December 2, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Josh Richards Continued Dirt Late Model Rise With Busiest Season Ever In 2007



SHINNSTON, WV – Dec. 3, 2007 – The 2007 season will go down as another big step in the rising racing career of Josh Richards.
Continuing his rapid progression in the dirt Late Model world, the 19-year-old sensation known as ‘Kid Rocket’ captured more features and entered more events in 2007 than he ever had before. He also won at two tracks he holds close to his heart and recorded his best career finish in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series points standings.

It was, to be frank, the most successful campaign of Josh’s burgeoning career.

“I had a lot of fun this season,” said Josh, looking back at his fourth full year as a dirt Late Model driver. “We went into the season knowing that I was going to run the most races I ever had so I could get more seat-time, and I loved every minute of it. The more you race, the better you get, and I feel like I’ve improved a lot as a driver this year.”

In a season that saw him make a career-high 70 competitive starts, Josh scored six wins, 27 top-five and 43 top-10 finishes. Four of his victories came on the WoO LMS, which he focused upon as a regular for the third consecutive year.

Driving the Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1, Josh kicked off his WoO LMS campaign with a triumph in the season-opening DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 17 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. He later registered very satisfying back-to-back tour victories – the ‘60th Anniversary Classic’ on July 21 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway (which brought him a career-high $12,000 payday and gave him his long-awaited initial win at the track where he ran his first dirt Late Model feature in 2004), and a 50-lapper on July 22 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa. (a bullring rather than a big, fast track that he favors). He also rolled to a dominant flag-to-flag win in the 19th annual ‘Pittsburgher 50’ on Sept. 22 at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway in Imperial, Pa.

Only two drivers won more often on the WoO LMS in ’07 than Josh, who recorded a total of 12 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes in 44 tour A-Mains en route to finishing sixth in the points standings. In addition, he led more laps on the series than any other driver (302 circuits); set fast time on May 12 at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis.; earned $105,707 to become one of six drivers to break the six-figure mark in purse rewards; and was the only driver in the top-10 of the final points standings who did not have to use a single provisional to start an A-Main all season.

The 2005 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year was pleased with his continued development on the tough WoO LMS – he won once in each of the previous two seasons – but he knows his campaign could have been truly spectacular with just a little help from Lady Luck.

“We were running up front in a few other races – Knoxville (Iowa), Delaware, Charlotte (The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway) – when we fell out,” said Josh, who fell one spot short of accomplishing his goal of a top-five points finish on the WoO LMS. “If we could’ve won those, it could’ve made a big difference for us in the points and it would’ve been a great year.”

Josh also made his presence felt away from the WoO LMS. He won the unsanctioned ‘Red Miley Memorial Penn National 53’ on July 1 at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway to tune of over $7,000, and on Aug. 4 he romped to a $5,000 victory in the 27th annual ‘Shorty Bowers/Bull Durham Championship 40’ at Hagerstown Speedway that was part of the inaugural Independent Racing Series (IRS).

The PPMS and Hagerstown triumphs had some extra special meaning for Josh. With the victory at PPMS, he realized his stated pre-season goal of finally winning at a track where he had nearly won in his third career dirt Late Model start. The IRS win at Hagerstown, meanwhile, came behind the wheel of Ernie Davis’s Rocket No. 25, marking the first time in his career that he visited Victory Lane in a car not fielded by his father Mark.

Adding to his accomplishments, Josh qualified for four of the dirt Late Model circuit’s biggest events in 2007: the $100,000 Dirt Late Model Dream and World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, the Knoxville Late Model Nationals at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway and the Dirt Track World Championship at Ohio’s K-C Raceway. He best finish came in the DTWC at the three-eighths-mile K-C oval, where he finished a strong second after battling for the lead with eventual winner Chub Frank.

Josh also made his ARCA RE/MAX Series stock car debut in 2007, driving a Tony Stewart-owned Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevy No. 20 to a third-place finish in the 55th Southern Illinois 100 on Sept. 3 at the one-mile DuQuion (Ill.) State Fairgrounds dirt track.

“The highlights of the season for me were definitely winning at Hagerstown and the ‘Pittsburgher,’” summed up Josh. “I’ve always wanted to win at both those tracks – especially the ‘Pittsburgher,’ because that’s a race I’ve been going to since I was a little kid.

“I think we definitely took a step forward this year. I learned a lot more about driving and setting up the car, and I hope it shows up next year when we get back to racing.”

The 2008 campaign will be here before Josh even knows it. He plans to kick off the season by competing in the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., where 10 nights of $10,000-to-win dirt Late Model events begin on Jan. 23.

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

November 5, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Fifth-Place Finish Is Best Run For Josh Richards In Inaugural ‘Outlaws World Finals’



SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards provided a simple summary of his performance in last weekend’s inaugural ‘Outlaws World Finals’ at the Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N. C.

“Overall, we had a decent weekend,” said the 19-year-old star known as ‘Kid Rocket.’ “We weren’t great, but the car’s in one piece and we’ll just put the weekend behind us and get ready for next year.”

Josh’s final scheduled dirt Late Model appearance of 2007 was highlighted by a fifth-place finish in Friday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main. He registered a quiet 11th-place finish in the 50-lap event that headlined the Saturday-night portion of the ‘Outlaws World Finals,’ which saw a huge crowd turn out to witness the WoO Late Models and Sprints racing on the same program for the first time in history.

A second-place finish in a heat gave Josh the ninth starting spot for Friday’s A-Main. He climbed as high as fourth before settling for a fifth-place finish in his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1.

“We were way too loose,” said Josh. “I was just hanging on for most of the race. The car was really a handful to drive.”

After another second-place heat-race finish put ninth on the grid once again for Saturday night’s 50-lap A-Main, Josh managed to move up to sixth place by the time the race’s third and final caution flag flew on lap 24. But on the ensuing restart he caught the cushion slightly in turn two and got out of shape, causing him to fall to ninth. He never recovered and settled for an 11th-place finish in the event, which was broadcast live by the SPEED cable network.

“We switched back to a four-link (suspension) right before the feature and it was a little hard to get used to,” Josh said of his Saturday-night setup. “It took me the first couple laps of the feature to get comfortable, but we set it up wrong anyway. We were kind of in between being too tight (to run) the top, and a little bit too free for the bottom.

“By the end of race, I was pretty much holding on.”

Josh entered the weekend with a chance to reach fourth place in the WoO LMS points standings, but he wasn’t able to fulfill his pre-season goal of a top-five points finish on the tour. He ended the season ranked sixth in the standings – still a career-high for the tour’s 2005 Rookie of the Year.

A winner of four WoO LMS A-Mains in 2007, Josh will receive his points-fund money during the tour’s awards banquet on Dec. 6 in Orlando, Fla. He will also attend the annual Performance Racing Industry trade show in Orlando that same weekend.

With his 2007 campaign complete, Josh will announce his plans for ’08 in the coming weeks.

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

October 22, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
 

Josh Comes Up One Spot Short Of  Victory In Dirt Track World Championship



SHINNSTON, WV – The Dirt Track World Championship will always hold a special place in the heart of Josh Richards – the crown-jewel event did, after all, serve as the launching pad for his dirt Late Model career four years ago.

But it would have meant even more to ‘Kid Rocket’ if he had been able finish one spot better in Saturday night’s 27th annual edition of the Carl Short-promoted mega-show at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio.

The 19-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., led more than half of the 100-lap distance before settling for a runner-up placing to fellow World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular Chub Frank.

“It’s tough to accept coming so close to winning a major race after having such a good car and leading for so long,” said Josh, who crossed the finish line about a half-straightaway behind Frank. “But Chub’s been racing a lot longer than I have and this is the first time he’s ever won (the DTWC), so I was happy to see him win it.”

