Winford Bradford Rutherford

Winford Bradford Rutherford was a former Piston Cup racer for RPM from 1996 to 2009. He was usually a mid-pack driver until the mid-2000s, where he competed up front. Before he died, he held the record for most top 20s by an alive Piston Cup racer with 481 out his 499 starts, which since then has been held by Ponchy Wipeout since 2022 with 476 out of 587. He holds the record for least DNFs in their career with only seven.

## Career

### Beginnings (1996-2002)

Following his father Devon's retirement in 1995, Winford replaced him full-time for 1996 and scored seven top 10s and finished an ok 18th in points.

1997 saw Winford's first win in the Texas 350 and his first DNF but nine top 10s catapulted him to a 17th place points finish.

The following season in 1998 saw controversy, in the BnL 500, which Winford "intentionally" bumped crew chief Kevin Turbo of his pit stall to ignore directions. Though he won that race, it forever since has been thought of a hoax he finished 13th in points.

1999 saw Winford win the very remembered Piston Cup Dash 600 and finished a remarkable 10th in points with twenty top 10s and thirty-three top 20s.

2000 was a bit of a down year, getting a win but a career-high three DNFs pushed him to 14th in points after getting twenty-nine other top 10s.

The following year in 2001 saw Winford get another win and get a top 20 in each race finishing 12th in points.

The 2002 season saw a top 20 in 29 of the 35 races which inclued a win in the Brake Dock 400 which put him in a eighth place points finish.

### Championship contender (2003-2007)

The 2003 season saw Winford get multiple wins for the first time in his career with two and a DNF late in the season denied him a chance at the title. He did end up getting a top 20 in twenty-eight races. He finished a then career-high fourth in points.

2004 saw some regression, though he had two wins, he had two DNFs the first two races and a then career-worst 22 top 20s causing him to finish sixth in points.

2005 saw more decrease in all categories, winning once and having a top 20 in each race was good but his average finish overall was 17.9 which put him 10th in points.

2006 was Winford's career year, winning three races, and getting a career-high 30 top tens which was part of his top 20 in every race season. He finished a career-high third in points after finishing 19th in the Dinoco 400. After the season, Winford said that the season had been the most fun for him and he hoped to compete more for championships.

2007 saw two more wins and 23 top 10s and for the first time, led the points during the season but fell off a cliff after failing to get a top 10 in the final four races. He finished fifth in points.

### Decline and retirement (2008-2009)

The 2008 season saw Winford get his final win but due to the new generation it was very hard for him to compete for the gold, which had him settle for a 16th place points finish with 21 top 20s.

2009 saw him get only 13 top 10s and for the first time, get less than 20 top 20s in a season with 19 and he had his final DNF in the Bumper Save: Gears And Glory 450. He finished a career-worst 35th in points and retired after the season. He was replaced by Bruce Miller for 2010.

## Win List

1. 1997 Texas 350
2. 1998 BnL 500
3. 1999 Piston Cup Dash 600
4. 2000 Faux Wheel Drive 400
5. 2001 Tach O Mint 500
6. 2002 Brake Dock 400
7. 2003 Brickyard 400
8. 2003 RPM 350
9. 2004 Rev N Go 350
10. 2004 RPM 350
11. 2005 Tow Cap 400
12. 2006 Texas 16 Auto Parts 350
13. 2006 Retread 500
14. 2006 RPM 350
15. 2007 BnL 500
16. 2007 Gask-Its 400
17. 2008 No Stall 350

## Points Finishes

* 1996 - 18th
* 1997 - 17th
* 1998 - 13th
* 1999 - 10th
* 2000 - 14th
* 2001 - 12th
* 2002 - 8th
* 2003 - 4th
* 2004 - 6th
* 2005 - 10th
* 2006 - 3rd
* 2007 - 5th
* 2008 - 16th
* 2009 - 35th

## Death

On January 2nd in 2022 at 1:37 am, he got hit by a car, flipped, and hit the bottom of his engine with a pole, causing the engine to fly out, causing him to die on the spot. A funeral was organized the following day, and his wish, which was to have a race in his honor, was granted for the 2023 schedule.

## Records

* Most top 20s - 481
* Least DNFs - 7
* Most every race top 20 seasons - 3 (2001, 2005, 2006)
* Most consecutive races without a DNF - 212 (2004 Texas 350 to 2009 Mood Springs 350)