Josh keeps knocking on the door to Eldora Speedway’s Victory Lane.
The 19-year-old sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., came close to scoring his first-ever triumph at the half-mile oval once again on Saturday night, finishing second to Scott Bloomquist in the 40-lap UMP DIRTcar Racing Fall Nationals Late Model A-Main.
It was the second straight year that Josh has been the runner-up in the UMP DIRTcar Racing Fall Nationals event. He also finished fourth in the race in 2005, and he’s contended for victory in several other shows at Eldora, including the 2006 World 100 (he finished fourth).
“We try to come to all the races we can (at Eldora) to get laps, ” said Josh. “We’re getting better and better, but we still need a little more to get a win. We got some ideas, though, for when we come back next year, and hopefully we’ll finally win one. ”
Josh showed the strength in his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 during the night’s first heat, blasting forward from the fourth starting spot to take the lead in one lap. He went on to win the preliminary and redrew the sixth starting position for the A-Main.
In a feature that ran caution-free from start-to-finish, ‘Kid Rocket’ grabbed the lead from Dan Schlieper on lap 13 and looked to run away from the pack. But Bloomquist, who started ninth, caught Josh and assumed command for good on lap 21.
Josh held off 2007 UMP DIRTcar Racing Late Model national champion Dennis Erb Jr. to finish second, about a straightaway behind Bloomquist at the checkered flag.
“We were off just a little bit, ” said Josh. “When we got to lapped traffic, (Bloomquist) was just more maneuverable. I had to move my car up the racetrack more to get through the corners.
“This thing was really good in the heat race, and in the feature we got to the front quick. But then I looked up at the scoreboard and saw Scott was in second, and I was like, ‘Oh, man, he’s coming. ’
“He’s won a lot of races up here, so to run second to him is pretty cool. But it’s still aggravating. ”
Despite falling short, Josh had another enjoyable trip to NASCAR star Tony Stewart’s famed speedway.
“I just love racing at Eldora, ” said Josh. “I’d race (at Eldora) every week if I could. ”
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