" Kid Rocket" Josh Richards

June 30, 2008

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Only A Firecracker 100 Postponement Dulls Kid Rocket’s Momentum As June Comes To Close

SHINNSTON, WV – No one was more disappointed about the postponement of last weekend’s Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway than Josh Richards.

Already riding a certified hot streak into the blockbuster World of Outlaws Late Model Series weekend, Josh pulled off a spectacular heat-race victory in Friday night’s Firecracker 100 preliminary action that had him chomping at the bit for the $40,000-to-win main event on Saturday night. But continuous showers on Saturday and again on Sunday’s raindate prevented any further competition, forcing officials to postpone the headline program to Tues., July 29.

“I was really looking forward to the feature,” said Josh, who will redraw for the top-six starting spots in the 100 with his fellow heat-race winners on the rescheduled date. “We had a great car in the heat and I was confident we would have a shot to win if we made the right decisions. Now we’ll just have to wait a month.”

The 20-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., was very impressive in his 15-lap heat victory. After timing 16th-fastest among the 62 entrants in Friday’s time trials, he used the outside groove to drive past dirt Late Model legends Donnie Moran and Scott Bloomquist and assume command on lap 12.

“I knew the only chance I had to start up front (in the Firecracker 100) was if I won the heat, so I got my elbows up and drove as hard as I could,” said Josh. “I didn’t get off to a very good start, but I kept packing the top (groove) during the cautions and I kept getting better and better up there.

“I just tried to race (Moran and Bloomquist) like they were anybody else and beat them. It definitely was a fun race.”

Josh arrived at Lernerville hot off a super stretch of racing on the WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour.’ He backed up his come-from-behind victory on June 22 at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway with a second straight triumph, taking the 40-lap feature on June 24 at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway, and he led more than of the 40-lap A-Main on June 25 at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa., before settling for a third-place finish.

‘Kid Rocket’ dominated the first-ever WoO LMS event at Canandaigua, blasting off the pole position to lead the entire distance. He beat Rick Eckert to the finish line by a full straightaway margin to pocket $7,150 and capture back-to-back WoO LMS races for the second time in his career.

“I like tracks like this where you can just focus, hit your marks every lap and keep up your momentum,” Josh said of Canandaigua. “This place races a lot like Volusia (Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.), and we’ve always been real good there. There’s less bank here, but the way the backstretch is shaped and the way you drive into one, you can refer to Volusia a lot.”

Josh made a good run at three straight wins at Big Diamond, another track that hosted the WoO LMS for the first time. He moved up one row to the second starting spot after scheduled outside-polesitter Darrell Lanigan was penalized for jumping the original green flag and took advantage of the gift, motoring into the lead on the opening lap.

But Shannon Babb’s charge to the front sent Josh sliding over the turn-two bank on lap 30, effectively ending his bid for victory. He held on to finish third but could only watch as Lanigan inherited the win when Babb cut a tire on lap 33.

Josh was disappointed about his loss, but he didn’t blame Babb.

“I don’t hold anything against him for it,” said Josh. “It was just hard racing. He’s extremely competitive and wanted to win just like I did, and I know he didn’t do it on purpose.

“I really wanted three in a row though,” he added with a smile. “I thought everything was falling our way to win another one.”

Josh is now second in the WoO LMS points standings, 36 points behind Lanigan.

With the WoO LMS off until embarking on a monster ‘Wild West Tour’ on July 9 that will feature nine races over a 13-day period in Minnesota, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska, Josh’s Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1 will stay in the shop this week to be prepared.

But Josh plans to stay busy behind the wheel of the Ernie Davis-owned Rocket No. 25, entering three holiday-week events in Ohio. He plans to run the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series show on Thursday night (July 3) at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio, and MAC’S Series event at Portsmouth Speedway in Portsmouth, Ohio on Friday night (July 4 & 5th) and Sunday night (July 6) at Midway Speedway in Crooksville, OH. for the IRS event.

J.R.R. – PR.

