" Kid Rocket" Josh Richards

April 16, 2008

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Josh Richards Heads To Charlotte Knocking On Door To Victory Lane

SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards is knocking on the door to Victory Lane as he heads to The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway for this weekend’s Circle K Colossal 100.

The 20-year-old star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ enters the richest race on the 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series coming off three strong performances in a five-day span.

Two WoO LMS starts produced solid finishes of third (April 11 at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va.) and seventh (April 15 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.) for Josh. Driving his familiar 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, Josh started eighth in both A-Mains.

Josh also entered an unsanctioned event on April 12 at Winchester (Va.) Speedway on behind the wheel of the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25. He battled eventual winner J.T. Spence for the lead in the 25-lap feature before registering a second-place finish in his first-ever start at the three-eighths-mile oval

The run continued Josh’s strong jump out of the 2008 starting gate – he’s currently ranked second in the WoO LMS points standings through six events – and pumped up his confidence for the $50,000-to-win Circle K Colossal 100. The third annual mega-event at the four-tenths-mile oval in Concord, N.C., rolls off with time trials and heat races on Friday night (April 18) and the last-chance races and 100-lap A-Main on Saturday night (April 19).

“We feel pretty good about our chances in the Colossal,” said Josh. “We ran up front last year until having power-steering problems (he was second when he retired on lap 25), so if we make the right decisions and have the car prepared right I think we can be in the hunt.

“It would be so cool to win the Colossal,” he continued. “We’ve been close (to a win) in some of these big races, so it would be nice to finish one off and win one.”

Josh will start off his weekend at the Circle K Colossal 100 by making an appearance with fellow WoO LMS regular Brian Shirley on Thursday at the Circle K store located at 4930 Davidson Highway in Concord, N.C., near the Rowan Cabarrus Community College. Josh and Shirley will have their cars on display and visit with shoppers from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Josh is also scheduled to do a phone interview on the Sirius satellite radio racing show Tradin’ Paint on Thursday at 12 noon ET. The NASCAR-oriented show is hosted by MRN pit reporter Steve Post and runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sirius channel 128.

J.R.R. – PR.

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April 7, 2008

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Josh Richards Ends Solid Weekend At Farmer City Raceway With Sixth-Place Finish In ‘Illini 100’

SHINNSTON, WV – April 7, 2008 – Josh Richards pulled off one of the most memorable moves of the weekend at Farmer City Raceway.

Unfortunately, it didn’t come in Saturday night’s headlining ‘Illini 100’ at the high-banked, quarter-mile track.

After thrilling a chilled crowd on Friday night with a breathtaking pass of Billy Moyer to win the 8-lap Douglas Pontiac-GMC-Dodge Dash, Josh had high hopes of translating his qualifying-program speed into a $20,000 victory that would rank as the richest of his young career. But he fell short in his quest, finishing sixth in the 100-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series event after running among the top-five for much of the distance.

In the biggest dirt Late Model show ever run in the state of Illinois, the 20-year-old standout from Shinnston, W.Va., lacked a little bit of that extra juice he had flashed on Friday night while timing second-fastest among 55 entries, winning a heat race and capturing the dash’s $1,000 top prize.

“We were way too hard on our tire choice,” said Josh, who started sixth after selecting the worst number possible in the pre-race draw for position among heat winners. “We went with 30s (Hoosier compounds) down the left side and 40s on the right, and that ended up being the wrong choice. We should’ve gone with 30s all the way around or even some 20s.

“We also switched to a four-link (setup from a swing-arm) right before the race and that probably didn’t help us either. We might have panicked a little and made the change because we weren’t too good in practice (on Saturday night), but the real problem was that we were too hard on tires.”

Driving his Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1 that has the nickname ‘Brutus,’ Josh still was in line for a top-five finish in the ‘Illini 100.’ But he lost a couple positions when a jam-up occurred on lap 82 after eventual winner Moyer’s slider to take second from Steve Francis caused Francis to lose momentum in turn two.

“I think we could’ve finished fourth if that didn’t happen,” said Josh. “When Moyer slid in front of Francis, I had to slam on the brakes to avoid running into Francis and three cars got by me.

“It was still a good run. I’m happy with how the weekend went. Farmer City is probably my favorite short-track by far, because the place is actually a lot of fun to drive.”

Josh remained second in the WoO LMS points standings after four events, trailing Moyer by 40 points.

