Tide Ride
Encyclopedia
The Tide Ride is a nickname given to any NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car (and later NASCAR Camping World Truck Series truck) that has carried the sponsorship of the detergent brand Tide
Tide (detergent)
Tide is the brand-name of a popular laundry detergent manufactured by Procter & Gamble and first introduced to the United States consumer in 1946. It is also marketed in Canada, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, India and several other countries...

, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....

 over the years. It is known for its three-tone orange, yellow and white paint scheme.

While not officially referenced that way, the Tide colours have made appearances in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, almost exclusively at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...

 with two by Waltrip in Truck #17 (Fall 2002 and Spring 2003), and again by Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Michael Harvick is an American stock car auto racing race car driver and car owner currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, driving the No. 29 Budweiser/Jimmy John's/Rheem/Okuma/Realtree Outdoors/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Impala...

 in Truck #2 in 2010. The 2010 Kroger-Tide version introduced a new orange, yellow, and blue livery that was considerably different than any Tide livery, although Harvick's driver's uniform was intended to reflect the classic 1989 Waltrip look, although with full orange sleeves.

Overall, in two series, the Tide Ride has 21 wins since 1987, when the first Tide-sponsored car made its debut in what was then the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, with seven coming at Martinsville (1987–89, 1998, 2001 Cup fall, 1989 Cup spring, 2010 Truck spring).

Car #17

The first "Tide Ride" belonged to Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...

, and was formed in 1987. The Chevrolet bore #17 and was driven by veteran NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...

. The ride's first season was a success, as Waltrip won once, collected six top fives and 16 top tens, and finished fourth in series points. Waltrip followed that up with a 1988 campaign with two wins and a seventh place points finish.

The Tide Ride's biggest success came in 1989. The year began with Waltrip's first ever victory in the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....

, and continued throughout the season as Waltrip gathered five additional wins, finishing fourth in the points standings for the second time in three years. The success was furthered when Waltrip, who for years was one of the most hated men in NASCAR, was voted the Most Popular Driver for the first time in his career.

1990 saw the Tide Ride go through several drivers. Waltrip started the year in the car, but suffered a major injury in a wreck at Daytona during Pepsi 400 practice. Waltrip would miss six races with both of his arms and one of his legs broken in the accident. To compensate for Waltrip's absence, Hendrick split the driving time between three drivers. Jimmy Horton
Jimmy Horton
Jimmy Horton is a racecar driver from Folsom, New Jersey. He raced in 48 NASCAR Winston Cup races in eight seasons. He was a regular on the ARCA circuit in the 1980s and 1990s...

 subbed for Waltrip at the Pepsi 400, and also took the ride at Pocono
Pennsylvania 500
The Good Sam RV Insurance 500 is the second of two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car races held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the other being the Pocono 500...

 and Talladega, with Greg Sacks
Greg Sacks
Greg Sacks is a NASCAR driver. He is married to his wife Vicky and lives in Ormond Beach, Florida. Together they had three children: Paul, Brian, and Rachel. He and his sons are partners in Grand Touring Vodka.Sacks has spent most of his career as a Research & Development driver for many NASCAR...

 running at Michigan
GFS Marketplace 400
The Pure Michigan 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race being held annually at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan since 1969. However, during the 1973 season it was not held after Roger Penske replaced the race with a Champ car event. The inaugural event was scheduled to be 600...

, Bristol
Sharpie 500
The Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It is one of two Sprint Cup races held at Bristol, the other being the Food City 500, but it is by far the more popular of the two...

, and Darlington
Southern 500
The Showtime Southern 500 is the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, USA, and is the second such event at Darlington to bear the name. It began in 1957 as a race in the Convertible Division, known as the Rebel 300. In 1966, the race was...

. Road course ringer
Road course ringer
Road course ringer, also known as Road course specialist, Road course expert, or Road runner, is a term used to describe a non-NASCAR driver who is hired by a NASCAR team to race, specifically, on road courses...

 Sarel van der Merwe
Sarel van der Merwe
Sarel Daniel van der Merwe is a South African former rally driver, who was a multiple South African Rally Drivers Champion. He is sometimes referred to as "Supervan"....

 of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 was hired for the Watkins Glen
AMD at the Glen
The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen is a 90-lap, long NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. It is one of two road course races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, the other being the Toyota/Save Mart 350...

 road race. Overall, the team, led by Jeff Hammond, finished in fifth place in the owner points standings, calculated by all drivers—including substitute drivers Horton, van der Merwe, and Sacks—in that car for the season. Sacks picked up one top five finish and Waltrip finished the season in 20th place, with five top fives. After the season Waltrip left Hendrick to form DarWal, Inc., and took the #17 with him.

Car #5

Reduced once again to a two-car operation, but keeping the sponsorship, owner Rick Hendrick ended his longstanding business relationship with Levi Garrett, which had sponsored his primary #5 car since its beginnings, in order to keep a Tide-sponsored car in his stable. For 1991, the Tide Ride passed from Waltrip to Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd is a former American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Nationwide Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is known as the "Iron Man" of NASCAR; holding the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR racing. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Rudd had made 788...