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June 24, 2008

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Josh Richards Pulls Off Come-From-Behind World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victory At Canada’s Cornwall Motor Speedway

SHINNSTON, WV – The maturation of Josh Richards continues.

With a come-from-behind victory in Sunday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway, the 20-year-old star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ was triumphant for the first time on foreign soil and proved again that he’s much more than just a long-track specialist.

Josh mastered the high-banked, quarter-mile Cornwall oval, pulling off an impressive rally to score his third WoO LMS checkered flag of 2008. He fell back to third place early in a race that he started from the pole position, but he found his rhythm and ran down 2006 tour champion Tim McCreadie to grab the lead for good while racing through lapped traffic on the 40th circuit.

A resident of Shinnston, W.Va., Josh was doused with champagne in Victory Lane by runner-up McCreadie and third-place finisher Shane Clanton. It was the perfect topper for a race that he enjoyed to the hilt.

“It’s awesome to win like that,” said Josh, who drove his familiar familiar Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1. “We started on the pole, but we didn’t just lead every lap like we have in the past. It’s so much more fun to actually race your way to the front and beat the best guys in the country.”

Josh was especially jazzed about battling it out with McCreadie in his

“Racing with Timmy, you know he’s gonna give it all he’s got until he’s got nothing left because he’s not running for points,” said Josh. “He’s just like everybody else on this (WoO LMS) series – they’re just great to race with. They’ll race you clean as long as you give them the same respect.”

Josh, who earned $10,150 for his ninth career WoO LMS victory, put a nice cherry on top of his successful three-race Canadian swing of the WoO LMS ‘Great Northern Tour.’ Before visiting Cornwall, he finished a respectable fifth in Saturday night’s ‘Quebec 50’ at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Que., after starting from the pole position, and he placed ninth in Friday night’s rain-postponed ‘Six Nations 50’ at Ohsweken (Ont.) Speedway.

Earlier in the week, Josh kicked off the ‘Great Northern Tour’ with a 13th-place finish in the 40-lap event held on June 17 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. He was running sixth in that A-Main when a flat right-rear tire forced him to pit during a lap-25 caution period.

Josh’s steady improvement in finishing position over the first four events of the ‘Great Northern Tour’ helped him in the WoO LMS points standings. He ended the weekend ranked second in the championship battle, 38 points behind leader Darrell Lanigan.

The Northeast swing of the WoO LMS continues this week for Josh with events on Tuesday (June 24) at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Speedway, Wednesday (June 25) at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa., and Friday/Saturday (June 27-28) at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa. The two-day ‘Firecracker 100’ at Lernerville will pay a whopping $40,000 to win.

J.R.R. – PR.

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June 10, 2008

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Josh Richards Experiences a Week of Highs & Lows at Eldora Speedway

SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards got a chance to climb the catch fence as a winner last week at Eldora Speedway.

That post-race celebratory maneuver, however, didn’t result from Josh’s exploits behind the wheel. It came in Josh’s role as crew chief for NASCAR star Tony Stewart, who won Wednesday night’s 30-lap Old Spice Prelude to the Dream event in a car prepared by Josh and the Rocket Chassis team.

Josh was hopeful that he could duplicate Stewart’s victorious effort when he climbed into his familiar Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1 for the weekend’s Dirt Late Model Dream event at the half-mile oval, but Lady Luck didn’t allow that to happen. He was involved in a heat-race tangle and failed to qualify for the $100,000-to-win spectacular, ending his extended stay at Eldora on a down note.

“It was really disappointing to miss the Dream, especially after winning the Prelude with Tony,” said the 20-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va. “We felt like we had a car that could win the Dream, but we had some bad luck so we’ll have to try again.”

Josh qualified fifth-fastest among the 122-car field in Friday night’s time trials, showing his car’s speed. But his hopes were derailed on the first lap of Saturday night’s fifth 15-lap heat race, when he clipped the crashed car of Brad Neat in turn three and was left with significant damage to the right-rear of his machine.