‘Kid Rocket’ makes his next WoO LMS start on Fri., April 11, at Virginia Motor Speedway. Before returning to WoO LMS action on Tues., April 15, at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., he plans to drive the Ernie Davis-owned Rocket No. 25 on Sat., April 12, at Winchester (Va.) Speedway in an event sponsored by Davis’s business and on Sun., April 13, in a Mid-Atlantic Championship Series (MACS) program at Hesston (Pa.) Speedway.

Josh will make his first career start at both Winchester and Hesston this weekend.

J.R.R. – PR.

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March 30, 2008

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Return To Seat Of House Car Doesn't Go According To Plan For Josh

SHINNSTON, WV – Josh climbed back behind the wheel of his familiar Mark Richards Racing No. 1 on Friday and Saturday (March 28-29) after a six-week hiatus.

The 20-year-old Shinnston, W.Va., star’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series weekend at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss., didn’t go quite the way he had hoped, however.

Tied for the WoO LMS points lead entering the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ program at the three-eighths-mile oval after a victory and a third-place finish in last month’s season-opening tour events at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., Josh was primed to pick up where he had left off. But a rough outing during Friday’s qualifying night dulled his momentum, and then a blown left-rear tire midway through Saturday night’s 100-lapper forced him to settle for a 14th-place finish in an event won by veteran Billy Moyer.

Josh got behind on Friday night, failing to qualify through a heat after a late-race scrape with another car sent him spinning in turn one. The twirl was the final straw of an evening during which he never found his rhythm.

Sitting in a new racing seat with head braces on it for the first time, Josh had a hard time adjusting to a feel that was different than he had become accustomed.

“I probably slipped up a little (on the track on Friday) because of it,” said Josh, who made his first career visit to Pike County Speedway. “I couldn’t run the fan that I normally do because of the braces on the left-side of the seat, so my shield kept fogging up. I wear all that (fireproof) skirting under my helmet so I need the fan to keep my shield from fogging up.”

After eliminating the head-brace on the left-side of his seat prior to Saturday’s action so he could once again use the fan, Josh transferred to the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ with a second-place finish in the first B-Main. He started 19th in the headliner and climbed as high as 11th before a blown left-rear tire caused him to bring out a caution flag on lap 59.

Josh returned without losing a lap, but with passing at a premium late in the distance he made little headway and finished 14th.

“The car was working pretty good before we lost the tire,” said Josh, who drove the same Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports/Ernie’s Auto & Hauling Rocket Chassis No. 1 that he steered to victory in last month’s WoO LMS lidlifter. “We were still moving forward. I was trying to get everything I could before the track locked down because I knew the top was wearing out and the bottom was getting cleaned up.

“I guess the body just stuck in the tire. I felt it about five laps before it went down. I could feel it getting looser and looser.”

Josh, whose only competitive starts between the end of February’s Alltel DIRTcar Nationals in Florida and the ‘March Through Dixie 100’ were two appearances in the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 at Hagerstown (MD.) Speedway (third-place finishes on March 2 and 15), left southern Mississippi ranked second in the WoO LMS points standings. He trails leader Billy Moyer by 28 points.

Next up on Josh’s schedule is the first-ever ‘Illinois 100’ this weekend (April 4-5) at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway, where he finished third in last year’s 50-lap WoO LMS event. Saturday night’s extra-distance Outlaws affair will pay $20,000 to win.

J.R.R. – PR.

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February 18, 2008

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Victory In World of Outlaws Late Model Series Opener Highlights Strong Kickoff To 2008 For Josh Richards

SHINNSTON, WV. – Josh Richards has proven that he’s ready to make some serious noise on the dirt Late Model scene in 2008.

After completing a solid three-week stretch of racing in the Southeast that was highlighted by a victory in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series season opener, the young star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ seems to already be firing on all cylinders.

“All in all, it was a real good trip for us,” Josh said upon finishing his extended season-starting excursion to Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga., East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., and Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. “We got a win, a couple seconds, a few more top-fives.

“Considering the competition that we ran against in all these races, we’re real happy with the results we had.”

Of course, the most memorable moment of Josh’s winter racing odyssey was his triumph in the 50-lap WoO LMS lidlifter on Feb. 14 at the half-mile Volusia oval. In a very competitive race, he fought his way to the front from the third starting spot to assume command on lap 31 when Shane Clanton slowed with mechanical trouble. He then outran Billy Moyer – the hottest driver of Florida Speedweeks 2008 – following a late restart to capture the WoO LMS season opener for the second consecutive year in 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.

