Josh Richards
Ask followers of Dirt Late Model racing to list the drivers who have had the most impressive runs of success over the past decade or so and you’re likely to hear names such as Davenport, Sheppard, Overton, McCreadie and Owens. But one name that is often passed by, remarkably, is that of Josh Richards. After looking at a list of the Shinnston, West Virginia native’s accomplishments in the sport, however, it would be hard to argue that he shouldn’t be included on that list. And for that matter, he should be somewhere near the top of said list.
Richards is one of only three drivers(Scott Bloomquist & Tim McCreadie) to have won a championship with both the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. At only 33-years-old, the ‘Rocket Man’ has accumulated numerous crown jewel type victories that are no doubt the envy of many drivers who are much older. Two Dirt Track World Championships, two USA Nationals, the Firecracker 100 and the Hillbilly 100 are among the big wins placed in this driver’s column.
During the early part of his career, Richards drove for his father in the Rocket Chassis house car ride. In his stint at the wheel of the famed Mark Richards Racing No. 1 machine, he amassed four World of Outlaws Late Model Series titles along with scores of feature wins.
After brief attempts to make a name for himself in NASCAR in the Camping World Truck Series and the Xfinity Series back in 2011 and 2012, Richards returned to full-time dirt racing in 2013 and promptly won another WoO championship. However, that successful return would be hampered the next year when he had to sit out most of the season after being diagnosed with nerve damage to his hands.
After winning the 2016 WoO championship, Richards departed the Rocket house car team to drive on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for Ohio-based Best Performance Motorsports. Success on that series with that organization came immediately as the 2017 series title fell his way.
Richards moved to the Dirt Late Model team owned by NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer at the start of the 2019 campaign. And while there were race wins and a high water mark of third in the final LOLMDS standings in his first year there, the trips to victory lane did not come as frequently as had been the case earlier in his career. As a result, Richards and Clint Bowyer Racing parted ways at the end of the 2021 season.
Now, Richards has landed with the team of veteran racer Boom Briggs with a return to the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in the works. The move will add to the string of transitions this championship driver has experienced in recent years.
“It’s been going really well,” Richards answered when asked by InsideDirtRacing.com just how the early days with the Briggs team have gone. “The thing where I left Bowyer was more of a mutual understanding because it wasn’t working for either side. We ended up looking for a ride and something to do then Boom came along and offered.”
Richards initially drove for Briggs in the ‘Duel in the Desert’ on the dirt track located near Las Vegas Motor Speedway last November. Since then, the rush has been on to put an effort together for the 2022 season.
“There wasn’t a whole lot out there and we’ve been last minute ever since,” Richards explained. “We’ve been behind in getting cars together and the off-season is short. We’re trying to find help but everything is coming together. There’s been a lot of great people and a lot of great sponsors to come on board to help. I feel like we’ve been playing catch up the whole time and we’re still there but it’s been going really well. Boom and Steve Briggs both have been the biggest key to making all this happen.”
When it became apparent last year that Richards and CBR would not be staying together, a myriad of rumors about the successful driver’s fate began to spread. Some of those whispers even claimed that he would not be racing this season.
“It makes me laugh, rumors make me laugh because everyone tells me what I’m doing when I haven’t said a word to anybody because I didn’t know yet,” Richards insisted with a laugh. “We just didn’t know what we were going to do. That’s why I’m glad this opportunity came along and we’re going to make the best of it.”
Josh Richards in his No. 1 Rocket Chassis
The past couple of seasons have been frustrating for this driver who had so much success earlier in his career. Fans and competitors alike had grown accustomed to seeing Richards throw aggressive slide jobs to take positions then power away from his rivals on the way to another victory. Those type of moves became less commonplace in his time as the driver of the No. 14 car but he insists that it wasn’t because he was holding anything back.
“Everyone thinks it’s me, but for whatever reason, we’ve been trying the last few years but we just couldn’t make anything happen,” Richards declared. “For whatever reason, we gave it our best shot the last few years but it just wasn’t working whatever it may have been. I’m just glad for this opportunity because we’ve got all good stuff and got good people so it’s a matter of putting the puzzle together.”
While it might seem logical to think that a return to the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series would place Richards in a more comfortable environment due to his seeming familiarity with the tracks on the circuit in which he won four championships. But in terms of which series he races, Richards has no preference.
“Really it’s not,” he pointed out. “There’s a lot of tracks that I’ve never been to this year. It makes no difference to me. I know everyone puts a lot of emphasis on which series is better and which driver’s are better. It takes the same to win on both sides, it really does. It makes zero difference to me, it’s just how it worked out. That’s what Boom was running so that’s what we decided to do. I just want to race so it doesn’t matter.”
One track he does know well is Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida where the Outlaws will be heading next week to run a combined total of six shows with the DIRTcar Late Models. Richards has earned a total of ten wins in the DIRTcar Nationals over the course of his career on the half-mile oval.
Richards is currently tied with Brandon Sheppard as each driver has accumulated four WoO titles. He is the all-time winningest driver on that tour with 78 feature victories while Sheppard sits just one behind. He says those numbers are not something he thinks about.
“No, it makes zero difference to me because that team is going to win. They’re going to win more than normal because they have a lot of help and it’s hard to keep up with that, for sure. I don’t put any emphasis on any of that. We try to do the best we can. If I was worried about that, I wouldn’t have left that ride to begin with.”
The DIRTcar Nationals run Monday through Saturday of this week(Feb 14-19) at Volusia. Live coverage will be provided by DirtVision.com.
***Days after this interview was conducted, Richards and his wife Andrea had the camper they were staying in to catch fire during the night. Fortunately they and their dog were able to escape but the RV was a total loss.
Scott Bloomquist looks forward to March return to racing at Bristol
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