Though Josh restarted the prelim at the rear of the field after his crew attempted to patch up the car’s thoroughly bent rear deck, he struggled to move forward and ultimately retired on lap 11 when the bodywork came loose and cut his right-rear tire. With Josh missing the cut to transfer to the C- or B-Mains and two drivers ahead of him on the time-trial sheet grabbing the pair of fast-time provisional spots for the Dream, ‘Kid Rocket’ had to watch the rich A-Main from the sidelines for the second time in his four attempts at the race.

“I got a little bit of a bad start (in the heat) so it took me until the backstretch to get back in line,” said Josh. “I followed Neat into the corner, but I couldn’t really see him that well because of the glare of the sun. When he came off the wall I tried to avoid him the best I could and I actually thought I didn’t hit him that bad, but my right-rear must have gotten caught on his car and it just ripped the whole rear deck off.

“The car was still good even with the deck all bent up as long as I could roll the top, but it was just so hard to pass with guys running side-by-side in front of me.”

Josh was certainly happy with his machine’s performance before the incident, boosting his confidence for Eldora’s upcoming World of Outlaws Late Model Series event (July 25) and the World 100 (Sept. 5-6).

“You couldn’t ask for a better car,” said Josh.

Josh will jump into the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 this weekend for events on Friday night (June 13) at Winchester (Va.) Speedway and Saturday night (June 14) at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va. The VMS program is sanctioned by the Mid-Atlantic Championship Series.

J.R.R. – PR.

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May 27, 2008

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After Winning Johnny Appleseed Classic, Josh Richards Eyes A Bigger Prize At Eldora Speedway

SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards got his coveted first-ever dirt Late Model feature win at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on Sunday night.

And immediately after finishing his Victory Lane celebration for capturing the 25-lap Sunoco American Late Model Series ‘Johnny Appleseed Classic,’ ‘Kid Rocket’ started thinking about bagging a much bigger prize at the famed half-mile oval.

“Now that we finally won a race at Eldora,” said the 20-year-old star from Shinnston, W.Va., “maybe we’ll have some luck on our side for the Dream (which pays $100,000 to win on June 6-7).”

Josh, who arrived at Eldora after a nine-hour overnight haul from West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway where he finished 14th in Saturday night’s Show-Me 100, was the dominant force in the 39th annual ‘Johnny Appleseed Classic.’ He passed Matt Miller for the lead on lap 15 and never looked back, easily controlling a restart with two laps remaining to pocket the $2,000 top prize.

The only real scare Josh experienced came on the race’s initial start. He started from the pole position after winning the first heat, but he watched Miller overtake him for the top spot at the drop of the green flag.

“I felt like (the third-starting Miller) was by me before we got to the flagstand, so I thought they’d call the start back,” said Josh, who registered his third overall feature win of 2008. “But they didn’t, and he took off pretty good.

“But I ran him back down and I finally got by him in lapped traffic.”

The win meant a lot to the young sensation, who has contended for a win at Eldora several times since 2005 when he became, at the age of 17, the youngest driver in history to qualify for both the Dream and the World 100 at Eldora.

“I love going to Eldora – I have ever since I ran my first race there,” said Josh. “It seems like we’ve always been fast there and we’ve been close to winning so many times, but we just couldn’t quite get it done. I’m real happy that we finally did it.

“What really makes me happy is that it was the first time my Dad (Mark Richards) won a race at Eldora with one of his cars (that he worked on or owned). He’s been going there with a car for 33 years but had never won a feature.”

Josh raced at Eldora and West Plains behind the wheel of a new Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1. He said it performed very well at Eldora and will likely be his ride for the upcoming Dream event.

The Show-Me 100 didn’t go as well for Josh. After timing 27th-fastest among 79 cars on and finishing third in a heat race on Friday night to make his first career Show-Me 100 A-Main, Josh’s hopes of contending in the Saturday-night headliner weren’t realized. He was never a factor and finished one lap down in 14th – the same spot from which he started the race.

“We just didn’t have the right setup for the conditions,” said Josh, who didn’t attempt to qualify for last year’s Show-Me 100 after suffering a concussion in a wild flip during the event’s Thursday-night practice session. “But it was the first time I made the Show-Me, so we accomplished something.”

