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.
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