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
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