Josh will return to action on the WoO LMS this Thursday night (May 29) at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Del., and Saturday night (May 31) at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. He enters the doubleheader ranked fourth in the tour’s points standings, just 10 points behind leader Steve Francis.

J.R.R. – PR.

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May 19, 2008
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Hard Work In Shop Pays Off: Richards Enjoys Spectacular World of Outlaws Late Model Series Weekend In Midwest

SHINNSTON, WV – Hard work paid off for Josh Richards and the Mark Richards Racing team.

After spending three full days thoroughly reworking their cars following Josh’s seventh-place finish on May 11 in the Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo., the 20-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., enjoyed one of the most spectacular weekends of his career during a two-race World of Outlaws Late Model Series swing through the Midwest.

Josh registered an exciting victory in Friday night’s 50-lap WoO LMS A-Main at Attica-(Ohio) Raceway Park, then backed it up with a runner-up finish in Sunday night’s ‘Land of Lincoln 40’ at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway.

“We had a great weekend,” said Josh, who joined Billy Moyer as this season’s only repeat winners on the WoO LMS with his $10,000 triumph at Attica. “When we got back from Wheatland we worked until midnight every night to get these cars ready. We made a bunch of changes and everything really worked out.”

Driving his Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1, Josh authored a memorable run in the first-ever WoO LMS event at the one-third-mile Attica oval. He swept the night, setting fast time, winning a heat race and capturing the feature.

Josh spent most of the A-Main’s distance chasing leader Chub Frank before finally slipping by the Pennsylvania veteran for the top spot with a high-side pass off turn on lap 44.

“That was one of the most fun races I’ve ever run,” said Josh, who recorded his first WoO LMS win since the season opener on Feb. 14 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. “I just kept trying and trying to find a way to get by Chub, and finally I was able to get him.”

Following an off-day on Saturday because the scheduled WoO LMS event at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway was indefinitely postponed due to ongoing reconstruction of the track, Josh nearly pulled off a mirror-image of his Attica success on Sunday night at Lincoln Speedway.

‘Kid Rocket’ once again spent much of the A-Main running second behind Frank. He made several bids to grab the lead, but Frank held on this time to score his first WoO LMS win of the season, leaving Josh to settle for runner-up money.

Josh still had a big smile on his face after Lincoln’s checkered flag.

“I feel like I won it,” said Josh. “A track like this (tight quarter-mile) normally isn’t my kind of deal. I was just hoping for at least a top 10 tonight.

“We’re real happy with our weekend. These are the kind of runs you have to put together to be a championship contender.”

Josh’s weekend outburst moved him into the thick of the WoO LMS points battle through 11 events. He’s now fourth in the tight standings, 10 points behind leader Steve Francis.

The Mark Richards Racing team returned to its homebase in West Virginia on Monday. Josh and Co. have more shop time planned to gear up for the busy summer stretch of racing on their doorstep.

J.R.R. – PR.

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April 16, 2008

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Josh Richards Heads To Charlotte Knocking On Door To Victory Lane

SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards is knocking on the door to Victory Lane as he heads to The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway for this weekend’s Circle K Colossal 100.

The 20-year-old star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ enters the richest race on the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series coming off three strong performances in a five-day span.

Two WoO LMS starts produced solid finishes of third (April 11 at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va.) and seventh (April 15 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.) for Josh. Driving his familiar Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1, Josh started eighth in both A-Mains.

Josh also entered an unsanctioned event on April 12 at Winchester (Va.) Speedway on behind the wheel of the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25. He battled eventual winner J.T. Spence for the lead in the 25-lap feature before registering a second-place finish in his first-ever start at the three-eighths-mile oval

The run continued Josh’s strong jump out of the 2008 starting gate – he’s currently ranked second in the WoO LMS points standings through six events – and pumped up his confidence for the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100. The third annual mega-event at the four-tenths-mile oval in Concord, N.C., rolls off with time trials and heat races on Friday night (April 18) and the last-chance races and 100-lap A-Main on Saturday night (April 19).