After winning a Friday-night heat race despite running with a broken left-front A-frame on his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1, Josh drew the third starting spot for the DTWC A-Main. He surged forward quickly, grabbing the lead from Mike Marler on lap four.

But Frank came on near the halfway point to challenge Josh. The two Rocket Chassis stalwarts spent nearly 15 laps battling side-by-side for the lead before Frank pulled in front for good on lap 56.

“Early in the race my car was working real good,” said Josh. “I wasn’t even pushing it too hard. It would just roll around there.

“But when we got to lapped traffic, I think the track got a little dirtied-up where I was running and I didn’t feel as good. I was able to hold my own with Chub until I just ran out of room behind a lapped car and he got ahead of us.

“Later on the track cleaned up and I was better, but it was too late for me to do anything with Chub.”

Josh pocketed $12,500 for finishing second in the DTWC. He ended up so close to the race’s famed $50,000 top prize such a short time after debuting as a 15-year-old racer in the 2003 edition of the event at Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, Ky.

“I feel like I just ran (the DTWC) for the first time yesterday,” said Josh, who failed to qualify for the ’03 event while also competing in that year’s special ‘Futures’ race for teenage drivers. “Everything has just gone so quickly the last few years. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot and learned a lot so far, but there’s still a long way to go.”

As great a night as the DTWC was for Josh, it was also equally memorable for the Rocket Chassis company co-owned by Josh’s father Mark. The top-five finishers in the 100-lapper – Frank, Josh, Steve Francis, Steve Shaver and Darren Miller – all were behind the wheel of Rocket Chassis cars.

Josh will head this weekend to Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway, where he’ll drive one of Ernie Davis’s Rocket No. 25 machines in the $10,000-to-win dirt Late Model portion of the annual ‘Octoberfest 350.’ Qualifying is on Saturday and the features will be contested on Sunday.

Earlier this year Josh won an Interstate Racing Series event at Hagerstown behind the wheel the wheel of a Davis-owned mount.

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

Monday, October 15, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



A Visit To The South That Josh Richards Would Like To Forget



SHINNSTON, WV – The only reason Josh Richards will want to remember his racing visit to the South last week is to contemplate what might have been.

There were certainly no notable final results for ‘Kid Rocket,’ who retired from Wednesday night’s 50-lap Jani-King Southern Showdown at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., while leading and finished 14th (two laps down) in Saturday night’s Tennessee Fall Brawl 100 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn.

“We had two real frustrating nights,” said Josh. “What stinks is that I know we had an awesome car at Charlotte (Lowe’s), and I think we were pretty good (at Bulls Gap).”

The 19-year-old sensation’s Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 was clearly the fastest thing on four wheels at The Dirt Track. After qualifying through a B-Main because his car’s driveshaft fell out during a heat-race caution period, Josh blasted from the 21st starting spot to the lead by lap 10 of the feature.

Josh found the fast track’s unruly high side to his liking and used it to rocket forward. While soaring around the top, he turned a lap that was nearly a full second faster than any other driver clicked off during the entire distance.

Josh appeared headed to a big victory – a victory that would have been worth $30,000 because he stood to collect the race’s full bonus. If any of the 18 heat-race qualifiers and three B-Main winners won the A-Main, they would receive the $10,000 first-place prize along with an amount equal to $1,000 multiplied by their starting position. (The 20th- and 21st-place starters both stood to earn a maximum bonus of $20,000 for winning.)

But on lap 12 Josh caught the ample cushion in turn two and damaged the right-front corner of his car, sending him to the pits for good. Shannon Babb inherited the lead and went on to win the race.

“I hit the cushion off of two with the right front,” said Josh. “I was trying to run around it with the right-rear, but that time (on lap 12) I just pushed a little bit and then I just dug in the ground and the nose rolled under. You can’t steer like that, so we were done.

“After the third or fourth lap, I knew this car was gonna be awesome. I could just get up on the top and roll. I think I just got a little too excited because we were so fast.

“I think if I would’ve slowed down a little bit and paced myself, we would’ve been better off. But it was just so much fun running up around there so fast.”

Josh was back in action on Friday night at Volunteer Speedway, where he recovered from a 24th-fastest time-trial lap (out of 52 cars) to transfer to the A-Main with a fourth-place finish in the fourth heat. Scheduled to start 16th in the 100-lapper on Saturday night, Josh saw his night take a disappointing turn when his car’s driveshaft broke during the pace laps, forcing him into the infield.

Josh’s crew hastily installed a replacement driveshaft, but he slid back onto the track just as the leaders were completing the race’s first lap. He went down a lap moments later and never recovered, ultimately losing another circuit later and finishing 14th.

“We just needed about 15 more seconds and we could’ve got it fixed to where we could’ve made it on the track without losing a lap right off the bat,” said Josh. “Then we might’ve had a better night then we did.”

Josh now sits sixth in the WoO LMS points standings. Just two A-Mains remain, both part of the ‘Outlaws World Finals’ on Nov. 1-3 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Josh will head to K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio, this weekend for the 27th annual Dirt Track World Championship presented by GottaRace.com. Qualifying and heat races are scheduled for Friday night (Oct. 19), with B-Mains and the $50,000-to-win 100-lap feature set for Saturday night (Oct. 20).

“I feel real good about K-C,” said Josh. “Last year we were running third (in the DTWC) when the J-bar broke and broke the driveshaft. We also tested there a couple weeks ago and I think we learned some stuff.

“I feel like we can definitely get a solid top-five finish, but the ultimate goal is to win.”

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

Monday, October 01, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Josh Richards Wishes He Could Run Knoxville Late Model Nationals Again



SHINNSTON, WV – Oct. 1, 2007 – If only Josh Richards could call a do-over on Saturday night’s fourth annual Lucas Oil Knoxville Late Model Nationals.

The 19-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., finished 13th in the 100-lap A-Main that closed the three-day Nationals on Saturday night at the famed Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway – disappointing, sure, but still a great educational experience for the driver known as ‘Kid Rocket.’

“I wish we could run that race again,” said Josh. “Even though we struggled, we learned a lot. I know we went too far in the wrong direction with our setup, and if we could run the race again we wouldn’t make the same mistake.”

Josh’s visit to Knoxville started off on a high note during Thursday night’s first preliminary program. His lap of 17.811 seconds around the big half-mile oval was fastest of the 59-car field in time trials. A fourth-place finish in his heat earned him the pole position for the 25-lap feature, but an incorrect setup decision left him with a fifth-place finish in the event won by Iowa’s Brian Birkhofer.

“We tried to run the same setup we did back in the World of Outlaws race (at Knoxville) earlier this year,” Josh said of his Thursday-night A-Main effort. “But the track blew off and got slick. It was way too slick for the setup we used.”

The second preliminary show, on Friday night, was a write-off for Josh. He timed well again (second-fastest), but a blown right-rear tire and subsequent hit from another car during his heat tore up the bodywork of his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1. Josh and his crew spent the remainder of the night repairing their machine rather than racing.

Josh’s Thursday-night points total was good enough to give him the fourth starting spot in Saturday night’s 100-lap Knoxville Late Model Nationals A-Main. But after topping the speed charts in practice, he was never a factor in the $35,000-to-win feature that was captured by Wisconsin’s Brady Smith.

“The car felt great in hot laps,” said Josh. “But we tried to go a little bit further with the setup for the feature, and it didn’t work out.

“I really wish we had a better car, because the track was really nice. It was slick, and you could race from top-to-bottom. It was the kind of racetrack everybody likes racing on.”

Josh will be back in action this weekend at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, where he’ll travel for the Friday/Saturday (Oct. 5-6) UMP DIRTcar Racing Fall Nationals. Time trials for the dirt Late Models are scheduled for Friday night, with heats, B-Mains and the $10,000-to-win 40-lap A-Main set for Saturday night.

