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Joe Ruttman back racing at Flat Rock! Those are words I never dreamed I would hear again. Ever since I first heard the news, I have been looking forward to the Stan Yee Memorial 150 more than any other race I can remember for at least ten years, if not longer. Simply put, Joe Ruttman has been my all time favorite driver since 1981. Why Joe? He comes from a famous racing family with his older brother Troy winning the Indy 500 in 1952. I read a story about Joe in a racing magazine, and thought "Troy's brother sounds pretty cool". I was surprised to hear that his first race was with NASCAR at Riverside in 1963! For years, I never even knew that he grew up in Dearborn, raced at Flat Rock and Toledo, and was close friends with Joy Fair, as I never went to the races back then.

No one was ever more loyal to their favorite driver than I was. Joe had some great finishes in NASCAR with several 2nds and even two 3rd place finishes in the Daytona 500, but never was able to win one. Unfortunately, he seemed to have a knack for never being with the right team at the right time, and would eventually even go a few years between rides. Even at that, I never lost faith; while my friends would talk about their favorites like Dale Sr., Rusty, Gordon etc., I would proudly say "Mine is Joe Ruttman." After a few years of not having a NASCAR ride, he fell off the radar and I thought his career was probably over.

Everything changed in 1995 when the NASCAR Truck series was formed and he got a great ride driving for Ernie Irvan. Almost overnight the Trucks became my favorite series. Unfortunately, there were no truck races anywhere near Michigan, but I enjoyed watching on TV every week while he won twice and finished 2nd in points. For the first time in many years, he was a contender to win every week.  I'll never forget the last time he raced at Flat Rock in an ARCA race that same year. It ended up being the most exciting and nerve wracking race I ever attended. The funny thing was, I had no idea he was even racing that night, until my wife Lori and I arrived late after 12 laps to hear announcer Gary Lindahl tell the crowd "Ruttman takes the lead" as we were getting out of the car. I ran to the ticket booth and it seemed to take forever before we finally got inside and sat down. Just when he looked like he might lap the field, my heart almost stopped when he said on the scanner that the gauges were pegged. When he finally took the checkered flag I was just overwhelmed since it was the first race I had ever seen him win since I started following him.

Joe drove in the trucks for the next six years for both Roush and Bobby Hamilton winning thirteen races and coming very close to the championship a few times. I finally got to see him win at both Indianapolis Raceway Park, and Daytona while I was in the stands. I can't fully express the satisfaction of seeing my favorite driver win after all those years of struggling to even find a ride. In 1999, they announced that the trucks were going to race at MIS where I had pit and garage access. This was finally my chance to meet him after all these years!

I hung out in front of his hauler until a PR rep came out. I showed him some old short track pictures I had, and was invited into the hauler to share them with Joe. Joe then asked me something that changed my life forever. When I told him I grew up in Pontiac, he asked me if I ever visited his friend Joy Fair. I hadn't, but felt so guilty about it, that I decided to drive over and see him one day. As a result, I have become friends with Joy and stop over for lunch every month or so. Joy is one of the finest people I have ever known. As much as I am looking forward to seeing Ruttman race at Flat Rock, being able to spend time with my two heroes, Joe and Joy, will be the most fun I have had in a long time.