.

Rudd took Hendrick's Tide Ride to its best season standingswise in 1991. He would finish second in the Winston Cup points behind Dale Earnhardt, winning once and finishing with 9 top fives and 17 top tens.

Rudd would spend two more seasons with Hendrick's Tide Ride. In 1992 and 1993, Rudd had almost identical numbers to those he had in 1991 (1 win and 9 top 5s all three years, 18 top tens in 1992 and 14 in 1993), but they were only good enough for seventh and tenth in the final standings, respectively.

Car #10

After his 1993 season, Rudd departed Hendrick to become an owner-driver and was able to retain his sponsorship. Rudd Performance Motorsports made its debut at the Daytona Speedweeks with Rudd driving the #10 Tide Ford Thunderbird.

In his first season as an owner-driver, Rudd posted his sixth consecutive finish in the top ten in final points, finishing fifth and continuing his streak of winning at least one race in consecutive seasons, having done so every year since 1983.

1995 saw Rudd 9th in Winston Cup points at the end of the season, with his winning streak still intact. Rudd added 10 top 5s and 16 top 10s. In 1996, his top ten and winning streaks continued, with him finishing sixth in the final standings with 16 total top tens (5 top fives).

Rudd's 1997 season was a mixed bag. He won twice, continuing his consecutive wins streak, including a win in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. That win would be the highest point of Rudd's season, and he would be eighth in points after the race. The rest of the season proved to be a downward slide, as Rudd fell nine spots to finish 17th at the end of the season, the first time since 1988 that he had failed to finish in the top 10 in the Winston Cup points.

The Tide Ride suffered through another low season in 1998. Rudd took the car to victory lane at Martinsville
Martinsville
Martinsville is the name of several places:in Australia:*Martinsville, New South Walesin Canada:*Martinsville, Saskatchewanin the United States of America:*Martinsville, Illinois*Martinsville, Indiana*Martinsville, Missouri*Martinsville, New Jersey...

 in the fall (despite suffering from heat exhaustion and collapsing in victory lane following the race), but only finished in the top 10 four other times and ended up 22nd in points.

Rudd's wins streak ended in 1999, as his team finished 31st in the standings, having failed to win a race all year. It would also be the last season Rudd would be in the Tide Ride, as he sold Rudd Performance Motorsports to Robert Yates Racing after the season and became the driver of the team's #28 Havoline
Havoline
Havoline is a motor oil brand of Texaco, a former major oil company based in the United States that is now merged with the Chevron Corporation.-History:First introduced 1904, the Havoline brand was named by Havemeyer Oil Company of New York....

 Ford.

Car #32

Tide's sponsorship moved to the new PPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports was a race team which competed in CART, NASCAR, and various off-road racing circuits. The team had one of the few remaining single car operations in NASCAR.-Early years:...

 team in 2000, with former Champ Car
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

 driver Scott Pruett
Scott Pruett
Scott Donald Pruett is an American race car driver who has competed in NASCAR, Champ Car, IMSA, Trans-Am and Grand-Am. He and his wife Judy have three children, and are children's book authors....

 driving and the number #32 on the side of PPI's Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...

 (32 was chosen because 17+5+10 (the previous numbers of the Tide Ride) adds up to 32). Pruett did not fare well in his first NASCAR season, and after a season where he finished 37th in points, he was released in favor of Ricky Craven
Ricky Craven
Richard Allen Craven is an ESPN broadcaster who works ESPN2's NASCAR Now and a race analyst for the network. Prior to his ESPN duties, he was a NASCAR driver who won in four different series—the K&N Pro Series, and the three national series. He occasionally served as a pit reporter when NASCAR...

.

In 2001, Craven took the Tide Ride to victory lane for PPI in the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville, his first career Winston Cup win and the first time a Tide-sponsored car had won since 1998 (oddly enough, in the same race). He finished the season with three more top fives and 7 total top tens, bringing home a 21st place finish in the points in his first full season back in NASCAR after suffering an injury in 1998 and racing for teams that hadn't had proper sponsorship.

Craven's success continued in 2002, where he brought PPI to its highest points finish, 15th. It was the first time the Tide Ride had been in the top 20 in points in 5 years.

The Tide Ride returned to the GM stable of cars for 2003, as PPI switched from Ford to Pontiac. Craven won its final Cup race at Darlington in the spring, beating Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch is an American NASCAR and NHRA driver. He drives the No. 22 Shell Oil Company/Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and will race on an "opportunity permitting" basis in the Pro Stock division of NHRA...

 by a nose at the finish where both cars bumped and banged each other all the way to the finish line. This would also be the final victory for Pontiac in NASCAR, as GM pulled the brand from the sport after the 2003 season (forcing all teams using Pontiacs to shift to Chevrolet).

The Darlington win would be the highest point of a disappointing season, as Craven dropped to 27th in points.