Josh, who finished second in last year’s UMP DIRTcar Racing Fall Nationals at Eldora, goes back on the road with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series on Wed., Oct. 10, at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (Jani-King Southern Showdown) and Oct. 12-13 at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. (Tennessee Fall Brawl 100). He is currently ranked fifth in the tour points standings, 12 points behind fourth-place Shane Clanton.

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

Monday, September 24, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Josh Richards Puts A ‘Pittsburgher’ Victory On His Resume



SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards has been attending the annual ‘Pittsburgher’ dirt Late Model event at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway since he was a little boy.

On Saturday night, the 19-year-old star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ was victorious in the race he holds dear to his heart.

And it was a blow-out win for Josh, who blasted off the pole position to lead the 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series A-Main from flag-to-flag without receiving a single challenge.

Adding even more excitement to his performance, it marked the sixth time in the 19-year history of the ‘Pittsburgher’ that his father Mark’s Rocket Chassis House Car had been triumphant. Previous ‘Pittsburgher’ winners for Mark Richards included Tim Hitt (1996 and 1998), Davey Johnson (2000), Rick Aukland (2002) and Bart Hartman (2004).

“This place has always been pretty special to us,” said Josh, whose home in Shinnston, W.Va., is just over an hour-and-a-half drive from the PPMS half-mile oval. “I can remember coming here as a kid and watching all these guys I’m racing with now run this race. When Davey (Johnson) won it for us, I had a crew uniform on and was in the Victory Lane picture.

“It’s always been cool to come to the ‘Pittsburgher,’ and now to get my name up on that (winner’s) list is a thrill.”

Josh’s Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 was without peer in the event. He timed third-fastest and easily won his heat race, then simply drove away from the field after each of the four restarts in the A-Main.

The $10,225 triumph was Josh’s second of the season at PPMS, following up his $7,000-plus score on July 1 in the ‘Red Miley Memorial Penn National 53.’ It was also his fourth WoO LMS win of 2007 and the sixth of his career on the tour.

Josh’s powerful PPMS performance helped him erase memories of his frustrating outing the previous night at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway. After missing a feature redraw finish in his heat race by one spot, Josh started 10th and finished a quiet eighth in the WoO LMS ‘Bedford 50.”

“I just wasn’t very comfortable out there,” Josh said after the Bedford event. “This wasn’t one of our better nights.”

Saturday night’s ‘Pittsburgher 50’ was declared a show-up points event by WoO LMS officials because an open practice session was held at PPMS on Thursday night (a violation of the tour’s rule that prohibits open or private practices at a track within one week of a one-day show), so he remains fifth in the tour’s points standings. He trails fourth-place Shane Clanton by 12 points.

Josh will head west this week for the fourth annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals at the famed Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. Three nights of competition are on tap for 66 entered dirt Late Model drivers, including complete preliminary programs on Thursday (Sept. 27) and Friday (Sept. 28) and the $35,000-to-win finale on Saturday (Sept. 29).

Josh, who will also assist NASCAR star Tony Stewart’s Knoxville Nationals effort behind the wheel of a Tracker Boats/Bass Pro Shops Rocket car, enters the weekend’s action will plenty of confidence. He was very strong at Knoxville earlier this year, leading the June 15 WoO LMS A-Main until mechanical trouble knocked him out late in the distance.

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

Monday, September 10, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



After Early Burst Forward, Josh Sees His World 100 Effort Go Awry



SHINNSTON, WV – In the blink of an eye on Sunday afternoon at Eldora Speedway, Josh went from feeling great about his World 100 hopes to feeling very bad.

The 19-year-old sensation known as ‘Kid Rocket’ surged into the top 20 from the 27th starting spot by lap three of Sunday’s rain-delayed event, but then his day went awry. Josh spun between turns one and two on the third lap and was hit by another car, inflicting damage that left his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 a non-factor for the remainder of the distance.

Josh continued racing but was lapped and finished 19th – one year after being a serious contender for victory in the World 100 (he ultimately finished fourth in the 2006 edition).

“We had a pretty good car,” said Josh, who has qualified for the World 100 three years in a row. “The first three laps we passed like seven or eight cars, and I was feeling pretty good about our chances of getting up through there.

“Then I got in just a little too deep beside another car and got loose, and I just spun out. I got hit in the right front, and that bent the right-front suspension. I came in (to the pits) and they tried to fix it, but after that I just couldn’t steer. I was also running on seven cylinders because we broke a rocker arm, so I was pretty much just riding around.”

Despite the disappointment, Josh felt good about the effort his team put in to make the big $40,000-to-win A-Main, which was postponed to Sunday afternoon after heavy rain washed out Saturday night’s scheduled action.

Turning the ninth-fastest lap (15.945 seconds) in Friday night’s 203-car time-trial session gave Josh the fifth starting spot in Sunday’s third heat race. He got off to a slow start in the 15-lap preliminary, however, and struggled to a seventh-place finish, leaving him with a 10th-place starting spot in a B-Main that transferred only its top-four finishers to the World 100. Josh worked his way forward to grab the last qualifying spot in the first B-Main, putting him in the 100’s final row.

“In the heat we were way too free and put the wrong tires on, and that just put us behind,” said Josh. “We put our normal stuff in for the B-Main and were really good, and then we tried some different stuff for the feature. I think we had a decent shot of running up front, but we’ll never know.”

Josh will return to World of Outlaws Late Model Series competition this weekend, traveling to the Midwest for a three-race swing. The tour will visit Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway on Fri., Sept. 14; I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., on Sat., Sept. 15; and La Salle (Ill.) Speedway on Sun., Sept. 16.

With nine events remaining on the 2007 WoO LMS schedule, Josh currently sits fourth in the points standings, 136 points behind leader Steve Francis.

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Strong ARCA Debut Highlights Busy Holiday Weekend Of Racing For Josh Richards



SHINNSTON, WV – Sept. 4, 2007 – Josh Richards found a great way to close out his busy holiday weekend of racing.

With his car owner – NASCAR star Tony Stewart – serving as his spotter, Josh drove to a third-place finish in his first career ARCA RE/MAX Series start on Monday afternoon (Sept. 3) at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.

The 19-year-old sensation known as ‘Kid Rocket’ quickly adapted to running Stewart’s Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevy No. 20 on the historic one-mile dirt track. He started fourth and climbed as high as second before settling for a show position finish in the 55th Southern Illinois 100, which was won by NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader.

“For awhile I thought we might have something for them,” said Josh, who made a scheduled pit stop for fuel midway through the event. “But my right-rear tire got a little used up, and I was a little too tight in the center of the corner.

“We were a solid top-five car, though. Tony (Stewart) seemed like he was real happy and we were able to get some laps in a heavier (stock) car, so it was a good day.”

Josh was appreciative of the opportunity to run an ARCA event that was presented to him by Stewart, who runs a special-show schedule in a Rocket dirt Late Model wrenched by Josh.

“I don’t know if Tony has anything else planned for us, but I have to thank him for putting this deal together for me,” said Josh, who was worn out after racing in the sweltering 100-plus-degree heat on Labor Day. “I also appreciate all of the help I got from Tony’s (crew) guys. Several of them flew in with Tony from California (following Saturday night’s Nextel Cup event there) and didn’t get much sleep, but they worked hard all day in that heat.”

Josh flew to DuQuoin by way of Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pa., where he spent Saturday and Sunday competing in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Oil Region Labor Day Classic.’ Josh was a solid contender in the two 50-lap A-Mains that headlined the weekend, steering his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 to a sixth-place finish on Saturday and a third-place finish on Sunday.

Josh was on the move in Sunday night’s feature, advancing from the seventh starting spot to take third just a half-second behind Steve Francis. He had nothing, however, for winner Dan Stone, who pulled off one of the biggest upsets in WoO LMS.

