The Ricky Rudd saga is filled with more twists and turns than a soap opera. There have been lies, betrayal, possible collusion and maybe even a fistfight.

When Rudd announces what he's doing next season -- effectively ending his three-year term at Robert Yates Racing -- the drama won't be over.

	The Ricky Rudd saga has provided lies, betrayal, possible collusion and maybe even a fist-fight.

The official breakup of the team that took the famed No. 28 Ford back into the winners circle will raise many more questions.

Should the team keep giving 100 percent for Rudd or focus on the future they'll have with a new driver?

Should Rudd keep driving his heart out for this group when he's either headed to retirement or another team?

Can the team push all of it aside and compete for the championship this season?

Few have the same answer on the first two questions, but Rudd and crew chief Michael "Fatback'' McSwain are in almost total agreement on the third.

"Five races ago, I would have said 'Without a doubt we could have won the championship this year,''' Rudd said. "Now, I don't think so. Performance is just off.''

Just like that, a season so full of promise for a team that came so close to greatness is in shambles. How it happened might never be disclosed. No one has the same version of the events that have brought the No. 28 to this point.

This much is clear: Rudd, in his 26th season of racing, wasn't sure if he wanted to retire when his contract expired at the end of this season.

He was the closest challenger to winner Jeff Gordon in the race for the Winston Cup championship last season, running second in the chase for a long stretch of races before fading to fourth.

And he did all his bumping and banging with an aching back that required offseason surgery.

Not knowing how his back would hold up, he and Yates never talked about extending his contract. Instead, Rudd said he would decide sometime this season how much longer he wanted to drive.

This is where things get confusing.

Rudd said he promised to make up his mind by July 15th. But he claims that Yates, with an opportunity to sign Elliott Sadler to a long-term contract, got tired of waiting or never wanted Rudd back, so he began planning a future without him.

Yates insists he has no deal with the 27-year-old Sadler. And he might not -- it's possible Yates' son, Doug, has an agreement to field cars for Sadler next season. Instead, Yates blames the breakup on an inability to meet Rudd's financial demands.

Back and forth they have gone, lobbing accusations and dodging questions.

In the middle of it, Yates revealed that Rudd and McSwain argued after the team's win in Sonoma, Calif., on June 23 because McSwain had a victory party while Rudd was on vacation. A fight broke out between them in the hauler hours before the Pepsi 400 on July 6.

Either way, the situation is ugly and there's still 15 races left for a team that's capable of winning races and possibly still in the championship hunt.

Rudd goes into Watkins Glen, N.Y., this weekend trailing points leader Sterling Marlin by 232 points.

"I don't like our chances,'' Rudd said. "Is it because we're in a lame-duck situation? I don't think these guys have let down one ounce. And I'm still on the wheel.

	“	Overall, I'll look back on (his time with Yates) and remember the good things. But I'll always be puzzled over how it was allowed to disintegrate. ”
		— Rudd

"I want to walk away at the end of the season and say I gave everything I've got to win a championship. That's my makeup. But I'm at the mercy of, Do they want to go after it?''

"They'' is Yates and the rest of the team, which starting with McSwain, is expected to remain intact with Sadler as the driver next season.

Although it's possible Yates could hold back money he would have spent on Rudd's behalf to save and use on building for the next driver, McSwain bristles at the idea the No. 28 would ever go on the track expecting anything less than a victory.

"No matter what's going on, we want to win races,'' he said. "We're still building good cars, still testing, still going to the wind tunnel. It wouldn't be smart for this team to do anything less.''

Whatever happens, this final stretch of season will mark a final farewell of sorts. Yates has fielded the No. 28 Ford since 1989 and Texaco's trademark star has donned the hood of it forever.

Although Yates has one year left on his contract with Texaco-Havoline, Rudd says the owner doesn't want it, that Sadler is coming aboard with M&M's as the sponsor.

That's led to speculation that if Rudd drives somewhere else next year -- he's supposedly close to a deal to drive a third car for Chip Ganassi Racing -- he'll take the sponsor and number with him.

If true, it would mark an end to a car made famous by the late Davey Allison, brought to the verge of collapse in the years after Allison's death, then revived over the past three seasons by Rudd and McSwain.

The duo has won three races, come oh-so-close on a handful more, and finished in the top-five in points the past two seasons.

"This whole relationship was good for me, it got my career back. It was good for Robert, he was going to close the doors on this team before he signed me,'' Rudd said. "Overall, I'll look back on it and remember the good things. But I'll always be puzzled over how it was allowed to disintegrate.''