Rudd

The Wood Brothers?

That's where Ricky Rudd is going. The Wood Brothers.

After months of speculation, of talk of playing "the retirement card," of emphasis on needing to drive for a team that can win a championship, Rudd chose the Wood Brothers.

Are we missing something?

If staying with Robert Yates just wasn't an option -- and it seems it wasn't -- then teams like Chip Ganassi's seemed like the best bet. After all, Ganassi driver Sterling Marlin finished third in points last season and currently leads the standings. And with Jimmy Spencer underachieving -- though he had been running pretty well up until the last six races, in which he's finished 31st or worse four times and failed to qualify once -- there was the possibility of Rudd replacing Spencer.

And Ganassi certainly has the resources to add a third Winston Cup operation if he so chose. Rumor has it that its a done deal with Texaco/Havoline sponsorship on board, and all that's left is for Ganassi to find someone to drive the car.

But Rudd and Ganassi couldn't quite dot the i's and cross the t's, so the deal didn't get done.

The other possibilities? How about Jerry Jones' upcoming Cup effort with Andy Petree? Or Cal Wells' rumored second team? Or replacing Steve Park in DEI's No. 1 car -- a ride that also might have had Elliott Sadler's name on it before Sadler signed with Yates and Park re-upped with DEI. Bill Davis and Petty Enterprises also could have openings.

And Rudd said he had plenty of offers, so it's safe to assume that at least a couple of those possibilities listed above were among them.

But he chose the Wood Brothers.

The logical and only relevant question is this: Why?

Not money, so says Rudd. The 45-year-old veteran said cash wasn't an issue with any team he talked to.

So what were those big requirements of his?

"My No. 1 priority has been to get together with a race team that could win races right out of the box and contend for the championship," Rudd said.

Sadler, who is driving for the Wood family this season, is currently 24th in the standings. And here's a guy who is widely considered to be one of NASCAR's best up-and-coming talents. Here's a guy who asked for his release from Wood Brothers because he felt the team -- including himself -- wasn't performing as well as it could.

Either Sadler's not really as good as many think, or the Wood Brothers operation was holding him back.

Sadler has a couple of runner-up finishes this year and did give the team its first victory since 1993 -- since 1993 -- when he earned his first career win last year in Bristol, Tenn. But as much as you want to see the team succeed -- and the Wood Brothers are absolutely one of those teams that you pull for, knowing that on any given day they can produce a winner, knowing that with all their history, they know how to win -- it's just not a team that for a long time now has shown the ability to consistently run up front and win a bunch of races.

Will an experienced driver like Rudd be the answer? Will the No. 21 Ford suddenly be running in the top-10 or top-five next August? Maybe. And if Sadler struggles with Yates, well, we'll have evidence that his failure to achieve high levels of success with the Wood Brothers had as much to do with him as it does the team.

But seeing as how most observers expect Sadler to excel in the No. 38 next year -- an expectation which basically amounts to an indictment of the Wood Brothers operation -- then how can it be logical to expect Rudd's effort in the No. 21 to match or better the success he's had with Yates?

It's not.

But for Rudd's part, he does list why he thinks he can succeed in the No. 21: Roush engines, Ford wind tunnel support, team chemistry and communication, having previously worked with Pat Tryson, more support from Motorcraft.

In short, its clear Rudd feels good about this deal. And that's often a bigger intangible than past success.

Rudd's decision might not make sense to many, but it does to him. And what do we know?

Rudd has 23 career wins. He certainly knows something.

And it's obvious he's just going with what he knows. If the Wood Brothers follow Rudd's lead next year, maybe they'll be saying, "We told you so," next fall at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

Or maybe they'll spend all year chasing Sadler's No. 38.