“I caught up to Francis at the end, but Stone was gone,” said Josh. “He drove right by me (for fifth on a lap-18 restart) and that was the last I saw of him. He definitely deserved to win, and I was happy for him.”

The doubleheader ended with Josh still ranked fourth in the WoO LMS points standings, 136 points behind leader Francis. But he’s closed within 50 points of third-place Clint Smith with nine events remaining in 2007.

Josh started his holiday weekend with a Friday-night stop at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., for a 35-lap Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS) event. He registered a second-place finish in the feature behind fellow WoO LMS regular Chub Frank, who is acknowledged as a master of the track’s slick conditions.

The runner-up finish was Josh’s second of the season at Lernerville. He also placed second in the track’s season opener on March 30.

Josh now turns his focus to the most prestigious dirt Late Model event of the season – this weekend’s 37th annual World 100 at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. He heads to the half-mile oval with high hopes after finishing fourth – and contending for victory – in last year’s event.

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

‘Kid Rocket’ Ready To Run Tony Stewart Racing Car In ARCA RE/MAX Series Dirt Event At DuQuoin State Fairgrounds



Aug. 27, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



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.

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

Last-Minute Ride Offer Results In Hagerstown Speedway Victory For Josh Richards



SHINNSTON, WV – Aug. 6, 2007 – Josh Richards was planning to spend all of last Saturday working in the shop to help prepare his team’s equipment for the remainder of the 2007 season.

But then he received a last-minute ride offer for Saturday night’s Independent Racing Series event at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.

After deciding that he could accept the seat in Ernie Davis’s Rocket No. 25 without hindering the ongoing work on his own cars, Josh made the short drive to Hagerstown and proceeded to add an unexpected victory to his resume. The 19-year-old from Shinnston, W.Va., took the lead from Ricky Elliott on lap 12 and romped to a $5,000 triumph in the 27th annual ‘Shorty Bowers/Bull Durham Championship 40.’

“It was a lot of fun to win a race like that,” said Josh, who registered his first career victory with the new IRS dirt Late Model tour. “We weren’t even planning on running anywhere all weekend. I was in the shop with my Dad when Robbie (Allen, a noted crew chief/consultant) called (for Davis) and asked if I wanted to drive Ernie’s car.

“We were in the middle of doing maintenance on our cars for the races coming up and I was just planning to spend the rest of the day doing that.”

It was just the third time in Josh’s four-year dirt Late Model career that he piloted a car that wasn’t from his father’s Mark Richards Racing Enterprises stable, placing him in a decidedly unfamiliar situation.

“It was definitely different driving somebody else’s car,” said Josh, who has a three-week break from competition on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. “It was a different style car than I’m used to driving – it’s an old ‘black front-end’ car, and I run the new-style front-end – the motor was different, and the seat was different. But it didn’t take me too long to get comfortable in it.”

Josh was victorious at Hagerstown for the second time in a span of 14 days. He won his first career feature at the half-mile oval on July 21, capturing the 60-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series-sanctioned ‘60th Anniversary Classic’ that was worth over $12,000 to his team’s bank account.

“Hagerstown’s been good to us lately,” said Josh. “It took me a long time to get the place figured out, so it’s kind of cool to win there in two different types of track conditions (slick on July 21, tackier with a cushion on Aug. 4) and in two different style cars.”

The win gave Josh five overall triumphs in 2007 – four of which have come since July 1.

Josh also saw action last Tuesday night (July 31) at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway. On an evening during which he served as the crew chief for NASCAR star Tony Stewart’s special dirt Late Model appearance behind the wheel of the Tracker Boats/Bass Pro Shops Rocket No. 20, Josh ran an Ed Petroff-owned Rocket car as a teammate to Chatham, Ill.’s Brian Shirley.

Josh performed well in the 25-lap ‘NASCAR Night’ dirt Late Model feature, finishing third. Shirley was right behind in fourth at the checkered flag.

Stewart, meanwhile, had a rough night. He spun on the homestretch early in the event while trying to move into third place, then charged back up to sixth place in a handful of laps before being forced out due to a broken rear caliper that resulted from him jamming hard on the binders to avoid another car.

After spending some much-needed time in the shop going over his team’s Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 machines following a grueling summer stretch of racing with the WoO LMS, Josh will swing back into competition with his familiar colors this weekend. He’ll go for the $50,000 top prize in the annual North-South 100 at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., which is scheduled for Aug. 9-11.

J.R.R. – PR.

-30-

July 30, 2007

Bad Luck Plagues ‘Kid Rocket’ During National Interstate Speedweek



SHINNSTON, WV – July 30, 2007 – Josh Richards was hoping his recent back-to-back victories on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series were a sure sign the bad luck that’s been plaguing him had disappeared.

Well, judging by Josh’s frustrating three-race stretch on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘National Interstate Speedweek,’ Lady Luck hasn’t come completely to his side.

After the scheduled opener of the mini-tour rained out on Wednesday night at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park, the 19-year-old star from Shinnston, W.Va., experienced three difficult evenings of action in-a-row. He finished 11th in Thursday night’s 40-lap A-Main at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway after being involved in an early tangle; placed 19th in Friday night’s ‘Subway 50’ at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, after mechanical trouble forced him to retire while running a strong second; and salvaged a seventh-place finish in Saturday night’s ‘Buckeye 50’ at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, after surviving a hard heat-race accident.

The toughest fate for Josh to accept came at Eldora, where he was a serious contender to win the famed half-mile track’s first-ever WoO LMS event. He was third-fastest in time trials, drew the pole position for the A-Main, and passed Chub Frank for the lead on the third lap. Frank regained command on lap 17, but Josh hung tough and was fully engaged in a battle for the top spot with Chub when disaster struck. As Josh was circling the track under caution on lap 26, he had to steer his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 into the pit area due to a broken jackshaft on its rearend.

“The track was so fast (after a rain delay), and there was some attrition,” said Josh. “So after Chub got by us, I was just trying to stay close to him without wearing my stuff out. Then all of a sudden, off (turn) two, it (the jackshaft) just snapped.

“I think I could’ve got back by him. Chub’s not gonna give an inch – he’ll run hard every lap – but I felt like I had a real good car. We just didn’t have any luck again – that’s racin’.”

Josh had no better fortune in his position as crew chief for NASCAR star Tony Stewart’s effort behind the wheel of the Tracker Boats/Bass Pro Shops Rocket dirt Late Model at Eldora. Josh watched from the pit area as Stewart’s bid for victory in the ‘Subway 50’ ended when he tangled with Frank on lap 40 while battling for the lead.

Accidents hampered Josh’s efforts in the other Speedweek events.

At the quarter-mile Lawrenceburg oval, Josh was swept up in a lap-one tangle in turn one with Scott James and Steve Shaver. He made a quick pit stop for hasty repairs, then made another stop during an ensuing red-flag period on lap one to fix the car more substantially. Josh’s crew went as far as welding the car’s left-front spindle back in place, but the machine was still bent as he persevered to finish 11th.

After rain caused a two-hour delay to the start of Saturday night’s Speedweek finale at Sharon, Josh ran into more trouble. His car’s left-rear tire rolled off the rim as he slid through turns one and two early in the third heat, causing him to spin and take a hard t-bone hit in the driver’s side door from Robbie Blair. Josh had the wind knocked out of him from the impact, but he was able to drive the car to the pits for repairs.

While Josh had to qualify through a B-Main, he made a steady move forward from the 20th starting spot to finish seventh in the ‘Buckeye 50’ – his only top-10 of National Interstate Speedweek.

Josh finished seventh in the National Interstate Speedweek points standings. He ended the swing ranked fourth in the overall WoO LMS points standings, 116 behind leader Steve Francis.

