{"id":531,"date":"2010-02-12T06:25:56","date_gmt":"2010-02-12T06:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/?p=531"},"modified":"2010-02-12T07:32:10","modified_gmt":"2010-02-12T07:32:10","slug":"what-a-charge-richards-wins-world-of-outlaws-late-model-series-opener-for-fourth-straight-year-at-volusia-speedway-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/race-results\/what-a-charge-richards-wins-world-of-outlaws-late-model-series-opener-for-fourth-straight-year-at-volusia-speedway-park\/","title":{"rendered":"What A Charge: Richards Wins World of Outlaws Late Model Series Opener For Fourth Straight Year At Volusia Speedway Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 11, 2010 – No one was surprised to see Josh Richards win Thursday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series season opener at Volusia Speedway Park.<\/p>\n

But from the 17th starting spot? Even Richards couldn’t have conjured up a more exciting way to kick off his WoO LMS title defense and capture the national tour’s lidlifter for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year.<\/p>\n

“I was not expecting that at all,” Richards said after putting on the most memorable performance of the 39th annual DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio. “To have a car that good, and to start so far back and be that dominant in a race against these guys — it’s just very rare. It’s an awesome feeling.”<\/p>\n

Richards, 21, of Shinnston, W.Va., blasted through the field in the Rocket Chassis house car he drove to victory in last year’s opener, cracking the top five on a lap-15 restart and then sliding by Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., in succession to reach second on lap 19. He quickly ran down race-long leader Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., and sailed by the homestate driver on lap 27 to assume command for good.<\/p>\n

Pearson settled for second place in the Bobby Labonte Motorsports MasterSbilt mount, crossing the finish line 4.320 seconds behind Richards. Brady Smith had his Team Zero by Bloomquist car hot on Pearson’s rear deck in the final laps and finished third, while McCreadie placed fourth in the Sweeteners Plus Rocket and 2007 WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., advanced from the 19th starting spot to finish fifth in his Valvoline Rocket.<\/p>\n

Richards pocketed $10,675 for what might have been the most spectacular of his 21 career WoO LMS triumphs. He won from the 18th starting spot on Oct. 7, 2008, at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway, but that race didn’t come with the extra significance of extending an amazing win streak.<\/p>\n

“To win four openers in a row is just really cool,” said Richards, who started from the pole position in 2007 and third in both the 2008 and 2009 opening-night WoO LMS events at the half-mile oval outside Daytona Beach. “There’s always the luck factor involved — and we’ve been very lucky here. But I feel like we earned this one too.<\/p>\n

“To come from the back really shows how strong your team is. Matt (Barnes), Jimmy (Frey), Joe (Pilkenton), Ernie (Davis), my dad (Mark Richards), Steve Baker — they all did an awesome job.”<\/p>\n

Richards found himself mired deep in the starting field after finishing third in his heat race, but he began the A-Main confident he could climb forward. It didn’t take him long to realize he just might be able to still pull off a victory.<\/p>\n

“I drove a little hard in the heat and fell back to third, so I was a little disappointed in myself for that,” said Richards. “But I was like, ‘You know what? Just get out there and race, do what you always do.’ I put the heat out of my head and just started fresh in the feature.<\/p>\n

“The way the car felt, after a few laps I knew we were gonna be good,” he continued. “The car was just phenomenal. We started passing cars, but I had no idea what position we were in. Then I looked up (at the scoreboard), saw Brady (Smith) was fifth and he was right there in front of us, and I was like, ‘We’re up there and have a pretty good shot of running top-three.’<\/p>\n

“After I got the lead I just tried to stay patient. Those last few laps I just about stopped going around there, and I guess going slower actually made me faster. The car was just phenomenal.”<\/p>\n

The drivers Richards vanquished certainly agreed with his assessment.<\/p>\n

“(Richards) was extremely good tonight,” said Pearson, who started third but moved up one row after polesitter Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., spun between turns one and two at the initial green flag. “He could roll right through that middle or wherever he needed to go. We were a little bit too tight and had to stay down there on the bottom. I don’t even know where he started, but he blew by me and that’s all I saw of him.”<\/p>\n

Smith, meanwhile, stood in awe of Richards’s opening-night superiority but was very satisfied with his outing. He didn’t even qualify for last year’s opener at Volusia, putting him in a points hole for the start of his first campaign as a WoO LMS regular.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know what it is about the opener here, but Josh has something figured out,” said Smith, who started sixth. “We got tight and couldn’t run the way he could, but we’re very happy with third. This is a lot better start than last year.”<\/p>\n

Four caution flags slowed the event, but there were no serious incidents. After McDowell’s opening-lap spin, the other cautions flew for stopped cars — Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., on lap 15; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., on lap 19; and Brad Neat of Dunnville, Ky., on lap 37.<\/p>\n

