Josh Richards Registers a Solid Runner-up Finish in ‘monster Midwest Tour’

Shinnston, WV - steady-but-unspectacular World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Monster Midwest Tour’ for Josh Richards took a turn for the better when he registered a solid runner-up finish in the five-race swing’s finale on Friday night at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich.After failing to finish better than eighth in the four events preceding Friday’s inaugural WoO LMS visit to I-96, Josh was strong throughout the ‘Great Lakes 50. ’ He recovered from a slow start – he took the green flag from inside the second row but lost several spots during the early laps – to mount a late challenge on eventual winner Chub Frank.

The 19-year-old sensation known as ‘Kid Rocket’ reached second place on lap 28 of the A-Main at the fast half-mile oval, then ran down Frank, who had led from the start. Josh was bidding for the lead when the race’s only caution flag flew, on lap 37, but he couldn’t find enough speed over the remaining circuits to seriously threaten Frank again.

Josh steered his Mark Richards Racing-owned Seubert Calf Ranches/Ace Metal Works/TSR-Tony Stewart Racing/Petroff Towing/MCB Motorsports Rocket Chassis No. 1 under the checkered flag a couple car lengths behind Frank.

“I caught Chub and showed him the nose one lap, ” said Josh, who registered his best WoO LMS finish since winning the season opener on Feb. 17 at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. “But I got caught behind a lapped car and then (Frank) moved down (lower). I think the track tightened up a little bit, so when he moved down he was just a little bit better.

“It was a good run for us, ” he continued. “We didn’t have the greatest Midwest swing, so this will make the trip home easier. ”

Josh kicked off his five-state tour of the Midwest on May 9 with a 13th-place finish in the 50-lap A-Main at the Davenport (Iowa) Speedway Quarter-Mile, where passing was at a premium due to the track’s rubbered-up condition. He came back strong the next race, on May 12 at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis., setting fast time, winning a heat race and drawing the pole position for the 50-lap feature, but his team’s setup “experiment” didn’t work in the headliner and he slipped to a respectable but disappointing eighth-place finish.

A stop at Lincoln (Ill. ) Speedway on May 13 yielded an 11th-place finish for Josh, who said his car wasn’t tightened up enough for the 40-lap feature. He also registered an eighth-place finish in the ‘Hall of Fame Classic 50’ on May 16 at Brownstown (Ind. ) Speedway, going forward from the 14th starting spot.

During an off-day during the ‘Monster Midwest Tour, ’ Josh and his crew had the opportunity to spend an evening testing at Kenny Schrader’s I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. Josh said the practice session produced some technical results that should help his performance in the future.

Josh ended the swing ranked fourth in the WoO LMS point standings, 36 points behind leader Shannon Babb.

The Mark Richards Racing team returned to its shop in Shinnston, W.Va., following Friday’s I-96 action. From there preparations will be made for Josh’s assault on this weekend’s prestigious 15th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Show-Me 100 at West Plains (Mo. ) Motor Speedway. The May 24-26 event pays a cool $41,000 to win and $4,100 to start.

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