With the WoO LMS now idle until the Aug. 21-23 ‘Scorcher 100’ at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., Josh had originally planned to spend his first free weekend racing in this weekend’s ‘USA Nationals’ at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. But his team has decided to bypass the event in order to spend some time in the shop regrouping after a particularly strenuous stretch of summer competition.

With two cars damaged by wrecks over the weekend and Josh’s team seeking some extended time in the shop to get their equipment ready for the remainder of the 2007 season, the decision was made to take the 18-hour one-way haul to Cedar Lake off Josh’s schedule.

Josh’s next event will be the annual North-South 100 on Aug. 10-11 at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky.

J.R.R. – PR.
-30-

July 23, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Josh Catches Fire With Back-To-Back World of Outlaws Late Model Series Victories



SHINNSTON, WV – Josh went from being a dejected race car driver to an elated one during a busy weekend on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.

After taking the blame for the mid-race spin that left him with a subpar 14th-place finish in Friday night’s ‘Summer Sizzler 50’ at Virginia Motor Speedway, Josh roared back to win the WoO LMS events on Saturday night at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway and Sunday night at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.

The 19-year-old sensation enjoyed the first back-to-back victories of his young career and put some nice cash in the bank account of his Mark Richards Racing Enterprises team. He earned a career-high $12,225 for winning Hagerstown’s ‘60th Anniversary Classic’ and pocketed $10,225 for capturing the ‘Roberts Trucking/Rohrer Trucking 50’ at Eriez.

The triumphs were Josh’s first on the WoO LMS since he won the season opener on Feb. 17 at Volusia Speedway Park, but his second and third of the month. He won the unsanctioned ‘Red Miley Memorial Penn National 53’ on July 1 at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.

“It’s definitely weird how this deal works,” Josh said of his sudden turnaround. “When you’re down, you just have to stay focused and keep your head, and things will come back to you sometime. That’s what we’ve done.

“We’ve struggled a little and had some bad luck lately, but hopefully now things are turning around for us.”

Josh credited his crew members – Jimmy Frey, Jeff Dillinger and Matt Barnes, plus his father Mark – for propelling him to the spotlight.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without the help of my crew guys,” said Josh. “I had a great group of guys this week. Everybody stayed focused on what we had to do.”

The rising star also recognized the assistance of his longtime sponsor Mike Seubert, whose Seubert Calf Ranches in Wisconsin has appeared on Josh’s car since the start of his career, and Randy Sweet of Sweet Manufacturing in Kalamazoo, Mich., whose rack-and-pinion steering system has been making Josh more and more comfortable behind the wheel since the spring.

Josh kept firm control of the Hagerstown and Eriez features from start-to-finish in his Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1. He raced off the outside pole to pace the entire 60-lap distance at Hagerstown, and he took advantage of a pole position start to lead Eriez’s 50-lapper from flag-too-flag. He beat Clint Smith to the finish line in both races.

Josh was victorious in his first-ever start at Eriez. Winning at Hagerstown, however, was a bit more special for the talented speedster, who made his first career dirt Late Model feature-event start at the half-mile oval in 2004.

Josh now sits fifth in the WoO LMS points standings – 94 points behind leader Steve Francis – entering the this week’s National Interstate Speedweek. The tour will visit Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park on Wed., July 25; Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on Thurs., July 26; Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on Fri., July 27; and Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, on Sat., July 28.

J.R. – PR.

-30-

Flat Tires Plague Josh Richards In Pair Of Holiday Week Starts
July 11, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:





SHINNSTON, WV – It was a frustrating holiday week for Josh Richards.



The young star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ launched into the traditional busy summer stretch of racing with a big triumph in the ‘Red Miley Memorial Penn National 53’ on July 1 at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, but that momentum was dulled by a barrage of flat tires that plagued him in his next two starts.

Josh had his hopes of contending for victory in the Tuesday-night (July 3) World of Outlaws Late Model Series event at Missouri’s Lebanon I-44 Speedway derailed by popped tires. He somehow managed to salvage a seventh-place finish in the 50-lap feature despite being slowed by four flat tires during the program – including one before a single lap was completed.

The 19-year-old from Shinnston, W.Va., started third in the event, but he relinquished the position during an opening-lap caution period due to a cut right-rear tire on his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1. After a quick pit stop he marched back up to sixth place before another flat tire forced him to the pit area on lap 23. Josh climbed to fifth by lap 37, but then another flat caused him to slow and make his third pit stop of the race.

“It was real frustrating to keep getting flats,” said Josh, who stayed on the lead lap through all the pit stops. “There were a lot of little rocks in the track (surface) and they were cutting tires. We weren’t lucky enough to avoid getting flats.”

Josh and his race team were scheduled to head south to compete in the two-day WoO LMS ‘Freedom 100’ on Friday and Saturday at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss., but the event was postponed on Thursday morning due to heavy rain that had already deluged the track and a forecast of more to come for the weekend.

Since Josh and Co. were still camped out at sponsor Ed Petroff’s shop outside St. Louis when the Pike County news was announced, they decided to stick around a day and enter Friday night’s UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals event at nearby Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill.

The flat-tire syndrome didn’t leave Josh at the three-eighths-mile Tri-City oval. Contact with another racer on the first lap of the 40-lap A-Main cut down a tire on Josh’s car and forced him to pit; a few laps later he clipped a uke tire on the inside of the track, bending his car’s left-front spindle and prompting him to park the machine for the night. He was credited with a 21st-place finish.

Josh headed back to the Rocket Chassis shop in Shinnston, W.Va., on Saturday. He has no plans to race this weekend, giving his team time to gear up for the second half of the WoO LMS season that begins on July 20 at Virginia Motor Speedway.

“We’re gonna spend some time in the shop and try to catch up on everything,” said Josh, whose team has been on the road for much of the past month. “We need to over some things so we’re ready for the rest of the year.”

J.R. – PR.
-30-

Bad Break Ends Kid Rocket’s Hopes For A Big Win At Knoxville During Five-Race Swing Through Midwest



June 20, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards was just a dozen laps from making his five-race World of Outlaws Late Model Series swing through the Midwest a very memorable one.

That’s how close ‘Kid Rocket’ came to winning the 50-lap Mediacom Late Model Shootout on June 15 at the famed Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway.

Josh dominated the first 37 laps of Knoxville’s first-ever WoO LMS event, but with victory in sight he suddenly slowed as lap 38 was about to go on the board. A cracked right-rear axle tube caused his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches, Ace Metal Works, TSR-Tony Stewart Racing, Petroff Towing, MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 to fall off the pace. He limped to a disappointing 16th-place finish, three laps down to winner Darrell Lanigan.

“If we would’ve won at Knoxville, it would’ve been an awesome trip,” said Josh, who finished no worse than 11th in the week’s other four WoO LMS shows. “I’m glad to see Darrell win, but to win at Knoxville would’ve been awesome. It’s one of the most famous racetracks in the country.”

The 19-year-old sensation’s grueling trip through North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas had its high and low points. It began on June 12 with an 11th-place finish in the 50-lap event at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.Dak., then improved on June 14 with a sixth-place run in the Featherlite Trailers ‘Gopher 50’ at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.

After coming oh-so-close to his second WoO LMS victory of the season at Knoxville, Josh scored finishes of eighth in the 50-lap A-Main on June 16 at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans., and fifth in the 40-lap tour finale on June 17 at the historic Belleville (Kans.) High Banks.

“Overall it wasn’t a bad trip for us,” said Josh. “A couple of nights we chose the wrong tires, and at Lakeside we started strong (got as high as third) before our tires just sealed over and we went straight backward.”

Josh started third in the Sunday-evening event at Belleville, but a slight miss on setup caused him to settle for a fifth-place finish.

