Virginia Motor Speedway
VMS gives Richards shot at victory in 100-lapper
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Josh Richards is looking for his first 100-lap vicotry. (jmsprophoto.com)
At 22, Josh Richards already has a coveted World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship under his belt and is bidding for two in-a-row in 2010. But the young sensation from Shinnston, W.Va., knows his resume is still missing something — and if he has his way, he'll fill that gap this weekend.
Yes, Richards would love to put an end to the question that dogs him — "When will you win a big 100-lap event?" — by capturing the inaugural Commonwealth 100 on Saturday at Virginia Motor Speedway.
"We've won a lot of stuff," said Richards, "but we haven't won any majorly big races yet, no 100-lappers. I think 60 laps is the longest race I've won, so it would be a huge accomplishment for us to finally win — especially a brand-new race at a great facility like Virginia."
Victory in a high-dollar, long-distance show has been elusive to Richards. He's been a serious contender for a checkered flag in numerous 100-lappers during his seven-year career — including some of the division's most prestigious events, such as the World 100 and Dirt Track World Championship — but has yet to break through.
Richards will actually have to fight history on two counts during the Commonwealth 100 weekend, which begins with time trials and heat races on Friday and concludes with consolation races, a $3,000-to-win non-qualifiers' race and the 100-lapper paying $25,000 to the winner Saturday. Not only is he winless in 100-lappers, he's also never won a WoO event at VMS.
"That's one place where in the past we've struggled a little bit," Richards said of Bill Sawyer's spectacular half-mile oval. "But we gotta keep our heads up and go there open-minded, take it as just another race. I know we can do it."
In the six WoO races at VMS since 2005, Richards has a top finish of third, on April 11, 2008. That's his lone top-five run; his other finishes are sixth (April 2007), seventh (April 2005), 12th (April 2006), 13th (April 2009) and 14th (July 2007). What's more, he's never led a WoO lap at VMS — he did, however, lead eight circuits there in 2008 during the only big-block modified start of his career — and last year the only WoO feature he didn't qualify for through a heat race was at VMS (he time-trialed poorly and was involved in a heat incident).
"We've been decent (at VMS) and had some decent runs, but I've never felt we've had a really great car there," said Richards, who started last year's WoO headliner at VMS thanks to the only provisional spot he used all season. "Every time we go back the dirt seems to be a little bit different, so maybe that's something that we've struggled with a little bit."
Nevertheless, Richards is looking forward to a race that has the potential to develop into a can't-miss stop on every dirt Late Model driver's schedule.
"It's one of the nicest facilities we go to all year long and the Sawyers are great people," said Richards. "Any time there's a big race it's good for the sport. It's more money for us to race for, and it gets all the best guys racing together for the fans.
"I think (the Commonwealth 100) could definitely be huge. There's not a ton of big races on the East Coast other than Lernerville (Speedway's Firecracker 100), so this will really become a big early-season show."
