season Results ARCA Racing Series" . TheThirdTurn . Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1980 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved March 28, 2020 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1981 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved March 28, 2020 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1982 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved March 28, 2020 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1994 ARCA Hooters SuperCar Series Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1995 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 1999 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
^ "Joe Ruttman – 2003 ARCA Re/Max Series Results" . Racing-Reference . Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
External links
Sporting positions
Preceded by
USAC Stock Car Champion 1980
Succeeded by
Personnel NASCAR Truck Series
Former drivers
Previous incarnations
Golden Annie Racing
Jim Rosenblum Racing
Jocko's Racing
Linro Motorsports
Partnerships and affiliations Related articles
Years active 1986–1995
Personnel Former drivers
Years active 1978–1992
Personnel Former drivers Coca-Cola 600 winsBusch Clash winsOther incarnations
Butch Mock Motorsports
Galaxy Motorsports
Commentators
Lap-by-lap Color commentators Pit reporters Studio anchors
Races covered
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