“We feel pretty good about our chances in the Colossal,” said Josh. “We ran up front last year until having power-steering problems (he was second when he retired on lap 25), so if we make the right decisions and have the car prepared right I think we can be in the hunt.

“It would be so cool to win the Colossal,” he continued. “We’ve been close (to a win) in some of these big races, so it would be nice to finish one off and win one.”

Josh will start off his weekend at the Circle K Colossal 100 by making an appearance with fellow WoO LMS regular Brian Shirley on Thursday at the Circle K store located at 4930 Davidson Highway in Concord, N.C., near the Rowan Cabarrus Community College. Josh and Shirley will have their cars on display and visit with shoppers from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Josh is also scheduled to do a phone interview on the Sirius satellite radio racing show Tradin’ Paint on Thursday at 12 noon ET. The NASCAR-oriented show is hosted by MRN pit reporter Steve Post and runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sirius channel 128.

J.R.R. – PR.

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April 7, 2008

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Josh Richards Ends Solid Weekend At Farmer City Raceway With Sixth-Place Finish In ‘Illini 100’

SHINNSTON, WV – April 7, 2008 – Josh Richards pulled off one of the most memorable moves of the weekend at Farmer City Raceway.

Unfortunately, it didn’t come in Saturday night’s headlining ‘Illini 100’ at the high-banked, quarter-mile track.

After thrilling a chilled crowd on Friday night with a breathtaking pass of Billy Moyer to win the 8-lap Douglas Pontiac-GMC-Dodge Dash, Josh had high hopes of translating his qualifying-program speed into a $20,000 victory that would rank as the richest of his young career. But he fell short in his quest, finishing sixth in the 100-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series event after running among the top-five for much of the distance.

In the biggest dirt Late Model show ever run in the state of Illinois, the 20-year-old standout from Shinnston, W.Va., lacked a little bit of that extra juice he had flashed on Friday night while timing second-fastest among 55 entries, winning a heat race and capturing the dash’s $1,000 top prize.

“We were way too hard on our tire choice,” said Josh, who started sixth after selecting the worst number possible in the pre-race draw for position among heat winners. “We went with 30s (Hoosier compounds) down the left side and 40s on the right, and that ended up being the wrong choice. We should’ve gone with 30s all the way around or even some 20s.

“We also switched to a four-link (setup from a swing-arm) right before the race and that probably didn’t help us either. We might have panicked a little and made the change because we weren’t too good in practice (on Saturday night), but the real problem was that we were too hard on tires.”

Driving his Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1 that has the nickname ‘Brutus,’ Josh still was in line for a top-five finish in the ‘Illini 100.’ But he lost a couple positions when a jam-up occurred on lap 82 after eventual winner Moyer’s slider to take second from Steve Francis caused Francis to lose momentum in turn two.

“I think we could’ve finished fourth if that didn’t happen,” said Josh. “When Moyer slid in front of Francis, I had to slam on the brakes to avoid running into Francis and three cars got by me.

“It was still a good run. I’m happy with how the weekend went. Farmer City is probably my favorite short-track by far, because the place is actually a lot of fun to drive.”

Josh remained second in the WoO LMS points standings after four events, trailing Moyer by 40 points.

‘Kid Rocket’ makes his next WoO LMS start on Fri., April 11, at Virginia Motor Speedway. Before returning to WoO LMS action on Tues., April 15, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., he plans to drive the Ernie Davis-owned Rocket No. 25 on Sat., April 12, at Winchester (Va.) Speedway in an event sponsored by Davis’s business and on Sun., April 13, in a Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS) program at Hesston (Pa.) Speedway.

Josh will make his first career start at both Winchester and Hesston this weekend.

J.R.R. – PR.

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March 30, 2008

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Return To Seat Of House Car Doesn't Go According To Plan For Josh

SHINNSTON, WV – Josh climbed back behind the wheel of his familiar Mark Richards Racing No. 1 on Friday and Saturday (March 28-29) after a six-week hiatus.

The 20-year-old Shinnston, W.Va., star’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series weekend at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss., didn’t go quite the way he had hoped, however.