Finishing in positions 6-10 was McDowell, who rallied from the rear after his disappointing miscue; Moyer; 21st-starter Tim Dohm of Cross Lanes, W.Va., who earned the $500 WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a tour A-Main; Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill.; and WoO LMS rookie Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del.<\/p>\n

A banner field of 68 cars was signed in for the event.<\/p>\n

Landers, who won the DIRTcar UMP Modified ‘Gator Championship’ on Monday night, blistered the track in 15.961 seconds during qualifying to earn the Ohlins Shocks Pole Award. It was his first-ever fast-time honor on the WoO LMS.<\/p>\n

Heat winners were Moyer, McCreadie, Brady Smith, Babb, McDowell and Pearson. The B-Mains were captured by Francis, Greg Johnson of Bedford, Ind., and Dohm.<\/p>\n

The 39th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH continue on Fri., Feb. 12 (a grand finale for DIRTcar UMP Late Models with a $10,000 top prize) and Sat., Feb. 13 (another 50-lap, $10,000-to-win show for the WoO LMS). A full program featuring the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds is also on the agenda each evening.<\/p>\n

Additional info on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is available by logging on to www.dirtcar.com, www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com or www.dirtcarnationals.com.<\/p>\n

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.<\/p>\n

Results of WoO Late Model Series (Finishing Position\/Start\/Driver\/Laps Completed\/Money Won):<\/p>\n

1. (17) Josh Richards\/50 $10,675
\n2. (3) Earl Pearson Jr.\/50 $5,000
\n3. (6) Brady Smith\/50 $3,500
\n4. (2) Tim McCreadie\/50 $2,600
\n5. (19) Steve Francis\/50 $2,650
\n6. (1) Dale McDowell\/50 $1,700
\n7. (5) Billy Moyer\/50 $1,500
\n8. (21) Tim Dohm\/50 $1,800
\n9. (22) Dennis Erb Jr.\/50 $1,200
\n10. (24) Austin Hubbard\/50 $1,850
\n11. (10) Darrell Lanigan\/50 $1,650
\n12. (18) Eddie Carrier Jr.\/50 $1,000
\n13. (7) Rick Eckert\/50 $1,450
\n14. (25) Tim Fuller\/50 $1,400
\n15. (23) Eric Jacobsen\/50 $850
\n16. (15) Jack Sullivan\/49 $800
\n17. (4) Shannon Babb\/49 $770
\n18. (14) Chub Frank\/49 $1,250
\n19. (26) Clint Smith\/49 $1,230
\n20. (16) Brandon Kinzer\/48 $700
\n21. (8) Jimmy Owens\/36 $700
\n22. (11) John Blankenship\/36 $700
\n23. (12) Brad Neat\/35 $700
\n24. (29) Russell King\/23 $500
\n25. (9) Chris Madden\/19 $700
\n26. (27) Jason Feger\/13 $700
\n27. (13) Jared Landers\/13 $750
\n28. (20) Greg Johnson\/13 $700
\n29. (28) Shane Clanton\/0 $525<\/p>\n

* Earnings include Winners Circle program and cash contingency award bonuses<\/p>\n

Time of Race: 22 Mins., 13.879 Secs.
\nMargin of Victory: 4.320 Secs.
\nYellow Flags: 4 (Laps 0, 15, 19, 37)
\nLap Leaders: Pearson (1-26); Richards (27-50)
\nProvisional Starters: Fuller, C. Smith, Clanton, King (WoO); Feger (UMP)
\nRookie of the Race: Hubbard ($250)
\nWoO LMS \u001aBonus Bucks\u001a Winner: Dohm ($500)
\nIntegra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race: Matt Barnes (Richards)<\/p>\n

Ohlins Shocks Time Trial Results (Position\/No.\/Driver\/Hometown\/Best Lap):<\/p>\n