“I think we might’ve been a little too much on the free side for the feature,” said Josh. “If we had tightened it up, I think we might’ve had something.”

Josh moved up to fourth in the WoO LMS point standings at the conclusion of the swing, trailing leader Clint Smith by 62 points after 21 events.

Next on Josh’s agenda is the five-race ‘Great Northern Tour’ for the WoO LMS, on June 20 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway; June 23 at Quebec’s Auodrome Drummond; June 24 at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y.; June 27 at Stateline Speedway in Busti, N.Y.; and June 29-30 for the $30,000-to-win ‘Firecracker 100’ at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.

Josh is especially excited about the huge Firecracker event at Lernerville.

“Lernerville is one of my top-three favorite tracks,” he said. “I think we’ll have a legitimate shot at the win.”

J.R. – PR.

-30-

June 11, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Josh Works Through Disappointing Performance In Dirt Late Model Dream XIII At Eldora Speedway



SHINNSTON, WV –Josh Richards took the green flag in Saturday night’s $100,000-to-win Dirt Late Model Dream XIII event at Eldora Speedway with plenty of confidence after contending for victory in the track’s World 100 last September.

But the 19-year-old sensation’s good vibes quickly went south thanks to an incorrect setup choice that sent him spiraling to a disappointing 16th-place finish in the 100-lapper.

After setting second-fastest time in qualifying on Friday night and finishing second in his Saturday-night heat race, the driver known as ‘Kid Rocket’ went to the post eighth in the Dream A-Main. He just treaded water during the race’s first quarter, however, prompting his crew to bring him pitside during a lap-28 caution period.

A quick restart caught Josh and Co. off guard, putting Josh one lap down before he could return. He did continue running in an effort to learn more about the racetrack, which sported a surface that was slicker and slower than in recent years.

“We weren’t any good, so we came in and made some changes,” said Josh, whose Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 wasn’t tightened enough for the feature. “We ended up losing a lap, but we went back out so we could at least get some laps to figure out what we need to do when we come back later this year.”

Josh said he liked last year’s Eldora surface more than the current one, but that’s largely because he – like many others in the Dream’s 146-car field – hadn’t figured it out by the weekend. He was gaining on it, though, during the laps he took after losing a circuit, and he hopes he can apply what he learned when he returns for the track’s inaugural World of Outlaws Late Model Series event on Fri., July 27, and the World 100 on Sept. 7-8.

Josh and Co. now head west to compete in a five-race World of Outlaws Late Model Series swing, which begins a busy month-long stretch that will see the tour criss-cross the country.

Josh, who is currently ranked fifth in the WoO LMS point standings after 16 events, will compete in WoO LMS events on June 12 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.Dak.; June 14 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.; June 15 at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway; June 16 at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.; and June 17 at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks.

J.R. – PR.

-30-

June 4, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Doubleheader Was Nearly Great For Josh Richards



SHINNSTON, WV. – Last weekend’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series doubleheader was good to Josh Richards, but it was nearly great.



After the 19-year-old sensation known as ‘Kid Rocket’ spent a week recovering from a slight concussion he suffered in a crash on May 24 while practicing for the Show-Me 100 at West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway, he finished ninth in the ‘First State 50’ on May 31 at Delaware International Speedway and fifth in Saturday night’s 26th annual ‘Conococheague 50’ at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway.

Josh was especially strong at the half-mile Delaware International oval with his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1. He grabbed the lead from the pole position at the initial green flag and held firm control for the feature’s first 20 laps.

But disaster struck on the 20th circuit when Josh tangled with the lapped car driven by 15-year-old Austin Hubbard between turns three and four. He spun to a stop with a cut right-rear tire, handing the lead to eventual winner Chub Frank and ending his own chance at victory. A quick pit stop got him back on the track without losing a lap, but he only managed to climb back to ninth at the finish.

Brake problems plagued Josh’s effort, preventing him from mounting a serious comeback.

“From the start, I was starting to lose rear brakes,” he said. “Right before I got up to that lapped car, they were just about gone. The car was still very good, but even if we didn’t get taken out, I don’t know how we would’ve been later.”

Josh came back strong on Saturday night at Hagerstown Speedway, a half-mile oval where he made one of his first starts behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model in 2004. He made a steady advance forward from the 10th starting spot to finish fifth.

“A top-five at Hagerstown is a big deal for me,” said Josh, satisfied with what he considered his best performance ever at the track. “I’ve always had a tough time trying to get used to this place, so it feels good that we went forward.”

Josh left Hagerstown ranked fifth in the WoO LMS point standings, 42 points behind leader Clint Smith.

A big week is on tap for Josh, beginning this Wednesday night (June 6) at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Josh will spend the evening serving as the crew chief for NASCAR Nextel Cup star Tony Stewart, who will drive a Rocket No. 20 dirt Late Model in the huge Nextel Prelude to the Dream event that includes two-dozen big-name drivers from NASCAR and other racing disciplines.

Josh will climb behind the wheel of his familiar blue dirt Late Model on Friday (June 8) and Saturday (June 9) to chase a $100,000 top prize in Eldora’s annual 100-lap Dirt Late Model Dream.
-30-

Sunday, May 20, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Strong Run At I-96 Speedway Sends ‘Kid Rocket’ Home From ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ With Some Momentum



SHINNSTON, WV – May 20, 2007 – A steady-but-unspectacular World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ for Josh Richards took a turn for the better when he registered a solid runner-up finish in the five-race swing’s finale on Friday night at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich.

After failing to finish better than eighth in the four events preceding Friday’s inaugural WoO LMS visit to I-96, Josh was strong throughout the ‘Great Lakes 50.’ He recovered from a slow start – he took the green flag from inside the second row but lost several spots during the early laps – to mount a late challenge on eventual winner Chub Frank.

The 19-year-old sensation known as ‘Kid Rocket’ reached second place on lap 28 of the A-Main at the fast half-mile oval, then ran down Frank, who had led from the start. Josh was bidding for the lead when the race’s only caution flag flew, on lap 37, but he couldn’t find enough speed over the remaining circuits to seriously threaten Frank again.

Josh steered his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 under the checkered flag a couple car lengths behind Frank.

“I caught Chub and showed him the nose one lap,” said Josh, who registered his best WoO LMS finish since winning the season opener on Feb. 17 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. “But I got caught behind a lapped car and then (Frank) moved down (lower). I think the track tightened up a little bit, so when he moved down he was just a little bit better.

“It was a good run for us,” he continued. “We didn’t have the greatest Midwest swing, so this will make the trip home easier.”

Josh kicked off his five-state tour of the Midwest on May 9 with a 13th-place finish in the 50-lap A-Main at the Davenport (Iowa) Speedway Quarter-Mile, where passing was at a premium due to the track’s rubbered-up condition. He came back strong the next race, on May 12 at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis., setting fast time, winning a heat race and drawing the pole position for the 50-lap feature, but his team’s setup “experiment” didn’t work in the headliner and he slipped to a respectable but disappointing eighth-place finish.

A stop at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on May 13 yielded an 11th-place finish for Josh, who said his car wasn’t tightened up enough for the 40-lap feature. He also registered an eighth-place finish in the ‘Hall of Fame Classic 50’ on May 16 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway, going forward from the 14th starting spot.

During an off-day during the ‘Monster Midwest Tour,’ Josh and his crew had the opportunity to spend an evening testing at Kenny Schrader’s I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. Josh said the practice session produced some technical results that should help his performance in the future.

Josh ended the swing ranked fourth in the WoO LMS point standings, 36 points behind leader Shannon Babb.

The Mark Richards Racing team returned to its shop in Shinnston, W.Va., following Friday’s I-96 action. From there preparations will be made for Josh’s assault on this weekend’s prestigious 15th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Show-Me 100 at West Plains (Mo.) Motor Speedway. The May 24-26 event pays a cool $41,000 to win and $4,100 to start.