Tied for the WoO LMS points lead entering the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ program at the three-eighths-mile oval after a victory and a third-place finish in last month’s season-opening tour events at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., Josh was primed to pick up where he had left off. But a rough outing during Friday’s qualifying night dulled his momentum, and then a blown left-rear tire midway through Saturday night’s 100-lapper forced him to settle for a 14th-place finish in an event won by veteran Billy Moyer.

Josh got behind on Friday night, failing to qualify through a heat after a late-race scrape with another car sent him spinning in turn one. The twirl was the final straw of an evening during which he never found his rhythm.

Sitting in a new racing seat with head braces on it for the first time, Josh had a hard time adjusting to a feel that was different than he had become accustomed.

“I probably slipped up a little (on the track on Friday) because of it,” said Josh, who made his first career visit to Pike County Speedway. “I couldn’t run the fan that I normally do because of the braces on the left-side of the seat, so my shield kept fogging up. I wear all that (fireproof) skirting under my helmet so I need the fan to keep my shield from fogging up.”

After eliminating the head-brace on the left-side of his seat prior to Saturday’s action so he could once again use the fan, Josh transferred to the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ with a second-place finish in the first B-Main. He started 19th in the headliner and climbed as high as 11th before a blown left-rear tire caused him to bring out a caution flag on lap 59.

Josh returned without losing a lap, but with passing at a premium late in the distance he made little headway and finished 14th.

“The car was working pretty good before we lost the tire,” said Josh, who drove the same Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1 that he steered to victory in last month’s WoO LMS lidlifter. “We were still moving forward. I was trying to get everything I could before the track locked down because I knew the top was wearing out and the bottom was getting cleaned up.

“I guess the body just stuck in the tire. I felt it about five laps before it went down. I could feel it getting looser and looser.”

Josh, whose only competitive starts between the end of February’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals in Florida and the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ were two appearances in the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 at Hagerstown (MD.) Speedway (third-place finishes on March 2 and 15), left southern Mississippi ranked second in the WoO LMS points standings. He trails leader Billy Moyer by 28 points.

Next up on Josh’s schedule is the first-ever ‘Illinois 100’ this weekend (April 4-5) at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway, where he finished third in last year’s 50-lap WoO LMS event. Saturday night’s extra-distance Outlaws affair will pay $20,000 to win.

J.R.R. – PR.

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February 18, 2008

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Victory In World of Outlaws Late Model Series Opener Highlights Strong Kickoff To 2008 For Josh Richards

SHINNSTON, WV. – Josh Richards has proven that he’s ready to make some serious noise on the dirt Late Model scene in 2008.

After completing a solid three-week stretch of racing in the Southeast that was highlighted by a victory in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series season opener, the young star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ seems to already be firing on all cylinders.

“All in all, it was a real good trip for us,” Josh said upon finishing his extended season-starting excursion to Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., and Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. “We got a win, a couple seconds, a few more top-fives.

“Considering the competition that we ran against in all these races, we’re real happy with the results we had.”

Of course, the most memorable moment of Josh’s winter racing odyssey was his triumph in the 50-lap WoO LMS lidlifter on Feb. 14 at the half-mile Volusia oval. In a very competitive race, he fought his way to the front from the third starting spot to assume command on lap 31 when Shane Clanton slowed with mechanical trouble. He then outran Billy Moyer – the hottest driver of Florida Speedweeks 2008 – following a late restart to capture the WoO LMS season opener for the second consecutive year in his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1.

Two nights later, on Feb. 16, Josh backed up his seventh career WoO LMS win with a hard-earned third-place finish in the 50-lap A-Main that closed out the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia. He swapped the lead several times early in the distance with eventual winner Moyer before settling for third place – and a share of the tour points lead with Moyer.

“To come out of (Volusia) on top of the points is a great way for us to start the year,” said Josh. “You don’t want to start off with a bunch of problems and get behind in the points right off the bat, and we avoided that. It was a great morale boost for the whole team.”

