Paducah International Raceway
Richards rules Paducah for $20,000 on new tour
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com managing editor
Josh Richards shows off his big check at Paducah. (stlracingphotos.com)
PADUCAH, Ky. (April 12) — Heavy rains that soaked the surface 24 hours earlier at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway didn’t bother Josh Richards on Friday night in the first-ever National Dirt Racing League event.
The 25-year-old driver from Shinnston, W.Va., handled ripples and ruts at the 3/8-mile oval with barely a bobble in leading the final 73 laps of the Let’s Get Dirty 75 to earning his second $20,000 payday of the season. | Notebook | Slideshow | Video
“I’ve always been really comfortable when it’s rough like that, just trying to get around holes,” said Richards, who took the lead from pole-starting Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., on the third lap. “I feel like I could run a thousand (laps) like that, just because we weren’t running hard through the holes — we’re just trying to get around ‘em.”
Richards fended off challenges from Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., in the first half of the race and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., midway through the race before building leads of as much as a straightaway in cruising through the late stages.
His only real scare came just before taking the white flag when Dennis Erb Jr. slowed exiting turn four just in front of Richards, but the leader took evasive action to narrowly avoid contact. Then he kept the talented field in check in the two-lap shootout to the checkers.
Owens didn’t figure he could pull off a miracle against Richards on the final restart of the inaugural NDRL event, the first of a five-race circuit founded by John Kennedy, a team owner for World of Outlaws Late Model Series drivers Shane Clanton and Tim Fuller.
“I don’t think you can banzai the corners any harder than what Josh can,” the 10th-starting Owens said. “You just rule that one out on the get-go, and just maybe hope and try and be prepared in case he charged the corner a little too hard. He had a great car all night long and was able to hold us off.”
Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., improving nine positions to finish third behind Richards and Owens. Hall of Famers Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., rounded out the top five.
Three contenders fell out with problems. Landers, who led the first two laps, gave up the second spot with his car spouting steam on lap 15. John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., rallied from 17th to fourth before pulling his overheating car to the infield on lap 29, and O’Neal was running second when suspension damage and a flat tire forced him to pit on lap 31, and he retired shortly thereafter.
While O’Neal was among the victims of the racetrack — only 10 cars were running at the finish — Richards found his Rocket Chassis house car performed well, especially in the second half of the race.
“We had a really good car to start the night off,” he said. “We did a few things a little bit different and we just kind of left it alone, and just went out there and tried to race smart, you know? There, the first couple of laps, the track was pretty moist and you’d get in the corner a lot harder and load up, and when you hit the holes it was a lot more aggressive. The last 30 or 40 laps, as long as you navigated through the holes, it was way, way smoother.”
After O’Neal’s departure, Owens took up the chase and pressured Richards closely on lap 32 before settling in for the chase. But Owens caught a bad break on lap 45 when Bobby Pierce slowed on the frontstretch in front of the leaders the the right-rear corner of the Owens machine clipped Pierce’s car, damaging his spoiler.
Owens lost the second spot to Bloomquist on the next restart, but he was able to regain the position later despite the aerodynamic misfortune.
“I didn’t even realize that I’d hit him, and I know after that caution, we couldn’t tag (Richards) or keep up him as much as we could (before),” Owens said. “I’m sure that hurt us some, but he had a good car, too.
“All in all, we’re happy with a second. We’ve gotta straighten all the panels out on the cars — another rough night again. Maybe tomorrow night (in NDRL action at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo.) will be a little better.”
Mars stayed lower on the track and away from the rough spots more than most drivers in finishing third, but he was never a threat to overtake Richards.
“From where we started, I was pretty happy,” he said. “With it being choppy out there, I probably ran my car a little bit more on the free side for later in the race, but to come home third with the quality of cars that was here — everybody was here — I was pretty happy with everything.”
The feature was slowed by nine cautions, all for minor incidents. The first two yellows appeared for a slowing Craig Smith on the frontstretch on lap six and again on lap 15, then Brian Shirley slowed on lap 23 and pulled to the pits.
O’Neal gave up the second spot with a flat right-rear tire on the 31st lap and Jason Feger ended up facing the wrong way on the frontstretch on lap 36. Pierce slowed on the frontstretch on lap 45, then again on lap 49.
A lap-60 caution appeared for a flat tire by fourth-running Eric Wells, and the final yellow appeared on lap 74 when Erb lost power.
Notes: Richards drives the Roush Yates-powered Rocket Chassis house car sponsored by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches and Ernie D’s Enterprises. ... The impressive entry list drew drivers from 19 states and seven World 100 winners. ... Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., who entered the event on a personal four-race win streak in Super Late Model action, broke during time trials, then blew a right-rear tire after rallying from 10th to third in his heat race. ... Devin Moran’s car flipped violently in turn one in the third heat race, going over at least twice before landing on its wheels. The 18-year-old Dresden, Ohio, driver wasn’t hurt and trotted down the banking to reassure his father Donnie, who was in the same prelim. ... Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., subbed in Chad Stapleton’s No. 32. Stapleton underwent hernia surgery earlier in the week. Hubbard pulled to the infield during the final parade lap and didn’t start the feature after the fan blade broke. ... Drivers failing to make the feature lineup: Jason McBride, Vic Hill, Walker Arthur, Devin Moran, Donnie Moran (engine), Tim Brown, Jack Sullivan, Wendell Wallace (driving a Steve Lampley No. 33), Jonathan Davenport, Todd Hall, Randy Sellars, Austin Rettig, Tim Fuller, Rodney Sanders, Terry English, Tanner English, Brandon Sheppard, Davey Johnson, Mike Johnson, Jeff Provinzino (piloting a new Bloomquist Race Car), Jason Riggs, Randy Korte, Michael Asberry, Michael Kloos, Vic Coffey, Dane Dacus, Billy Moyer Jr., Jarryd Holshouser, Chris Shelton, Kevin Cole (driving Rodney Melvin’s No. 27 because Melvin’s back has been ailing), Shawn Knuckles and Jerry Lierly. ... Terry English was piloting the Tony Moody-owned Bad Chassis he won in last Friday at Paducah. ... Michael Kloos his the turn-one wall hard in time trials in his Pierce Race Car, then scratched for the night; the team is picking up a new Revelution Chassis next week. ... NDRL drivers head to Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Saturday for a $20,000-to-win event.
Let’s Get Dirty 75: (1) Josh Richards, (2) Jimmy Owens, (3) Jimmy Mars, (4) Billy Moyer, (5) Scott Bloomquist, (6) Steve Francis, (7) Shannon Babb, (8) Brian Birkhofer, (9) Chris Simpson, (10) Eddie Carrier Jr., (11) Dennis Erb Jr., (12) Tim Brown, (13) Eric Wells, (14) Bobby Pierce, (15) Bub McCool, (16) Shane Clanton, (17) Jason Feger, (18) Don O’Neal, (19) John Blankenship, (20) Brian Shirley, (21) Jared Landers, (22) Randy Weaver, (23) Craig Smith, (24) Austin Hubbard. Fast qualifier (among 55 cars): Babb, 14.531 seconds. Heat race winners: Wells, Richards, O’Neal, Francis, Landers, Bloomquist. Consolation winners: Pierce, Erb. Provisional starters: Brown, Feger.
