Richards Rolls To Victory At Bubba Raceway
Story By:Bubba Raceway Media Photos By:Dave Dalesandro/Racersguide.com
OCALA, Fla. — Josh Richards to his first NeSmith Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series victory during round two of the RockAuto.com Winter Shootout Friday night at Bubba Raceway Park.
Richards picked up the $2,500 win in the 40-lap main event after a hard fought battle with Kyle Bronson.
During the last half of the race, Bronson tried both high and low in the Brandon Ford Special to get around Richards for the lead. On two occasions, Bronson looked like he was going to take the lead after getting alongside Richards, only to have caution flags spoil the effort.
“This is only the second time I’ve run a race with a Chevrolet Performance 604 Racing Engine, and it takes a different style of driving that I’m still trying to learn,” Richards said. “Kyle Bronson and I are both aggressive drivers, and he made me earn this one. If it wasn’t for Bubba Clem and his track crew, we wouldn’t have had a track to race on tonight. After all of the rain they’ve had here over the last few days, the track was still pretty wet.”
After leading the first four laps of the race, Bronson finished second, .755 seconds behind Richards. Walker Arthur took the checkered flag in third, but he was disqualified in the post-race technical inspection with unapproved suspension components on his Cecil B. Arthur Beef Farms Special.
That moved Dennis Franklin up to the third. Tyler Bare and Justin Williams completed the top five.
Trent Ivey was the fast qualifier among the 53 entrants with a 15.060-second lap around the three-eighths-mile clay oval.
The finish:
Josh Richards, Kyle Bronson, Dennis Franklin, Tyler Bare, Justin Williams, Keith Nosbisch, Logan Robertson, Chase Edge, Jimmy Mac, Bryant Marsh, Hudson O’Neal, Ryan Crane, Trent Ivey, Mike Pegher Jr., Shan Smith, Ralph Morgan Jr., Bryan Davis, Mark Whitener, Ryan Carter, Cory Almond, Joe Kump, Billy Beacher, Frank Wilson, Walker Arthur.
