The ‘Chairman of the Board’ goes Wire-to-Wire to win the ‘King of the Catskills’ Special at Accord Speedway
Story and Photos By: MATT NOLES / RACERSGUIDE.COM
SPRAKERS, NY- September 17, 2016- Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.
After taking some time away from his driving duties behind the wheel of the infamous No. 406 big-block modified, 11-time Accord Speedway modified track champion Rich Ricci Jr. returned to the famed Ulster County oval with a vengeance on Friday night.
With a stout performance during his qualifier earlier in the evening, the veteran driver left little doubt that he really is the King of the Catskills after holding off challenges from fellow competitors Jeff Strunk and Jimmy Horton on his way to the $5,000 payday and a return to royalty at the historic quarter-mile facility.
For the normally animated Ricci Jr., last night’s unplanned trip to victory lane left him surprisingly at a loss for words. “I don’t know what to say, I’m speechless,” He exclaimed in victory lane. “I needed the time off and I was burned out and I didn’t even want to race tonight.”
Through some prodding and moderate convincing due in large part to his family, Ricci Jr. decided to make his return on Friday night. Hindsight being what it is, he’s more than a little pleased with the outcome of the effort put forth by his race team and family.
“They [his family and crew] told me that I was going to race tonight,” Ricci Jr. continued. “And to be honest, I didn’t even scale the car before we loaded up. I just washed it, checked the shocks and I went racing.”
Time away certainly had little to no effect once the green flag dropped at the start of the feature event. “It took a few laps to get going,” Ricci Jr. stated. “I had to adjust to the car and play with the brakes a little bit but once I got in that rhythm, I found out that I didn’t lose it. I still have it.”
Getting back into the proverbial groove wasn’t the only challenge Ricci Jr. faced; he also had to fend off the opposition in the form of Jeff Strunk, Mike Ricci and Jimmy Horton. “Those guys are the best,” He remarked. “I really thought Strunk was going to give me a fight because he has such good power but I was able to pull away from him on the start and every restart he was alongside of me. The car just dug and felt awesome. It felt good. That’s when I knew we really had something.”
After fending off Strunk, Ricci Jr. could here Horton motoring on his tail. “I could hear him really motoring there for a few laps,” He said. “And the lap traffic was really tough, I didn’t want to put a bumper to those guys so when I found an opening, I took it and that’s what really gave us a break. Getting by those guys quick and clean like that when I could really made the difference.”
For Ricci Jr., his season is far from over where competition at the Accord Speedway is concerned. “After tonight, I’ll definitely be back for the Gobbler in a few months,” Ricci Jr. concluded. “The kids will and I will. We gotta, we can’t give up yet.”
Matt Noles is a contributing writer for Racers Guide, Dirt Track Digest and Speedway Illustrated. He currently resides in Sprakers, New York and can be reached via e-mail at matt_noles@yahoo.com.
