DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Just a few short months after earning his first World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship, 21-year-old Josh Richards will try to make his mark on pavement at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Richards will make his restrictor-plate racing debut in Saturday’s ARCA Racing Series Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 behind the wheel of the No. 99 Presta Products Chevrolet for team owner and mentor Ken Schrader.
“Being with Schrader and his people for Daytona is the best part,” said Richards. “We’ve run a few races with him in the NASCAR Camping World Series East and he has so much knowledge and so much talent it’s unbelievable. We’ve been friends for a long time and as hard as he has worked to get to where he is today, you just have to respect him.”
This isn’t the first time Richards has climbed behind the wheel of an ARCA-style race car. He entered two races last year in Venturini Motorsports-prepared machines at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky., and the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds.
Richards made his ARCA debut in 2007 with a third-place finish at DuQuoin driving a car owned by Tony Stewart.
“We are really pumped up about Josh driving one of our entries at Daytona,” said Schrader. “He has shown how talented he is behind the wheel of a race car and that made it a no-brainer to get involved when the discussions about doing this started.
“I’ve known Josh for a really long time and have seen him become better and better every time he gets in the car. We’re just excited to be a part of something as special as coming to Daytona. Josh has the right people around him to make him successful from his family to his management team, and hopefully we can give him an effort that is indicative of his abilities. We’ve got a good piece; we’re just ready to get after it,” Schrader added.
Hoping to follow in the same footsteps as Schrader and Stewart, Richards has worked hard to prove his talent through his accomplishments as a driver. His World of Outlaws championship last year is just the first step for Richards on the development ladder.
“Racing is all I know,” said Richards. “All day, every day — the only thing I’ve known my entire life is to race. There are no days off. I’m either at the race shop or racing, and I enjoy every second of it.”
Richards admits that compared to everywhere else he has raced, Daytona is a totally different beast. Yet — at the same time — Richards said that his only goal is to simply make laps at Daytona this weekend and gain some experience.
“I don’t think it matters how much experience you have or how prepared you think you are, your first laps at Daytona are impactful,” said Richards. “Once you get out on the track it’s all out or nothing and when you’re looking down the straightaway, it’s just so magnified at a place like Daytona. I definitely feel more comfortable about going back for the race now that I have tested there.”