That was a first-time winner.” (via Yahoo Sports) #4. He Taped His Eyes Open to Race in the 1984 Daytona 500 Ricky Rudd’s toughness was put to the test in the 1984 Daytona 500. Just days ...

From when Rudd famously raced with his eyes taped open in the 1984 Daytona 500 to ... I would screw up they would come find me and say, ‘Ricky, you should have done this or you should have ...

Ricky Rudd, known as the “Ironman” for his ... but was overlooked because of the tape keeping his eyes open. Another time, when the cooling system in his car failed, his team tried to help ...