hearing Joe Ruttman has been tapped as a relief driver for Ted Musgrave this weekend, and recently tested with the team. Musgrave is recovering from minor sugery but will supposedly start the race and Ruttman will stand by.(4-11-2003)
UPDATES: from Truckseries.com: There is a rumor floating around that Joe Ruttman may be called upon to sub for Ted Musgrave in the #1 Mopar Dodge. Ruttman is here, and he has spent considerable time in the Ultra Motorsports pits. When asked what his plans are for the weekend, he smiled and said “I am just here checking things out.” AND a quote from Musgrave: “My plan is to go down into turn one, turn right and take out Bobby, and hope the ricochet catches Travis. No, we don’t have to prove anything here. This team runs strong everywhere they go. Last year we got taken out by a lapped truck, but this place doesn’t owe me anything special. It owes everyone who races here something throughout the years. But as you get older and as you get nearer the end of your career, you really start to cherish each race you get to run here. If it comes down to the last lap, and it is me and Darrell running for the win, I think the washing machine will be in the spin cycle and there will be some bubbles on the wall. If I was racing my mother in a wheel chair, and she was in my way for the win, I wouldn’t give her any special treatment. She’d get spun out just the same if I have to!” – hmm, doesn’t sound like he has any plans on getting out of the truck AND Trackside Live! has asked Ted Musgrave if there is any truth to the rumor floating around that he will be using relief help here at Martinsville this weekend. “No,” was his one word response.
from Tedmusgrave.com: We went to Daytona last week to hang out at the house and get some landscaping done while Britt was at the trainers in Ocala getting ready for the World Show. The guys had a Dodge test scheduled for monday and tuesday at Greenville-Pickens, Joe Ruttman is a Dodge test driver so Ted said let him run the #1 that way we culd stay till tuesday afternoon and pick Britt up. The test rained out both days and Ted was in the shop wednesday morning at 8:00am. Any speculation on him getting out of the truck tomorrow is purely wishful..He is getting tired of answering stupid questions though.(4-12-2003)
