Rudd tangles with team member after race UPDATE 2- Fines issued, employee quits: Winston Cup driver [#28] Ricky Rudd and a member of his Robert Yates Racing team got into a physical confrontation following Saturday night’s race at Richmond. As Rudd was preparing to leave the garage area, he and the crew member – whose name the team declined to reveal – started a heated exchange, apparently over comments made by Rudd earlier in the week to USA Today questioning the quality of engines his #28 team receives from RYR. According to witnesses, the crew member threw a punch at Rudd and Rudd responded by throwing a water bottle at the crew member, hitting him in the head. The two were then separated. Team spokesman Steve Post said the incident was considered a “family matter” and would be handled internally. NASCAR spokeswoman Danielle Frye said the sanctioning body was made aware of the incident.(ThatsRacin.com)(9-8-2002) AND FSN’s Totally NASCAR has exclusive video of the Ricky Rudd-RYR crew member altercation, which will be aired tonight at 6:00pm/local or 6:30pm/et on Speed Channel. The RYR employee was Engine R&D man, Larry Lacky, punched Rudd in the left eye, Rudd fired a water bottle back at Lacky, hitting him on the head.(9-9-2002) UPDATE – Fines: Robert Yates Racing team member Larry Lackey and driver Ricky Rudd were fined and placed on probation by NASCAR for their altercation in the garage area following Saturday nights NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway. Lackey was fined $10,000 for his role in the altercation between the two while Rudd, driver of the No. 28 Ford Taurus, received a $5,000 fine. Both were placed on probation until Dec. 31. Lackey and Rudd were penalized under Section 12-4-A in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series rule book: “Actions detrimental to stock car racing: Involved in an altercation with a team member.” Lackey also was penalized under 12-4-F: “Fighting.”. “In every fight, there has to be an aggressor and a retaliator,” NASCAR Winston Cup Series Director John Darby said. “The incident between Larry and Ricky took place in the garage area and we, as a sanctioning body, govern the pits and garage. We will not tolerate people hitting each other in those areas.”(NASCAR PR)(9-10-2002) UPDATE 2: Robert Yates Racing engine research and development employee Larry Lackey, who punched the team’s Winston Cup driver, Ricky Rudd, following Saturday night’s race at Richmond has resigned, team officials confirmed Wednesday. Lackey and Rudd got into a heated discussion following the race over comments Rudd had made earlier in the week questioning the quality of engines his #28 team was receiving since he is leaving the organization at the end of the season. Lackey struck Rudd in his left eye and Rudd retaliated by throwing a water bottle at Lackey, cutting him in the forehead, before the two were separated. Tuesday, NASCAR fined Lackey $10,000 and Rudd $5,000 for their involvement in the incident and placed both on probation until Dec. 31.(ThatsRacin.com)(9-11-2002)