The 19-year-old standout from Shinnston, W.Va., was one of the steadiest drivers on the challenging Golden Isles-to-East Bay-to-Volusia circuit, which stretched from Jan. 23 to Feb. 16. A total of 18 feature events were run – seven at Golden Isles from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2, six at East Bay from Feb. 4-9 and five at Volusia from Feb. 11-16 – and Josh qualified for 16 of them; he missed the cut for the openers at Golden Isles and East Bay, leaving him behind only Moyer and Steve Francis in feature starts (both made 17 races).

Overall, Josh registered seven top-five finishes. That included the win at Volusia; runner-up placings at Golden Isles (Jan. 29) and Volusia (Feb. 13); a third at Volusia (Feb. 16); two fourths at East Bay (Feb. 6 and 7); and a fifth at East Bay (Feb. 9). He also won seven preliminary events.

Josh entered the Golden Isles and Volusia events with his familiar Rocket Chassis House Car, and he ran the Ernie Davis-owned Rocket No. 25 in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series ‘Winternationals’ at East Bay. He felt that a few incorrect tire-compound choices he made at East Bay were all that prevented him from seriously contending for victory with the Davis car as well.

Nearly a month spent on the road definitely wore Josh out, but it won’t take him long to recharge for a busy season ahead.

“I’m ready to go home, relax a little bit, and get ready to go again,” said Josh. “We’re basically busy every weekend from now until November, and that’s a good thing. I’m going to race more than I ever have before this year and I’m pumped up about it.”

Weather permiting, Josh will be back in action behind the wheel of the Davis No. 25 this Saturday afternoon (Feb. 23) in the Northeast’s dirt Late Model season opener at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. His tentative March schedule with Davis currently includes visits to Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., on March 1, Hagerstown on March 8, Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway on March 13-15, and Hagerstown on March 22, before he returns to his blue No. 1 for the next WoO LMS event on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss.

J.R.R. – PR.

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January 15, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Josh Richards Soldiers Through Rough Chili Bowl Midget Nationals Experience

SHINNSTON, WV – The one and only scheduled Midget start of the season for Josh Richards was another learning experience.

Battling to get comfortable behind the wheel of a Tony Stewart Racing machine in a rare open-wheel appearance, the dirt Late Model star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ ran out of time and failed to qualify for the A-Main of last week’s 22nd annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center.

The 19-year-old from Shinnston, W.Va., said he felt he “was really getting a good feel for the car” by the end of Saturday night’s program on the quarter-mile indoor dirt track, but his bid to make the Chili Bowl feature event for the first time in three attempts ended with a 14th-place finish in the first D-Main.

“On Saturday (the TSR crew) changed some stuff to try to make me more comfortable,” said Josh, who steered a TSR/Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops/Armor All Spike Midget. “The idea was to make the car drive off the front end more, like a Late Model. It definitely was better, but we were already a little too far behind.”

Josh led the first half of Saturday’s first E-Main before being passed by NASCAR Sprint Cup driver J.J. Yeley and ultimately finishing third, which moved him to the first D-Main. He appeared primed to challenge for one of the D-Main’s five transfer spots to the first C-Main after sliding into seventh place from deep in the starting field, but officials put him back several positions when a caution flag flew seconds later and he never recovered.

The long odds to qualify that Josh faced on Saturday night resulted from the rough-and-tumble preliminary night he experienced on Friday. With the track surface still wide-open, his car dug in and flipped wildly on the opening lap of his heat, forcing him to play catch-up the remainder of the evening.

Josh, who was sore but otherwise uninjured after the wreck, came back after suspension repairs were made to the car and finished second in a Last Chance Qualifier. But he finished 12th in an A-Main Qualifier and then placed ninth in Friday’s first B-Main, missing an A-Main transfer spot by five positions.

Josh’s three TSR teammates made the cut for Saturday’s A-Main. Team owner and NASCAR star Tony Stewart led the way with an eighth-place finish in the 50-lapper, followed by Tracy Hines (ninth) and Levi Jones (11th).

“I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to get in the feature, but it’s a tough race to make,” said Josh, who entered the Chili Bowl for the third consecutive year (second straight with TSR). “I had a great time, and I just appreciate that Tony (Stewart) gave me an opportunity to run it again.