J.R. Racing PR.

-30-

Sunday, April 29, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Weekend Trip To Midwest Gets ‘Kid Rocket’ Back On Track


SHINNSTON, WV – A weekend trip to the Midwest helped Josh Richards get his groove back.

The 19-year-old star shook off the struggles that had been plaguing him in recent weeks by registering back-to-back top-five finishes in World of Outlaws Late Model Series competition. He finished third in Friday night’s 50-lap event at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway and was fourth in Saturday night’s ‘Boswell Brawl 50’ at Indiana’s Kamp Motor Speedway.

Best of all, ‘Kid Rocket’ was one of the biggest movers-and-shakers in both events. He started 10th at Farmer City and 11th at Kamp.

“The last couple races we had some bad luck,” Josh said after completing the weekend’s action. “Now things are getting back to going well, so hopefully it keeps going.”

Josh’s Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 suffered some battle scars during Friday night’s race on a rough springtime track at Farmer City – its right-side door was caved in and a header broke off following an early-race encounter with Jimmy Owens – but he charged forward to score his best WoO LMS finish since winning the season opener on Feb. 17 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park.

“I didn’t know the race was actually over,” said Josh, who never saw the checkered flag displayed because he was so focused on his battle to keep third place. “But I was glad it was over. I had some pizza before the race, and I felt like I was gonna throw up the whole race.

“The pizza was good,” he added with a smile, “but I ate too much and the track was rough, so that wasn’t too good on my stomach.”

In Saturday’s first-ever WoO LMS event at Kamp, Josh and his crew weren’t happy with their car’s performance after he transferred to the A-Main with a third-place finish in his heat. So they made wholesale changes to the machine that ended up paying off.

“We ran a swing-arm car last night (at Farmer City) and all the way up to feature time tonight,” said Josh. “After the heat we switched to our normal stuff, a four-link setup. I’m not real comfortable with that swing-arm deal yet, so we switched to our normal stuff so we don’t end up getting ourselves too far back in the points.

“Come feature time, we weren’t as good as we should’ve been,” added Josh, who reached fourth place with a pass of Shannon Babb on the white-flag lap. “But I could maneuver a little better than some of those guys, and that helped a lot.”

Josh’s strong weekend moved him into a tie with Francis for fourth in the WoO LMS point standings, 38 points behind co-leaders Babb and Clint Smith.

The WoO LMS is idle until the five-race ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ kicks off on Wed., May 9, at the Davenport (Iowa) Speedway Quarter-Mile, but Josh will be busy this week. On Thursday (May 3) he’ll travel to Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway for a ‘NASCAR Night’ program that will see him serve as crew chief for Nextel Cup star Tony Stewart, who will make his first start of the season in the Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats, Rocket No. 20 dirt Late Model he plans to run in selected events. Then, on Friday and Saturday (May 4-5), Josh will visit Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway to run his blue No. 1 in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series ‘99’ event, a two-day show topped by a 99-lap, $24,999-to-win feature.

J.R. Racing PR.

-30-

Misfortune Knocks Josh Richards From Contention in Circle K Colossal 100

 

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:





SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards departed The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., on Saturday night with disappointment written all over his face.

But that’s understandable, because the 19-year-old star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ was in the thick of the battle for the $50,000 top prize in the Circle K Colossal 100 until misfortune ended his bid.

Josh moved from the fifth starting spot to second in just 11 laps and was pressuring Chris Madden for the lead when his race came to a sudden end on lap 25. He pulled up lame in turn two when his Mark Richards Racing Inc.-owned Seubert Calf Ranches, Ace Metal Works, TSR-Tony Stewart Racing, Petroff Towing, MCB Motorsports, Rocket Chassis No. 1 had its power-steering cylinder break from the rack-and-pinion.

“We definitely had an awesome car,” said Josh, who was credited with a 28th-place finish in the second annual event. “We ran our swing-arm car and tried some different setups, and I think we had a legitimate shot to win.

“I wasn’t even pushing the car too hard. I just got to second and ran right there with Madden, trying not to wear my stuff out.”

Despite his heartbreaking exit, Josh praised The Dirt Track’s racing surface.

“The racetrack was in excellent shape,” said Josh, who survived a rough-and-tumble heat race on Friday night to finish second and transfer to the Colossal 100. “It was a little brown on the bottom, slick through the middle, and had a cushion on the top. That’s the way every racetrack should be for a big race.”

Josh’s Colossal 100 trip capped his busiest racing week since February. Wet track conditions postponed his scheduled World of Outlaws Late Model Series visit to New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway on April 13, but subsequent tour events at Virginia Motor Speedway and Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., beat the tough Northeast weather. He finished a solid sixth in the 50-lap ‘Rumble on the River III’ at VMS and salvaged a 14th-place finish in the ‘Showdown in Sarvertown 50’ at Lernerville.

Josh felt great about his chances in the Lernerville event thanks to his third starting spot, but his hopes were dashed on the original start when a scrape with Robbie Blair sent him crashing into the inside wall on the homestretch. He returned laps down to collect as many points as possible, but the car needed a new front clip put on it at the Rocket shop before Josh ran it at The Dirt Track.

The Colossal 100 was a World of Outlaws Late Model Series event, but it offered only show-up points so Josh’s DNF didn’t hurt him in the points battle. He currently ranks seventh in the standings – 34 points behind co-leaders Shannon Babb and Clint Smith – entering this weekend’s tour doubleheader at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway (Fri., April 27) and Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, Ind. (Sat., April 28).

J.R. Racing PR.

-30-

April 6, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Revamped Josh Richards Website Goes On-Line

SHINNSTON, WV – April 6, 2007 – Fast-rising 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series star Josh Richards re-launched his website on Thursday with an all-new design.

The new-and-improved www.joshrichards.com  features bright graphics and loads of information on the talented 19-year-old, including Josh’s bio, racing news, team sponsors, latest results and schedule updates. There’s also a photo gallery, links to contact Josh and purchase his apparel, and a video review of his 2006 season on the 360 OTC WoO LMS.

The website, which is maintained by Mike Farr of Farr Motorsports, also includes a schedule that details the events in which NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart will drive the Bass Pro Shops Rocket No. 20 dirt Late Model that is wrenched by Josh.

“I’m real happy with the look of the new website,” said Josh, who turned 19 on March 22. “Mike Farr has done a great job with the site and hopefully fans will check it out.”

Josh’s website re-launch comes just days after he filled an off-weekend from 360 OTC WoO LMS competition by racing in a pair of events. He entered the dirt Late Model season opener at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., on Fri., March 31, and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series ‘Indiana Icebreaker 75’ at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway on Sat., April 1.

Running in front of a banner opening-night crowd at Lernerville Speedway, Josh drove his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 to a solid second-place finish in the 25-lap dirt Late Model feature. He chased eventual winner Alex Ferree throughout the distance but was unable to find a way by to claim his second victory of the young season.

The evening at Lernerville provided Josh valuable track time in advance of the 360 OTC WoO LMS ‘Showdown at Sarvertown’ scheduled for Tues., April 17, at the four-tenths-mile oval.

After making an overnight haul of over 400 miles to Brownstown, Ind., Josh authored a strong attack of the fast quarter-mile oval. With a 72-car field on hand, Josh won the night’s first heat race to earn the pole position for the 75-lap feature and charged into the lead at the initial green flag. He set the pace for the first 32 laps before being overtaken by Shannon Babb.

As three-time 360 OTC WoO LMS champion Billy Moyer made a second-half march to earn the $10,000 ‘Icebreaker’ victory, Josh saw his setup go away slightly but held on for a fifth-place finish.

Josh headed home to Shinnston, W.Va., satisfied with his weekend performance.

