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SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards put his full focus on this weekend’s World
100 at Eldora Speedway as soon as the final checkered flag flew on his
holiday weekend of World of Outlaws Late Model Series racing in
Pennsylvania.
It was the best thing for his psyche after he experienced three frustrating
outings in the Keystone State to unofficially close the summer of 2008.
“I always look forward to going to Eldora,” said the 20-year-old sensation
from Shinnston, W.Va., who won a Sunoco American Late Model Series event
earlier this season at Eldora. “I just hope this (past) weekend doesn’t drag
me down going into the World. I’m always confident going into a race at
Eldora, but I just hate being in a slump going there.”
Josh’s level of frustration hits its zenith on Sunday night (Aug. 31) when
he labored to a 18th-place finish (one lap down) in the 50-lap finale of the
Oil Region Labor Day Classic Weekend at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa.
He started the program off in fine fashion by recording his fourth fast-time
honor of the 2008 WoO LMS campaign, but he faded to a fourth-place finish in
his heat and went backward from the 13th starting spot in the A-Main.
“It wasn’t a very good night – I don’t know what else to say,” the
disappointed young driver said of his weekend-ending performance. “We were
just so bad, I don’t even know what the problem was. We set fast time and
were feeling pretty good, but then we fell back in our heat race and
everything went downhill.”
Josh ran better on Saturday night (Aug. 30) at Tri-City, finishing sixth in
the 50-lap feature. But he started the race from the pole position after
winning a qualifying heat, so he was certainly expecting more than a placing
outside the top five.
“I was just too free getting into the corners (on Saturday night ),” Josh
said of 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. “I couldn’t enter the corners like I needed to. I never went
in the same way twice.”
Josh also struggled in Friday night’s opening event of the weekend at
Bedford (Pa.) Speedway. Noting that the motor in his car was down slightly
on power because it was ready for a rebuild, Josh finished a quiet eighth in
the 50-lap A-Main after taking the green flag from the 10th starting spot.
Following the weekend’s action, Josh sits fourth in the WoO LMS points
standings, 214 points behind leader Darrell Lanigan.
The standout racer known as ‘Kid Rocket’ will look to break out of his
doldrums this weekend in the World 100, dirt Late Model racing’s most
prestigious event. The $41,000-to-win event will feature time trials on
Friday night (Sept. 5) and heats, B-Mains and the 100-lap finale on Saturday
night (Se pt. 6).
Josh is looking to make the tough World 100 starting field for the third
straight year. He contended for victory in the 2006 event before settling
for a fourth-place finish, and last year he placed 19th.
Eldora’s fans will have a chance to hear Josh’s thoughts on the World 100
when he participates in the Sunoco Race Fuels Pre-Race Show, which runs from
2-5 p.m. on Friday in front of the pond outside turn four of the facility.
He’s one of the Team Sunoco drivers who will be interviewed during the show
by host Dustin Jarrett. |