“Hopefully I’ll have a chance to try again next year. We’ve talked, and next year we might try to practice somewhere (before the Chili Bowl) so I can get a better feel for the car.”

Josh flew home on Sunday but found no time to rest. While continuing to make final preparations for 22 nights of racing between Jan. 23 and Feb. 16, he also had to get ready for his role in this weekend’s 17th annual “Race Wise Chassis School” at his father Mark’s Rocket Chassis in Shinnston, W.Va. Over 200 attendees are expected for the three-day program, which includes classroom sessions and an open house at the Rocket shop.

Josh heads south on Mon., Jan. 21, with his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1 to compete in the 10 nights of action that make up the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. He then will move on to drive the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Winternationals from Feb. 4-9 at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., before returning to his familiar blue No. 1 for the 37th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals (which includes the first two events of the 2008 WoO LMS) from Feb. 11-16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

J.R.R. – PR.

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January 6, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Josh Richards Returns To Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals With Tony Stewart Racing For Third Straight Year

SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards is hoping that his third attempt at the famed Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals will be the charm.

The 19-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., is primed to compete in this week’s indoor dirt-track extravaganza at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center for the third consecutive year as a member of the formidable Tony Stewart Racing effort. His all-star cast of teammates will include NASCAR star and team owner Tony Stewart – the defending Chili Bowl champion – and USAC stars Levi Jones and Tracy Hines.

The 22nd annual Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals begins Tuesday (Jan. 8) and runs through Saturday (Jan. 12).

“I’m pumped. I’m ready,” said Josh, who enjoyed a personal-high four-win season on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2007. “I haven’t had too much time to think about (the Chili Bowl) this winter because we’ve been so busy working on our (dirt Late Model) stuff (for the 2008 campaign), but now that it’s here I can’t wait to get out there and race.”

Josh made his first Chili Bowl appearance in 2006, falling one spot short of transferring to the 50-lap A-Main through a B-Main. He returned full of confidence for the 2007 edition, but he struggled to get comfortable on the quarter-mile clay oval and saw his bid come to an end with a 10th-place finish in Saturday night’s first G-Main.

A practice session on Tuesday night will give Josh an opportunity to feel out his TSR/Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops/Armor All Midget on the specially-constructed layout on the floor of the Tulsa Expo Center. With an event record 285 entries divided into four three qualifying nights, Josh is set to compete in the Friday-night preliminary program in hopes of setting himself up to run in Saturday night’s A-Main.

Josh will be busy off the track as well this week. On Monday (Jan. 7) he is scheduled to be on hand with Jones and Hines at the Bass Pro Shops Official Chili Bowl Kick-Off Party, a meet-and-greet with fans set for 6 p.m. CST at the Bass Pro Shops store in Broken Arrow, Okla. In addition, Josh will also be available for autographs at the Tony Stewart merchandise trailer located within the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals trade show on Wednesday (Jan. 9) from 4-5 p.m. CST.

The Tony Stewart merchandise trailer will again feature an exclusive TSR Chili Bowl T-shirt featuring two-time event winner and NASCAR champion Stewart along with Jones, Hines and Josh.

Tickets for the Chili Bowl have been sold-out for months, but fans can watch the event live on HBO Pay-Per-View for the first time. The broadcast of Saturday night’s finale, which can be purchased directly via digital cable or satellite television outlets, will begin at 8 p.m. EST. Those interested in purchasing the broadcast can also contact their cable provider’s customer service department for more details.

After returning from the Chili Bowl, Josh will continue his preparations for a busy schedule of dirt Late Model racing in January and February. He is planning to compete in the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga.; the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Winternationals from Feb. 4-9 at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla.; and the 37th annual DIRTcar Nationals (which includes the first two events of the 2008 WoO LMS) from Feb. 11-16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Josh will drive his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1 at Golden Isles and Volusia, and he’ll steer the Rocket No. 25 owned by Ernie Davis at East Bay.

J.R.R. – PR.

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