Two nights later, on Feb. 16, Josh backed up his seventh career WoO LMS win with a hard-earned third-place finish in the 50-lap A-Main that closed out the 37th annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia. He swapped the lead several times early in the distance with eventual winner Moyer before settling for third place – and a share of the tour points lead with Moyer.

“To come out of (Volusia) on top of the points is a great way for us to start the year,” said Josh. “You don’t want to start off with a bunch of problems and get behind in the points right off the bat, and we avoided that. It was a great morale boost for the whole team.”

The 19-year-old standout from Shinnston, W.Va., was one of the steadiest drivers on the challenging Golden Isles-to-East Bay-to-Volusia circuit, which stretched from Jan. 23 to Feb. 16. A total of 18 feature events were run – seven at Golden Isles from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2, six at East Bay from Feb. 4-9 and five at Volusia from Feb. 11-16 – and Josh qualified for 16 of them; he missed the cut for the openers at Golden Isles and East Bay, leaving him behind only Moyer and Steve Francis in feature starts (both made 17 races).

Overall, Josh registered seven top-five finishes. That included the win at Volusia; runner-up placings at Golden Isles (Jan. 29) and Volusia (Feb. 13); a third at Volusia (Feb. 16); two fourths at East Bay (Feb. 6 and 7); and a fifth at East Bay (Feb. 9). He also won seven preliminary events.

Josh entered the Golden Isles and Volusia events with his familiar Rocket Chassis House Car, and he ran the Ernie Davis-owned Rocket No. 25 in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series ‘Winternationals’ at East Bay. He felt that a few incorrect tire-compound choices he made at East Bay were all that prevented him from seriously contending for victory with the Davis car as well.

Nearly a month spent on the road definitely wore Josh out, but it won’t take him long to recharge for a busy season ahead.

“I’m ready to go home, relax a little bit, and get ready to go again,” said Josh. “We’re basically busy every weekend from now until November, and that’s a good thing. I’m going to race more than I ever have before this year and I’m pumped up about it.”

Weather permiting, Josh will be back in action behind the wheel of the Davis No. 25 this Saturday afternoon (Feb. 23) in the Northeast’s dirt Late Model season opener at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. His tentative March schedule with Davis currently includes visits to Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn., on March 1, Hagerstown on March 8, Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway on March 13-15, and Hagerstown on March 22, before he returns to his blue No. 1 for the next WoO LMS event on March 28-29 at Pike County Speedway in Magnolia, Miss.

J.R.R. – PR.

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January 15, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Josh Richards Soldiers Through Rough Chili Bowl Midget Nationals Experience

SHINNSTON, WV – The one and only scheduled Midget start of the season for Josh Richards was another learning experience.

Battling to get comfortable behind the wheel of a Tony Stewart Racing machine in a rare open-wheel appearance, the dirt Late Model star known as ‘Kid Rocket’ ran out of time and failed to qualify for the A-Main of last week’s 22nd annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center.

The 19-year-old from Shinnston, W.Va., said he felt he “was really getting a good feel for the car” by the end of Saturday night’s program on the quarter-mile indoor dirt track, but his bid to make the Chili Bowl feature event for the first time in three attempts ended with a 14th-place finish in the first D-Main.

“On Saturday (the TSR crew) changed some stuff to try to make me more comfortable,” said Josh, who steered a TSR/Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops/Armor All Spike Midget. “The idea was to make the car drive off the front end more, like a Late Model. It definitely was better, but we were already a little too far behind.”

Josh led the first half of Saturday’s first E-Main before being passed by NASCAR Sprint Cup driver J.J. Yeley and ultimately finishing third, which moved him to the first D-Main. He appeared primed to challenge for one of the D-Main’s five transfer spots to the first C-Main after sliding into seventh place from deep in the starting field, but officials put him back several positions when a caution flag flew seconds later and he never recovered.

The long odds to qualify that Josh faced on Saturday night resulted from the rough-and-tumble preliminary night he experienced on Friday. With the track surface still wide-open, his car dug in and flipped wildly on the opening lap of his heat, forcing him to play catch-up the remainder of the evening.

Josh, who was sore but otherwise uninjured after the wreck, came back after suspension repairs were made to the car and finished second in a Last Chance Qualifier. But he finished 12th in an A-Main Qualifier and then placed ninth in Friday’s first B-Main, missing an A-Main transfer spot by five positions.

