Richards Makes it Two Straight at Hagerstown
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HAGERSTOWN, Md. — It doesn’t matter what Rocket Josh “Kid Rocket” Richards is in and even if it’s on short notice. Richards, of Shinnston, WV returned to victory lane for the second consecutive time, having won Saturday’s 40-lap 27th Annual Shorty Bowers/Bull Durham Championship Independent Racing Series (IRS) event in the Ernie’s (Davis) Auto Enterprises Rocket Chassis. This triumph follows the previous race date two weeks ago when he scored victory in the 60th Anniversary event, his first win in five months aboard the Rocket house car fielded by his father, chassis builder, Mark Richards.“I’d like to thank Ernie Davis for offering me this ride,” said Richards. ”I didn’t even know I was going to race until about 12 o’clock today. I’d like to thank the guys on the crew and Robbie Allen for tuning on this thing. We gambled a little bit on tires but it worked out for us. I’d like to thank my dad for coming up here with me but it was fun.”
Lined up from the five lap dash, Ricky Elliott charged from the outside pole to secure the front spot over Rob Blair and J.T. Spence. Gary Stuhler, Jeremy Miller and Richards, who started eighth, were behind them during a caution on lap three when debris was spotted on the track and Bo Feathers departed the track.
Elliott continued to show the way as Spence took second from Blair following the restart as Miller, Richards and Jason Covert shuffled Stuhler to eighth. Richards took fourth from Miller on the seventh and then third from Blair on the tenth circuit prior to a caution when Ronnie DeHaven Jr. rolled to a stop.
On the restart, Richards quickly disposed of Spence and then took aim at Elliott. Richards put himself in charge on the 12th circuit over Elliott, Blair but Blair quickly took second the next lap. Spence held fourth while Covert, who for the time won the battle for fifth over Stuhler and Miller, was set back a spot by a rebounding Stuhler on the 16th circuit.
The caution waved at the halfway mark when Jack Pencil coasted to a stop with all the front runners holding their spots following the restart. By the 25th circuit, Davey Johnson, who started 15th, was entering the thick of battle and took fifth momentarily on the 30th circuit as Covert regained the spot the subsequent lap.
With the laps winding down, Richards entered traffic on the 34th circuit, but with a nearly three second lead, he didn’t lose a beat and raced ahead until the final caution came out with two to go when Wayne Chimm had mechanical problems and stopped.
Richards suddenly had a pack of wolves behind him, but he quickly roared to life on the green flag and sped away to take top honors by three lengths over Spence and Blair while Stuhler and Covert completed the top five. Johnson ended fifth while Rick Eckert, Miller, 17th starting Booper Bare and Marvin Winters rounded out the top ten.
Heat winners were Pencil, Elliott, Stuhler, Winters and Miller while Al Shawver Jr. and Roy Deese Jr. copped the B-Mains for the 51 entries.
Chimm and Ryan Markham took IRS provisionals while Feathers was the speedway provisional. Brian Booze, who would have started fourth, raced the Bill Palmer car from the rear of the field after the steering broke sending him into hard the second turn fence while leading the dash.
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