Richards Rockets to Overwhelming Victory in World of Outlaws Late Model Series Pittsburgher 50
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by Kevin Kovac, World of OutlawsIMPERIAL, Pa. — That’s the only way to describe Josh Richards’s performance on Saturday night at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.
The 19-year-old sensation was simply in a league of his own, running away with a flag-to-flag victory in the half-mile oval’s 19th annual ‘Pittsburgher 50.’
“That car was awesome,” Richards said of his father Mark’s Rocket Chassis House Car. “It was like a video game out there. If I wanted to I could run harder, or I could just cruise for awhile. Whatever I wanted the car to do, it did without a problem.
“It’s hard to get a car that good very often.”
Richards, who started from the pole position, was never seriously challenged. He pulled away from the pack with ease after each of the race’s four caution flags, extending his lead by at least two-tenths of a second per lap.
In action at the track where he ran the third feature event of his career in 2004, Richards became the youngest winner in the history of PPMS’s ‘Pittsburgher’ spectacular. He earned $10,225 for his fourth WoO LMS triumph of the season.
WoO LMS Rookie of the Year contender Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., finished a distance second, 3.4 seconds behind Richards. He used the inside groove to steer his brand-new Ed Petroff-owned Rocket car through the top five during the race’s second half.
WoO LMS points leader Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., finished third, followed by Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Bart Hartman of Zanesville, Ohio.
Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who is second in the WoO LMS points standings, finished a quiet sixth but didn’t lose any ground to Francis. The event offered only show-up points (75 points to each driver entered) because an open practice session was held at PPMS on Thursday night, violating the tour’s rule that prohibits open or private practices at a track within one week of a one-day show.
Forty-six dirt Late Models were entered in the event.
Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., earned his first $100 National Interstate Insurance Fast Time Award of the season with his lap of 20.320 seconds in qualifying.
Heat winners were Frank, Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, Richards and Lanigan, and the B-Mains were captured by Rick Eckert of York, Pa., and Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio.
For more info on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
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