Aug. 27, 2007
SHINNSTON, WV –Josh Richards is set to make the first ARCA RE/MAX Series start of his career – on a surface that he knows very well.
The teenage dirt Late Model star has accepted an offer to drive a Tony Stewart Racing stock car in ARCA’s Southern Illinois 100 on Mon., Sept. 3, at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds, a historic one-mile dirt oval.
Josh has tested stock cars on asphalt tracks, but this will mark his initial competitive appearance in one of the heavier machines. The fact that it will come at a dirt track figures to help him quickly get comfortable behind the wheel.
“It’ll be good to get some seat time in a car like that,” Josh said of entering an ARCA event. “I’m sure I’ll have to adjust to driving a heavier car, but at least I’m familiar with the surface.”
Stewart, who makes special appearances in a Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Rocket dirt Late Model that is wrenched by Josh, recently purchased a stock car from Joe Gibbs’s team and asked Josh to drive it at DuQuoin. The machine is being prepared for Josh’s use by members of Stewart’s expansive motorsports operation.
“It’s great to have an opportunity to have Tony behind me,” Josh said of racing for Stewart. “Hopefully everything will work out for me and I’ll get some experience.”
Josh will arrive for DuQuoin’s 9 a.m. ARCA practice session at the DuQuoin Mile via Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., where he is scheduled to race in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series Oil Region Labor Classic this weekend (Sept. 1-2). He will compete in $10,000-to-win, 50-lap shows on both Saturday and Sunday at Tri-City before catching an early flight to southern Illinois on Monday morning.
At Tri-City, Josh will attempt to get back on track after a disappointing outing in last Thursday night’s WoO LMS-sanctioned ‘Scorcher 100’ at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. Josh timed eighth-fastest and won a heat race on Wednesday night and drew the fourth starting spot for the feature, but he lost a couple positions by slipping high on the opening lap of the 100 and later was forced to pit to change a cut right-front tire.
Josh was running sixth when he brought his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 to the pits for service during a lap-41 caution period. He returned but was never a factor again, finishing one lap down in 12th place.
“We weren’t that good, but I feel like we could’ve been a sixth- or seventh-place car,” said Josh, who made his first career start at the high-banked, four-tenths-mile oval. “I think we could’ve maintained our position, but we’ll never know. I guess Brady Smith got into my right-front when we were racing and the tire just started going down.”
Josh was able to remain fourth in the WoO LMS points standings after the Volunteer event. He trails leader Steve Francis by 122 points.
Josh was at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio, on Saturday and ready to race in the WoO LMS ‘K-C 50,’ but a thunderstorm that deluged the facility just as cars had begun rolling onto the track forced the postponement of the program. WoO LMS and K-C officials expect to announce a new date for the event in the coming days.
SHINNSTON, WV –Josh Richards is set to make the first ARCA RE/MAX Series start of his career – on a surface that he knows very well.
The teenage dirt Late Model star has accepted an offer to drive a Tony Stewart Racing stock car in ARCA’s Southern Illinois 100 on Mon., Sept. 3, at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds, a historic one-mile dirt oval.
Josh has tested stock cars on asphalt tracks, but this will mark his initial competitive appearance in one of the heavier machines. The fact that it will come at a dirt track figures to help him quickly get comfortable behind the wheel.
“It’ll be good to get some seat time in a car like that,” Josh said of entering an ARCA event. “I’m sure I’ll have to adjust to driving a heavier car, but at least I’m familiar with the surface.”
Stewart, who makes special appearances in a Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Rocket dirt Late Model that is wrenched by Josh, recently purchased a stock car from Joe Gibbs’s team and asked Josh to drive it at DuQuoin. The machine is being prepared for Josh’s use by members of Stewart’s expansive motorsports operation.
“It’s great to have an opportunity to have Tony behind me,” Josh said of racing for Stewart. “Hopefully everything will work out for me and I’ll get some experience.”
Josh will arrive for DuQuoin’s 9 a.m. ARCA practice session at the DuQuoin Mile via Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., where he is scheduled to race in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series Oil Region Labor Classic this weekend (Sept. 1-2). He will compete in $10,000-to-win, 50-lap shows on both Saturday and Sunday at Tri-City before catching an early flight to southern Illinois on Monday morning.
At Tri-City, Josh will attempt to get back on track after a disappointing outing in last Thursday night’s WoO LMS-sanctioned ‘Scorcher 100’ at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. Josh timed eighth-fastest and won a heat race on Wednesday night and drew the fourth starting spot for the feature, but he lost a couple positions by slipping high on the opening lap of the 100 and later was forced to pit to change a cut right-front tire.
Josh was running sixth when he brought his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 to the pits for service during a lap-41 caution period. He returned but was never a factor again, finishing one lap down in 12th place.
“We weren’t that good, but I feel like we could’ve been a sixth- or seventh-place car,” said Josh, who made his first career start at the high-banked, four-tenths-mile oval. “I think we could’ve maintained our position, but we’ll never know. I guess Brady Smith got into my right-front when we were racing and the tire just started going down.”
Josh was able to remain fourth in the WoO LMS points standings after the Volunteer event. He trails leader Steve Francis by 122 points.
Josh was at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio, on Saturday and ready to race in the WoO LMS ‘K-C 50,’ but a thunderstorm that deluged the facility just as cars had begun rolling onto the track forced the postponement of the program. WoO LMS and K-C officials expect to announce a new date for the event in the coming days.