“It was a worthwhile weekend of racing for us,” said Josh. “The two nights helped me get my confidence back up in the car after we had a disappointing trip down south with the Outlaws (March 23-25). Now we should be ready to go when we get back to running with the World of Outlaws next week.”

Josh was planning to enter this Saturday night’s American Late Model Series (ALMS) event at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, but that program was canceled on Wednesday due to the dire forecast of freezing temperatures and possible snow flurries.

That means the next action for ‘Kid Rocket’ will be a three-race swing with the 360 OTC WoO LMS that hits New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway on Fri., April 13; Virginia Motor Speedway on Sat., April 14; and Lernerville Speedway on Tues., April 17.

For more information on Josh Richards, visit www.joshrichards.com.

-30-

J.R. Racing PR.

March 28, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
 

Tough ‘March Through Dixie’ Doesn’t Get Josh Richards Down

 

Josh Richards was hoping that last weekend’s three-state, three-night 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘March Through Dixie’ would provide him a memorable birthday present.

Alas, things didn’t quite go according to plan for the rising young star known as ‘Kid Rocket,’ who turned 19 on March 22. But even after scoring just one top-10 finish and losing the tour points lead that he carried into the swing, Josh remained upbeat about the remainder of a season that figures to be the busiest of his career.

“It wasn’t a very good weekend for us,” said Josh, who won the 360 OTC WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award in 2005. “It seemed like my Dad and I really weren’t working together on stuff like we should have been, and it made for a rough weekend.

“You’re going to have weekends like that, though. We just have to put everything behind us and get ready for the next races.”

Josh was riding high entering the ‘March Through Dixie,’ which visited Baton Rouge Raceway in Baker, La., on Friday (March 23); Columbus (Miss.) Speedway on Saturday (March 24); and North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, Ala., on Sunday (March 25). He won the 360 OTC WoO LMS season opener on Feb. 17 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park and thus sat atop the point standings throughout the tour’s one-month break from action.

The good vibe continued when Josh celebrated his 19th birthday before heading south last Thursday; he ate cake baked by his mother at a family gathering that also included his uncle (dirt Late Model racer Robbie Scott) and aunt (Scott’s wife), both of whom celebrated birthdays last week.

But the party didn’t press on at Baton Rouge Raceway, where Josh fell short of duplicating his sterling performance last month in Florida.

Driving a Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 that had not seen action since Josh flipped it on Aug. 4, 2006, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., the Shinnston, W.Va., native struggled to get on track. He timed 24th-fastest in the 40-car qualifying session, then missed transferring to the A-Main through his heat by one spot.

A B-Main victory earned Josh the 18th starting spot for the ‘Battle on the Bayou 50.’ He moved forward in the feature event to finish a respectable eighth, but he had to fight hard to get there.

“We got ourselves behind in qualifying,” said Josh. “We recovered pretty well, but we had a big hole to climb out of.”

Josh maintained a share of the 360 OTC WoO LMS points lead after Baton Rouge, heading out the pit gate for the 350-mile trek to Columbus Speedway tied atop the standings with Clint Smith and Steve Francis.

Columbus, of course, held special promise for Josh, whose second career 360 OTC WoO LMS victory came there on Aug. 26, 2006. But another subpar time-trial effort on Saturday night (33rd among 48 drivers) led to a B-Main qualification, putting him 21st on the grid for the ‘Battle at the Bullring 50.’

The feature was rough going for Josh, who was involved in a turn-two tangle on lap four and pitted during caution periods on laps nine and 11. Perseverance got him into the top 10 as the race wound down, but a flat left-rear tire with two laps to go slowed his pace and left him with a 15th-place finish, one lap down to winner Billy Moyer.

In his first-ever start at North Alabama Speedway on Sunday night, Josh enjoyed his best time-trial effort of the weekend (ninth among 44 cars) and made the cut for the A-Main with a fourth-place finish in the first heat. But things went downhill in the ‘Alabama Assault 40’ headliner, during which Josh never got up to speed en route to a 15th-place finish, one lap down to winner Earl Pearson Jr.

“I hit a uke tire early and the (car’s) nose was dragging the whole race because of it,” said Josh, who also spun in turn two on lap 34 and made a quick pit stop. “It was one of those nights.”

Josh ended the ‘March Through Dixie’ ranked sixth in the 360 OTC WoO LMS point standings, trailing leader Clint Smith by 34 points. He will return to tour action on Fri., April 13, at New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway, followed by visits to Virginia Motor Speedway on Sat., April 14, and Lernerville Speedway on Tues., April 17.

“I didn’t feel as comfortable as I should have in the car all weekend,” said Josh, “so we have to take some time to get back to where we want before the next races.”

Josh’s next competitive action will come this Saturday night (March 31) at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway in the $10,000-to-win ‘Icebreaker,’ which is sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

-30-

J.R. Racing PR.


 

February 11, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



‘Kid Rocket’ Races All Week At East Bay

By Doc Lehman



Shinnston, WV --- Josh ‘Kid Rocket’ Richards, 18, of Shinnston, WV spent this past week competing at East Bay Raceway Park near Tampa, FL in their 31st Annual Winternationals. Kid Rocket competed in his Mark Richards Racing owned Seubert Calf Ranches, Ace Metal Works, TSR-Tony Stewart Racing, Petroff Towing, MCB Motorsports, Cornett Lightning, Rocket Chassis, #1 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

On Monday night Kid Rocket won his heat race before finishing fourth in the opening night festivities at East Bay. On Tuesday night Kid Rocket finished third in his heat race and won the B Main and finished eighth in the main event. On Wednesday night Kid Rocket won his heat race and finished 19th in the feature event.

On Thursday Kid Rocket finished fourth in his heat race and fifth in the B Main. Friday night action saw Kid Rocket finish third in his heat, won his B Main race and then rocketed to the front of the A Main where he made a valiant last lap effort to overhaul Steve Shaver, but fell one car length short at the finish. During the finale on Saturday Kid Rocket ran sixth in his heat and finished fourth in his B Main.

This coming week Kid Rocket will head to the Atlantic coast for the 36th Annual DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Mopar Speedshop at Volusia Raceway Park in Barberville, FL that will be held from February 6-17. The 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series kicks off an ambitious 2007 season with events on February 15 and 17 as part of the 36th annual DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Mopar Speedshop. Kid Rocket will also compete in UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Models series action on February 12, 13, 14 & 16 at Volusia.

After his trip to Florida Kid Rocket will head to Denver, CO where he will be a special guest speaker at the 5th Annual Roadrunner Fabrications Racewise Seminar. The seminar, produced by fellow dirt Late Model star Kelly Boen, will be held February 23 – 25. Information on this seminar can be found at: http://www.racewise.net  or http://www.07motorsports.com 

From there Kid Rocket will head for Las Vegas where he will be driving a car out of the stables of the 07 Motorsports Team headed by famed dirt Late Model star Kelly Boen in the Western All-Stars Late Model Series portion of the inaugural Las Vegas Dirt Classic at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track.

The event, which will also feature the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, will include two complete programs of racing on Thursday March 8 and Friday March 9 in conjunction with the annual NASCAR Weekend at LVMS. For additional event information and tickets visit www.lvms.com 

Kid Rocket will compete in a 07 Motorsports Rocket Chassis powered by a Jay Dickens Racing Engine sponsored by Roadrunner Fabrication, Rocket Chassis, Peterson Fluid Systems, AFCO, Jay Dickens Racing Engines, Braswell Carburetion prepared by Boen.

Kid Rocket will be competing full time on the 360 OTC World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2007 in addition to a full slate of other special dirt Late Model events.

Forty-eight confirmed events make up the busy ’07 World of Outlaws Late Models schedule, which commences with $10,000-to-win 50-lap A-Mains on Feb. 15 and 17 during the DIRTcar National