Rudd tests the #21 at Kentucky: Ricky Rudd became more acquainted with the Wood Bros. team by shaking down his new #21 Motorcraft Ford during a one-day test at Kentucky Speedway. The team battled temperatures in the low 30s and snow flurries to get a head start on working under the new NASCAR Winston Cup Series rules for the 2003 season. “This is only the third time we’ve tested together as a team, so we’re trying to get used to each other,” Rudd said. “We’re having a pretty good test, it’s just that the snow isn’t cooperating. It’s kind of a shake down” cruise. We’re here with some of the cars built for the new rules.” Rudd, who tested at Kentucky last month with a 2002 machine, said he’s quickly adjusting to changes in the car’s performance. “(The new rules) pretty much require that all the race teams cut the bodies off their existing race cars and put on new bodies. It’s not a 10-minute deal, it’s about a two- to three-week process and it’s pretty involved. This car has been in the wind tunnel with the old body and been back with the new one, so we pretty much know what to expect. There’s some trial and error involved, but a lot of it is reading the data and doing what the data says we need to do,” he said. He also stated that NASCAR’s reduction in the number of times teams can test at Winston Cup tracks has made Kentucky Speedway a valuable preseason research tool.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(11-27-2002) (11-26-2002)