Craven's struggles continued in 2004, and midway through the season he was released from the Tide Ride, with Bobby Hamilton, Jr.
Bobby Hamilton, Jr.
Charles Robert Hamilton, Jr. is a NASCAR driver and owner, and current track promoter. He is currently a free agent...

 coming on to replace him. Hamilton would stay with the car for the next season and a half, failing to score a top ten finish. After a 36th place points finish in 2005, Hamilton was released.

PPI hired former Penske Racing driver and NASCAR Craftsman Truck series champion Travis Kvapil
Travis Kvapil
Travis Kvapil is an American race car driver. He currently drives for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...

 to drive the Tide Ride in 2006. Kvapil had the same amount of success that Hamilton had, which was none. Kvapil failed to qualify for three races, didn't run two others (the road course races, which Ron Fellows
Ron Fellows
Ron Fellows is an accomplished Canadian SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA, and American Le Mans Series driver, and a NASCAR Road course ringer.-Early career:...

 ran), and finished 36th in driver points.

End of the Tide Ride

After 2006, Tide announced it would be leaving NASCAR after a 20 year association with the sport. PPI couldn't continue racing without a sponsor, and after trying (and failing) to secure sponsorship, it laid off most of its staff and merged operations with Michael Waltrip Racing, transferring the #32's owner points to Waltrip's #00 Toyota driven by David Reutimann
David Reutimann
Emil David Reutimann is the driver the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine/Tums/Best Western Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...

.

Truck #17

For the October 2002 race at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...

, Waltrip drove a throwback Dodge Ram
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...

 from Harris Trucking. For the April 2003 race at the same track, Waltrip drove a Chevrolet Silverado
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...

 from Michael Waltrip Racing.

Trucks #2 and #33

In 2010, Kevin Harvick, Inc. brought Kroger as a sponsor on their Chevrolet Silverados (#2 and #33), and part of its sponsorship was co-branded by Procter & Gamble (a common practice with sponsorships by a store include co-branding sponsorships with various products). Owing to Tide's Martinsville history (three drivers having won at the track), the #2 truck will carry for both 2010 races at Martinsville an entirely new P&G-branded livery of orange, yellow, and blue, with co-branding by P&G brands Iams, Bounce, and Pringles, with the emphasis on Tide, and the uniform being branded for Tide. The new-look "Tide Ride" won the Kroger 250
Kroger 250
The Kroger 250 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race that takes place at Martinsville Speedway in the spring.-Past winners:*1996, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2008, & 2009: Race extended due to a Green-white-checker finish....

.

In 2011, Ron Hornaday, Jr. will drive selected races in the Tide #33 for Harvick.

Darrell Waltrip

  • 1987, 1988, and 1989 Goody's 500
    Subway 500
    The Tums Fast Relief 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. It is currently the seventh race in the ten race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Since 2007, the race has been carried on ABC....

     at Martinsville
    Martinsville Speedway
    Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...

  • 1988 and 1989 Coca-Cola 600
    Coca-Cola 600
    The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...

     at Charlotte
    Lowe's Motor Speedway
    Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...

  • 1989 Daytona 500
    Daytona 500
    The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....

  • 1989 Motorcraft 500
    Golden Corral 500
    The Atlanta 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race that was run every March at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia from 1960 until 2010...

     at Atlanta
    Atlanta Motor Speedway
    Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...

  • 1989 Pannill Sweatshirts 500 at Martinsville
    Martinsville Speedway
    Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...

  • 1989 Busch 500
    Sharpie 500
    The Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It is one of two Sprint Cup races held at Bristol, the other being the Food City 500, but it is by far the more popular of the two...

     at Bristol
    Bristol Motor Speedway
    Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...


Ricky Rudd

  • 1991 TranSouth 500 at Darlington
    Darlington Raceway
    Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...

  • 1992 Peak 500 at Dover
    Dover International Speedway
    Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...

  • 1993 Miller 400
    Miller 400
    At one time, two different NASCAR races were known as the Miller 400:* For the race at Michigan International Speedway in 1985, 1996 and 1997, see 3M Performance 400* For the race at Richmond International Raceway in 1996, see Chevy Rock and Roll 400...

     at Michigan
    Michigan International Speedway
    Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...

  • 1994 Slick 50 300 at Loudon
    New Hampshire International Speedway
    New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...

  • 1995 Dura Lube 500
    Checker Auto Parts 500
    The Kobalt Tools 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. The race is sponsored by Lowe's through its Kobalt Tools brand.-Past winners:*1998: Race shortened due to rain....

     at Phoenix
    Phoenix International Raceway
    Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...

  • 1996 AC Delco 400 at Rockingham
    North Carolina Speedway
    Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina...

  • 1997 Miller 500
    Neighborhood Excellence 400
    The FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, it is the first of two Sprint Cup races at Dover...

     at Dover
  • 1997 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis
    Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....

  • 1998 NAPA Autocare 500
    Subway 500
    The Tums Fast Relief 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. It is currently the seventh race in the ten race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Since 2007, the race has been carried on ABC....

     at Martinsville

Ricky Craven

  • 2001 Old Dominion 500
    Subway 500
    The Tums Fast Relief 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. It is currently the seventh race in the ten race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Since 2007, the race has been carried on ABC....

     at Martinsville
  • 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington
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