1. 777-Jared Landers\/Batesville, AR 15.961
\n2. 39-Tim McCreadie\/Watertown, NY 16.047
\n3. 1x-Jack Sullivan\/Greenbrier, AR 16.055
\n4. 18-Shannon Babb\/Moweaqua, IL 16.063
\n5. 23-John Blankenship\/Williamson, WV 16.069
\n6. 41-Brad Neat\/Dunnville, KY 16.095
\n7. 21-Billy Moyer\/Batesville, AR 16.110
\n8. 20-Jimmy Owens\/Newport, TN 16.117
\n9. 2-Brady Smith\/Solon Springs, WI 16.195
\n10. 18K-Brandon Kinzer\/Allen, KY 16.206
\n11. 1-Josh Richards\/Shinnston, WV 16.236
\n12. 44P-Earl Pearson Jr.\/Jacksonville, FL 16.267
\n13. 24-Rick Eckert\/York, PA 16.301
\n14. 1*-Chub Frank\/Bear Lake, PA 16.327
\n15. 44M-Chris Madden\/Gaffney\/SC 16.334
\n16. 29-Darrell Lanigan\/Union, KY 16.335
\n17. 17M-Dale McDowell\/Chickamauga, GA 16.341
\n18. 4T-Tommy Kerr\/Maryville, TN 16.355
\n19. 16T-Tyler Bruening\/Decorah, IA 16.377
\n20. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr.\/Carpentersville, IL 16.380
\n21. 14-Kyle Berck\/Marquette, NE 16.383
\n22. 44-Clint Smith\/Senoia, GA 16.385
\n23. 88-Wendell Wallace\/Batesville, AR 16.412
\n24. 12-Jordan Bland\/Campbellsville, KY 16.419
\n25. 18W-Eric Wells\/Hazard, KY 16.424
\n26. 32c-Vic Coffey\/Caledonia, NY 16.480
\n27. C9-Steve Casebolt\/Richmond, IN 16.491
\n28. 5s-Steve Sheppard Jr.\/New Berlin, IL 16.496
\n29. 17T-Tim Dohm\/Cross Lanes, WV 16.514
\n30. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr.\/Salt Rock, WV 16.533
\n31. 9k-Mike Knight\/Ripley, NY 16.554
\n32. 15-Steve Francis\/Ashland, KY 16.556
\n33. 11R-Tyler Reddick\/Corning, CA 16.561
\n34. 1V-Will Vaught\/Crane, MO 16.606
\n35. 00-Randy Korte\/Highland, IL 16.625
\n36. 19H-Austin Hubbard\/Seaford, DE 16.625
\n37. 16R-Justin Rattliff\/Campbellsville, KY 16.668
\n38. 9-Dan Schlieper\/Sullivan, WI 16.683
\n39. 26-Tony Knowles\/Tyrone, GA 16.703
\n40. 5-Eric Jacobsen\/Sea Cliff Beach, CA 16.736
\n41. 19-Tim Fuller\/Watertown, NY 16.757
\n42. 56-Russell King\/Bristolville, OH 16.763
\n43. 21d-Dan Stone\/Thompson, PA 16.768
\n44. 7W-Ricky Weiss\/Winnipeg, MAN 16.772
\n45. 46-Greg Johnson\/Bedford, IN16.801
\n46. 23P-Patrick Sheltra\/Indiantown, FL 16.849
\n47. 47-Tyler Ivey\/Tallahassee, FL 17.023
\n48. 27-Jeff Beyers\/Pana, IL 17.030
\n49. b5-Brandon Sheppard\/New Berlin, IL 17.061
\n50. 15b-Brian Birkhofer\/Muscatine, IA 17.072
\n51. 25F-Jason Feger\/Bloomington, IL 17.278
\n52. 3-Brent Robinson\/Smithfield, VA 17.441
\n53. 77-Jason McBride\/Carbondale, IL 17.612
\n54. 40-Joe Callahan\/Dubuque, IA 17.755
\n55. 19d-Ronnie DeHaven Jr.\/Winchester, VA 17.816
\n56. 13d-Jonathan DeHaven\/Winchester, VA 17.845
\n57. 1P-Darren Peters\/Fort Erie, ONT 17.911
\n58. 25z-Mason Ziegler\/Chalk Hill, PA 18.011
\n59. 3c-Mike Collins\/Carter Lake, IA 18.077
\n60. 99z-Dave Zona\/Montrose, PA 18.102
\n61. 5M-Whitney McQueary\/Liberty, KY 18.558
\n62. 27d-Donald Beyers\/Pana, IL 18.647
\n63. 29R-Ronnie Rihn\/Bloom, WI 18.778
\n64. 57-Chuck Julien\/Apopka, FL 18.829
\n65. 99B-Rick Briggs\/Bear Lake, PA 19.010
\n66. 16H-Mike Hammerle\/St. Charles, MO 19.037
\n67. 22-Jill George\/Cedar Falls, IA N\/T
\n68. 25-Shane Clanton\/Locust Grove, GA N\/T<\/p>\n

Heat No. 1 (10 laps — Top 3 Transfer): Moyer, Eckert, Landers, Wells, Bruening, Stone, Knight, McQueary, B. Sheppard, Rattliff, R. DeHaven (DNS) George<\/p>\n

Heat No. 2 (10 laps — Top 3 Transfer): McCreadie, Owens, Frank, Schlieper, Coffey, Francis, Erb, Weiss, J. DeHaven, D. Beyers, Birkhofer<\/p>\n

