SHINNSTON, W, Va. - Oct. 25, 2010 - Winchester Speedway has been very good to Josh Richards this season. The 22-year-old from Shinnston, W.Va., enjoyed his third successful trip to the Virginia track last weekend, sweeping to victory lane in the preliminary and main events of the inaugural Raye Vest Memorial. His triumphs in the 24-lap tune-up feature on Friday night and the 50-lap headliner on Saturday evening provided him a total of $12,400 in earnings.
In all, Richards has five wins at the three-eighths-mile oval in 2010, including his wins last month in a qualifying feature and the 50-lap dirt Late Model portion of the annual Winchester 200 and a score earlier this year in a Three-State Flyers Series event. He's pocketed nearly $30,000 for efforts there this season driving the Ernie D's Enterprises Rocket No. 25, a machine he campaigns in most of his starts away from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
"Winchester has been a really good track for us this year," said Richards, who pushed his 2010 overall win total to a career-best 16 with his pair of weekend checkered flags. "It's been fun running there this year, (Promoter) Greg Gunter has a done a great job with the place. He and his team have worked hard to get the track in great condition, Saturday night I think it was the best it's been all year. You could race all over it."
Richards kicked off Winchester's season finale two-day show with a win in Friday night's preliminary feature, which was reserved for the top 24 qualifiers in the evening's time trials. It was run over the 24 lap distance in honor of Vest, the late team owner who passed away last year. Vest's trademark number throughout his racing career, of course, was 24.
Twin 24-lap qualifying features were contested on Saturday night with the top 12 finishers in each going to the 50 lap A-Main. Richards made a bid to overtake fellow WoO LMS regular Shane Clanton to win one of the qualifiers, but he couldn't pull off the move and settled for a fourth-place finish that gave him the seventh starting spot in the main event.
Richards had his Roush Yates-powered car rolling in the headliner, smoothly advancing to the second spot before the halfway mark and then passing Clanton for the lead on lap 30. He controlled the remainder of the distance, easily beating Clanton to the finish line.
"Once we got the lead and found the sweet spot (on the track) the car hooked up well," said Richards. "The car was phenomenal to drive all weekend, and the Roush Yates engine was great again. The combination the Roush Yates guys have given us has been terrific."
Richards was honored to win a race held in memory of Vest, who spent more than a decade fielding cars for Pennsylvania veteran Rick Eckert and was a witness to Richards's development as a driver.
"Raye was a great friend to all of us," said Richards. "I got to know him pretty well and I know there was nothing he liked more than racing. He contributed so much to the sport and everyone misses him."
Before Richards, who currently leads the WoO LMS points standings by 22 markers over Darrell Lanigan, returns to his familiar Mark Richards Racing Enterprises Rocket No. 1 to shoot for his second consecutive series championship in the World Finals on Nov. 4-6 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., he'll make one more start in the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25. He's scheduled to drive the car in the $10,000-to-win, 100-lap dirt Late Model portion of the Octoberfest 350 on Oct. 30-31 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.
For more information on Josh Richards, visit www.joshrichards.com and follow him on Twitter at @Josh_Richards1.
Josh Richards' team carries support from Rocket Chassis, Cornett Racing Engines, Seubert Calf Ranches, Ernie D's Enterprises, ACE Metal Works, 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.
Honey Elizabeth Rentz
Rising Star Management Group
hrentz@risingstarmg.com
In all, Richards has five wins at the three-eighths-mile oval in 2010, including his wins last month in a qualifying feature and the 50-lap dirt Late Model portion of the annual Winchester 200 and a score earlier this year in a Three-State Flyers Series event. He's pocketed nearly $30,000 for efforts there this season driving the Ernie D's Enterprises Rocket No. 25, a machine he campaigns in most of his starts away from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
"Winchester has been a really good track for us this year," said Richards, who pushed his 2010 overall win total to a career-best 16 with his pair of weekend checkered flags. "It's been fun running there this year, (Promoter) Greg Gunter has a done a great job with the place. He and his team have worked hard to get the track in great condition, Saturday night I think it was the best it's been all year. You could race all over it."
Richards kicked off Winchester's season finale two-day show with a win in Friday night's preliminary feature, which was reserved for the top 24 qualifiers in the evening's time trials. It was run over the 24 lap distance in honor of Vest, the late team owner who passed away last year. Vest's trademark number throughout his racing career, of course, was 24.
Twin 24-lap qualifying features were contested on Saturday night with the top 12 finishers in each going to the 50 lap A-Main. Richards made a bid to overtake fellow WoO LMS regular Shane Clanton to win one of the qualifiers, but he couldn't pull off the move and settled for a fourth-place finish that gave him the seventh starting spot in the main event.
Richards had his Roush Yates-powered car rolling in the headliner, smoothly advancing to the second spot before the halfway mark and then passing Clanton for the lead on lap 30. He controlled the remainder of the distance, easily beating Clanton to the finish line.
"Once we got the lead and found the sweet spot (on the track) the car hooked up well," said Richards. "The car was phenomenal to drive all weekend, and the Roush Yates engine was great again. The combination the Roush Yates guys have given us has been terrific."
Richards was honored to win a race held in memory of Vest, who spent more than a decade fielding cars for Pennsylvania veteran Rick Eckert and was a witness to Richards's development as a driver.
"Raye was a great friend to all of us," said Richards. "I got to know him pretty well and I know there was nothing he liked more than racing. He contributed so much to the sport and everyone misses him."
Before Richards, who currently leads the WoO LMS points standings by 22 markers over Darrell Lanigan, returns to his familiar Mark Richards Racing Enterprises Rocket No. 1 to shoot for his second consecutive series championship in the World Finals on Nov. 4-6 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., he'll make one more start in the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25. He's scheduled to drive the car in the $10,000-to-win, 100-lap dirt Late Model portion of the Octoberfest 350 on Oct. 30-31 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.
For more information on Josh Richards, visit www.joshrichards.com and follow him on Twitter at @Josh_Richards1.
Josh Richards' team carries support from Rocket Chassis, Cornett Racing Engines, Seubert Calf Ranches, Ernie D's Enterprises, ACE Metal Works, 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.
Honey Elizabeth Rentz
Rising Star Management Group
hrentz@risingstarmg.com