Josh’s three TSR teammates made the cut for Saturday’s A-Main. Team owner and NASCAR star Tony Stewart led the way with an eighth-place finish in the 50-lapper, followed by Tracy Hines (ninth) and Levi Jones (11th).

“I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to get in the feature, but it’s a tough race to make,” said Josh, who entered the Chili Bowl for the third consecutive year (second straight with TSR). “I had a great time, and I just appreciate that Tony (Stewart) gave me an opportunity to run it again.

“Hopefully I’ll have a chance to try again next year. We’ve talked, and next year we might try to practice somewhere (before the Chili Bowl) so I can get a better feel for the car.”

Josh flew home on Sunday but found no time to rest. While continuing to make final preparations for 22 nights of racing between Jan. 23 and Feb. 16, he also had to get ready for his role in this weekend’s 17th annual “Race Wise Chassis School” at his father Mark’s Rocket Chassis in Shinnston, W.Va. Over 200 attendees are expected for the three-day program, which includes classroom sessions and an open house at the Rocket shop.

Josh heads south on Mon., Jan. 21, with 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 to compete in the 10 nights of action that make up the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga. He then will move on to drive the Ernie Davis-owned No. 25 in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Winternationals from Feb. 4-9 at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla., before returning to his familiar blue No. 1 for the 37th annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals (which includes the first two events of the 2008 WoO LMS) from Feb. 11-16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

J.R.R. – PR.

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January 6, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Josh Richards Returns To Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals With Tony Stewart Racing For Third Straight Year

SHINNSTON, WV – Josh Richards is hoping that his third attempt at the famed Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals will be the charm.

The 19-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., is primed to compete in this week’s indoor dirt-track extravaganza at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center for the third consecutive year as a member of the formidable Tony Stewart Racing effort. His all-star cast of teammates will include NASCAR star and team owner Tony Stewart – the defending Chili Bowl champion – and USAC stars Levi Jones and Tracy Hines.

The 22nd annual Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals begins Tuesday (Jan. 8) and runs through Saturday (Jan. 12).

“I’m pumped. I’m ready,” said Josh, who enjoyed a personal-high four-win season on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2007. “I haven’t had too much time to think about (the Chili Bowl) this winter because we’ve been so busy working on our (dirt Late Model) stuff (for the 2008 campaign), but now that it’s here I can’t wait to get out there and race.”

Josh made his first Chili Bowl appearance in 2006, falling one spot short of transferring to the 50-lap A-Main through a B-Main. He returned full of confidence for the 2007 edition, but he struggled to get comfortable on the quarter-mile clay oval and saw his bid come to an end with a 10th-place finish in Saturday night’s first G-Main.

A practice session on Tuesday night will give Josh an opportunity to feel out his TSR/Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops/Armor All Midget on the specially-constructed layout on the floor of the Tulsa Expo Center. With an event record 285 entries divided into four three qualifying nights, Josh is set to compete in the Friday-night preliminary program in hopes of setting himself up to run in Saturday night’s A-Main.

Josh will be busy off the track as well this week. On Monday (Jan. 7) he is scheduled to be on hand with Jones and Hines at the Bass Pro Shops Official Chili Bowl Kick-Off Party, a meet-and-greet with fans set for 6 p.m. CST at the Bass Pro Shops store in Broken Arrow, Okla. In addition, Josh will also be available for autographs at the Tony Stewart merchandise trailer located within the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals trade show on Wednesday (Jan. 9) from 4-5 p.m. CST.

The Tony Stewart merchandise trailer will again feature an exclusive TSR Chili Bowl T-shirt featuring two-time event winner and NASCAR champion Stewart along with Jones, Hines and Josh.

Tickets for the Chili Bowl have been sold-out for months, but fans can watch the event live on HBO Pay-Per-View for the first time. The broadcast of Saturday night’s finale, which can be purchased directly via digital cable or satellite television outlets, will begin at 8 p.m. EST. Those interested in purchasing the broadcast can also contact their cable provider’s customer service department for more details.

After returning from the Chili Bowl, Josh will continue his preparations for a busy schedule of dirt Late Model racing in January and February. He is planning to compete in the ‘Super Bowl of Racing’ from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Ga.; the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Winternationals from Feb. 4-9 at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla.; and the 37th annual DIRTcar Nationals (which includes the first two events of the 2008 WoO LMS) from Feb. 11-16 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla.

Josh will drive 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 at Golden Isles and Volusia, and he’ll steer the Rocket No. 25 owned by Ernie Davis at East Bay.

J.R.R. – PR.

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