Heat No. 3 (10 laps \u001a Top 3 Transfer): B. Smith, Madden, Sullivan, Casebolt, Feger, Reddick, G. Johnson, Rihn, Peters, Berck, Knowles<\/p>\n

Heat No. 4 (10 laps — Top 3 Transfer): Babb, Lanigan, Kinzer, Jacobsen, Sheltra, S. Sheppard, Vaught, Robinson, Ziegler, Julien, C. Smith<\/p>\n

Heat No. 5 (10 laps — Top 3 Transfer): McDowell, Blankenship, Richards, Dohm, Korte, Fuller, Briggs, Ivey, McBride, Collins, Wallace<\/p>\n

Heat No. 6 (10 laps \u001a Top 3 Transfer): Pearson, Neat, Carrier, Hubbard, Kerr, King, Bland, J. Beyers, Callahan, Zona, Hammerle<\/p>\n

B-Main No. 1 (12 laps — Top 2 Transfer): Francis, Erb, Schlieper, Stone, Knight, McQueary, Bruening, Wells, J. DeHaven, George, Coffey, B. Sheppard, Birkhofer, Weiss, R. DeHaven (DNS) D. Beyers, Rattliff<\/p>\n

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps — Top 2 Transfer): G. Johnson, Jacobsen, Casebolt, Sheltra, Reddick, Vaught, Knowles, C. Smith, Ziegler, Rihn, Peters, Julien, S. Sheppard, Robinson, Feger (DNS) Berck<\/p>\n

B-Main No. 2 (12 laps — Top 2 Transfer): Dohm, Hubbard, Korte, Fuller, Ivey, Bland, Kerr, McBride, J. Beyers, Wallace, Collins, Zona, Briggs, Callahan, King, Hammerle<\/p>\n

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Contingency Award Winners:<\/p>\n

Arizona Sports Shirts ($50 product certificate to fifth-place finisher in each B-Main): Mike Knight, Tyler Reddick, Tyler Ivey
\nArmor All (one case of product to highest-finishing non-WoO team in A-Main w\/decal): Earl Pearson Jr.
\nEibach Springs (one free spring to each B-Main winner): Steve Francis, Greg Johnson, Tim Dohm
\nMSD Ignition ($75 cash award to A-Main winner w\/decal): Josh Richards
\nMSD Ignition ($25 cash award to last-place finisher in A-Main w\/decal): Shane Clanton
\nOhlins Pole Award ($50 cash award to fast qualifier w\/decal): Jared Landers
\nPink Carburetors ($100 product certificate for new\/rebuild to A-Main winner w\/decal): Josh Richards
\nPink Carburetors ($50 product certificate for new\/rebuild to last-place finisher in A-Main w\/decal): Shane Clanton
\nQuartermaster ($100 product certificate to A-Main winner w\/decal): Josh Richards
\nQuartermaster ($50 product certificate to fifth-place finisher in A-Main w\/decal): Steve Francis
\nQuartermaster ($25 product certificate to 15th-place finisher in A-Main w\/decal): Eric Jacobsen
\nSTP ($50 cash award to the winner of B-Main No. 1 w\/decal): Steve Francis
\nVP Racing Fuels ‘Nice Jugs Award’ (two free VP five-gallon containers to fastest qualifier who does not make the A-Main if decal is displayed): Tyler Bruening
\nWrisco Aluminum (three sheets of aluminum to A-Main winner w\/decal): Josh Richards<\/p>\n

FOLLOW THE ACTION ON TWITTER: Fans can now keep up-to-date with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series online and through text messages on cell phones via Twitter, the internet’s fast-growing social-networking and micro-blogging website. Updates are provided to Twitter ‘followers’ of the WoO LMS throughout each race night, and fans also receive breaking news and interesting notes from the tour.<\/p>\n

To sign-up as a WoO LMS ‘follower’ on Twitter to receive updates anywhere at anytime, visit http:\/\/twitter.com\/WoOLateModels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can’t get to a track to see the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, they can experience the excitement of the nation’s premier tour live on DIRTvision.com through the DIRT Radio Network.<\/p>\n

To listen to the free audio broadcasts, log on to www.dirtvision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo.<\/p>\n

Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail customerservice@dirtvision.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 11, 2010 – No one was surprised to see Josh Richards win Thursday night’s 50-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"publish_to_discourse":"","publish_post_category":"","wpdc_auto_publish_overridden":"","wpdc_topic_tags":"","wpdc_pin_topic":"","wpdc_pin_until":"","discourse_post_id":"","discourse_permalink":"","wpdc_publishing_response":"","wpdc_publishing_error":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-race-results","category-volusia-speedway-park"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=531"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":549,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531\/revisions\/549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}