Richards’ 2017 Season Ends with Solid Showing at Charlotte
ST MARYS, Ohio (Nov. 7, 2017) – Josh Richards ended his spectacular 2017 season with a solid showing at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, bringing home a Fast-Time Award and two top-10 finishes of eighth.
The weekend began with hot laps and two separate rounds of qualifying to determine Friday and Saturday’s Heat Race lineups. In his first round of qualifying, Richards ran the second quickest lap in Group A. His time trial result guaranteed him the first starting spot for Heat Race 2 on Friday. In his second qualifying run, Richards turned the fastest lap overall to collect the Fast-Time Award. His first-place qualifying result would line him up on the pole for Heat Race 1 on Saturday.
Friday's racing-action started with Heat Races and Richards easily led all eight laps in Heat Race 2 to collect the win. His Heat Race victory made him eligible for the redraw, and the West Virginia native drew the fourth starting spot for the night’s 50-lap Feature. When the green flag flew, Richards maintained his position until the night’s second caution flag of the evening came out on Lap 23. On the ensuing restart, Richards fell back to sixth before he made his way down to his preferred racing groove. Richards remained in sixth until Lap 41 when a loose-condition caused Richards to slip back to eighth. Richards was able to hold onto his position in the final laps to collect a top-10 finish.
Saturday began much the same as Richards started on the pole of Heat Race 1. Again, Richards led flag-to-flag in the eight-lap event to capture the win. His Heat Race victory made him eligible for the redraw, and he drew the third starting spot for the Feature. Starting on the inside of Row 2, Richards maintained his position until a loose-condition began to hinder him on Lap 15 when he slipped to fourth. As the condition worsened, Richards fell to seventh at Lap 28. Giving it all he had the Best Performance Motorsports driver maintained the seventh spot until Lap 46 when he was scored in eighth. Determined to bring home another top-10 finish, Richards fought hard in the final four laps to cross the finish line in eighth.
The Best Performance Motorsports team concluded their racing season at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. However, they will celebrate their Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship in Indianapolis, Ind., in December.
Thursday Race Results:
Friday Qualifying – 2nd Saturday Qualifying – 1st
Friday Race Results:
Heat Race – 1st Feature Start – 4th Feature Finish – 8th
Saturday Race Results:
Heat Race – 1st Feature Start – 3rd Feature Finish – 8th
JOSH RICHARDS QUOTES: “We had a good car all weekend at Charlotte. We were really fast during qualifying and our Heat Races, but as the track changed through the Feature we fought a loose-condition. All-in-all we had a very solid weekend in our Best Performance Motorsports car.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better 2017 season. I’m ready to take a little break and celebrate our Lucas Oil Championship.”
For media inquires please contact Andrea Richards at 704-575-2296 or via e-mail at andrea@bestperformancemotorsports.com.
The No. 1 Rocket XR1 carries support from: Valvoline, Keyser Manufacturing, Integra, Alexander Lawn & Landscape, Sunoco Race Fuels, and Corey Frazier-State Farm Insurance.
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