SHINNSTON, W. Va. (March 22, 2010) - Josh Richards continues to show why he stands as the reigning World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion. The young driving sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., flashed his championship mettle again during last weekend's WoO LMS Southeastern swing, calmly pressing forward to ring up two top-five finishes and grab the national tour's points lead.
Richards, who turns 22 on March 22, finished fourth on Friday night (March 19) at Ocala (Fla.) Speedway and posted a runner up finish on Saturday night (March 20) at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. Both events featured 50-lap A-Mains.
"It was a good weekend for us," said Richards, who ended the doubleheader weekend leading 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie by six points in the tour standings after four events. "Of course I would have liked to get a win, but you have to be consistent to win championships and so far this year that's what we've been."
Making his first competitive start since last month's DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., Richards returned to the Sunshine State with his father Mark's Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket car on Friday night to run the inaugural WoO LMS event at the three-eighths-mile, egg-shaped Ocala oval. He climbed as high as second from the fourth starting spot but fell to fourth after a lap-18 restart and stayed there until the finish.
"I felt like if I could have picked the outside lane (for the restart) I would have been able to run second (in the A-Main)," said Richards. "I got stuck in the middle of the racetrack and Austin (Hubbard) and McCreadie both got by me, and after that it was tough to pass fast guys back."
Richards next stop was back to the Peach state for Saturday night's third annual WoO LMS visit to Screven Motor Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval where Richards would drive to a runner-up finish for the second consecutive year. He started sixth and reached second on a lap-31 restart, but he couldn't find a way to overtake eventual winner Austin Hubbard.
"He did a heck of a job," Richards said of Hubbard. "I knew that he was gonna be competitive in that car (the Beitler Motorsports No. 19) this year - he has good equipment, he has Robby Allen as a crew chief and he's an awesome driver, so I'm not surprised he's doing what he's doing. I was glad to be there for his first win at Brunswick."
Richards had to escape some challenging moments in his heat race at Screven just to put himself in a prime starting position near the front of the A-Main field. He went spinning on the prelim's original start after tangling with Shane Clanton, and on the restart he twirled again on the homestretch after contact with Jeremy Faircloth.
Despite the body-bending incidents, Richards managed to race to a second-place finish and advance from the heat race to the A-Main.
"To come back from what happened to us in the heat (on Saturday) and still finish second in the A-Main is pretty pleasing," said Richards. "That's what you have to do to win championships."
Richards' next stop will be a doubleheader in the Lone Star State with World of Outlaw Late Model Series races at Battleground Speedway in Highlands on Fri., March 26, and Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore on Sat., March 27.
For more information on Josh Richards, visit www.joshrichards.com.
Josh Richards's No. 1 team carries support from Rocket Chassis, Cornett Racing Engines, Seubert Calf Ranches, Ernie D's Enterprises, ACE Metal Works, MCB Motorsports, Petroff Towing, Tony Stewart Racing, Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Racing Tires, Integra Shocks, Slavic Custom Decals, Valvoline, AEM, AFCO, ATL Fuel Cells, Aurora Bearing Company, Autolite, Banshee Graphics, Barnes Systems, Beyea Performance, Brinn Transmissions, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Braswell Carburetion, Butlerbuilt Seat Systems, CV Products, Dohm Cycles, Dyer's Top Rods, Fram Filters, Frankland Rearends, Howe Racing, Kwik Change Product, LSI, Mason Racin', MSD Ignition, Outerwears, Performance Bodies, Performance Friction Brakes, Performance Rod & Custom, Ringers Gloves, Scott Performance Wire, Simpson Race Products, Sweet Manufacturing, Tel Tech, TWM Racing Products, Trick Carbon Fiber Driveshafts, Jones Racing Products, TurboStart Racing Batteries, US Brake, Weld Racing Wheels, Wehr's Machine, Wilwood and Wrisco Aluminum.
Richards, who turns 22 on March 22, finished fourth on Friday night (March 19) at Ocala (Fla.) Speedway and posted a runner up finish on Saturday night (March 20) at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Ga. Both events featured 50-lap A-Mains.
"It was a good weekend for us," said Richards, who ended the doubleheader weekend leading 2006 WoO LMS champion Tim McCreadie by six points in the tour standings after four events. "Of course I would have liked to get a win, but you have to be consistent to win championships and so far this year that's what we've been."
Making his first competitive start since last month's DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., Richards returned to the Sunshine State with his father Mark's Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket car on Friday night to run the inaugural WoO LMS event at the three-eighths-mile, egg-shaped Ocala oval. He climbed as high as second from the fourth starting spot but fell to fourth after a lap-18 restart and stayed there until the finish.
"I felt like if I could have picked the outside lane (for the restart) I would have been able to run second (in the A-Main)," said Richards. "I got stuck in the middle of the racetrack and Austin (Hubbard) and McCreadie both got by me, and after that it was tough to pass fast guys back."
Richards next stop was back to the Peach state for Saturday night's third annual WoO LMS visit to Screven Motor Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval where Richards would drive to a runner-up finish for the second consecutive year. He started sixth and reached second on a lap-31 restart, but he couldn't find a way to overtake eventual winner Austin Hubbard.
"He did a heck of a job," Richards said of Hubbard. "I knew that he was gonna be competitive in that car (the Beitler Motorsports No. 19) this year - he has good equipment, he has Robby Allen as a crew chief and he's an awesome driver, so I'm not surprised he's doing what he's doing. I was glad to be there for his first win at Brunswick."
Richards had to escape some challenging moments in his heat race at Screven just to put himself in a prime starting position near the front of the A-Main field. He went spinning on the prelim's original start after tangling with Shane Clanton, and on the restart he twirled again on the homestretch after contact with Jeremy Faircloth.
Despite the body-bending incidents, Richards managed to race to a second-place finish and advance from the heat race to the A-Main.
"To come back from what happened to us in the heat (on Saturday) and still finish second in the A-Main is pretty pleasing," said Richards. "That's what you have to do to win championships."
Richards' next stop will be a doubleheader in the Lone Star State with World of Outlaw Late Model Series races at Battleground Speedway in Highlands on Fri., March 26, and Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore on Sat., March 27.
For more information on Josh Richards, visit www.joshrichards.com.
Josh Richards's No. 1 team carries support from Rocket Chassis, Cornett Racing Engines, Seubert Calf Ranches, Ernie D's Enterprises, ACE Metal Works, MCB Motorsports, Petroff Towing, Tony Stewart Racing, Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Racing Tires, Integra Shocks, Slavic Custom Decals, Valvoline, AEM, AFCO, ATL Fuel Cells, Aurora Bearing Company, Autolite, Banshee Graphics, Barnes Systems, Beyea Performance, Brinn Transmissions, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Braswell Carburetion, Butlerbuilt Seat Systems, CV Products, Dohm Cycles, Dyer's Top Rods, Fram Filters, Frankland Rearends, Howe Racing, Kwik Change Product, LSI, Mason Racin', MSD Ignition, Outerwears, Performance Bodies, Performance Friction Brakes, Performance Rod & Custom, Ringers Gloves, Scott Performance Wire, Simpson Race Products, Sweet Manufacturing, Tel Tech, TWM Racing Products, Trick Carbon Fiber Driveshafts, Jones Racing Products, TurboStart Racing Batteries, US Brake, Weld Racing Wheels, Wehr's Machine, Wilwood and Wrisco Aluminum.
