Ruttman to return to Craftsman Truck series after 4-year absence

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The way Joe Ruttman saw it, he had two choices: Get back into racing or get a real job.

It didn't take him long to decide.

“To face the reality of working at my age, what would I be, a greeter at Sam's or Wal-Mart?” the 62-year-old Ruttman said Tuesday.

He'll return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on April 28 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

Ruttman will drive the same truck in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 that the late Bobby Hamilton, a longtime friend and Ruttman's former employer, took to the 2004 trucks title.

“I'm sure everyone's looking at me going, 'You know, you've been out of the sport. You're getting older. Your reflexes, your eyesight, your ...,' but that just gives me more incentive to prove everyone wrong,” Ruttman said. “As long as I have my health and as long as I have my desire, I don't see why I can't do that.”

Ruttman, who drove in his first Cup race in 1963, has not raced since Sept. 13, 2002.

But he's already the only driver to win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race after his 50th birthday. In fact, he earned all 13 of his truck wins after turning 50. His last two victories came in 2001.

“He's a little older these days, but he's still capable of winning,” fellow truck racer David Starr said. “You look at him and you think, 'Man, I hope 25 years from now I'm in that good of shape.' He'll be one of the guys we'll have to contend with.”

Ruttman, who won five races for Hamilton in 2000 and 2001, said being selected to run a limited schedule in Hamilton's truck this year was an honor.

The 49-year-old Hamilton died of cancer Jan. 7, but Ruttman said he's still a part of the team.

“He's still here, especially when you go in the shop,” he said. “I still feel his presence.

“It's like Bobby's still here and Bobby's still guiding us, which is cool.”