Driver hasn’t finished outside top-20 at Talladega
CHINA GROVE, N.C.(April 12, 2011) – Robert Richardson, Jr. and the No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge of R3 Motorsports takes to Talladega Superspeedway a tad more relaxed than last weekend, and their sights set on bigger goals.
After qualifying on time at his native track of Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, the 29-year old McKinney, Texas native overcame an early race spin to garner a 26th-place finish. Keeping the rest of his run clean allowed the No. 23 Dodge team a return to the top-30 position in the Owner’s Standings, as well.
With that goal achieved, Walter Giles and team can concentrate on race runs during the two practice sessions on Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s race on the 1.66-mile superspeedway. If history is on their side, Richardson hopes to add another top-20, or better, finish to his streak of four consecutive ones at ‘Dega.
Fast Facts:This will be Richardson’s seventh start of the 2011 season and 76th of his NNS career. So far in 2011, he’s had a best finish of 22nd at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Track Facts:Richardson has top-20 finishes in each of his four previous races at Talladega earning an 18.5 average. His best was in the 2008 event with a 16th-place effort and in this race last year, he survived two days of rain delays to finish 20th on Monday. He’s completed 97.9 percent (467 of 477) laps contested and led two circuits at the 1.66-mile oval. Car Facts:Walter Giles and the R3 Motorsports team are bringing Car No. 55 to this weekend’s race. Last used at Daytona in the season opener, Richardson roared from 38th to seventh in the opening laps. An overheating issue, after damaging the right-front fender in a wreck, sidelined the team with less than 20 laps from the finish.
Did you know:The Wildlife Conservation Society’s North American Program works throughout the United States and Canada to save iconic wildlife such as musk oxen, wolverines, bison and more. Tune in for the Win:Neither of the practice sessions on Thursday will be televised, but SPEED picks up qualifying at Noon ET on Friday and race action can be seen on ESPN2 beginning at 3 p.m. for Saturday’s 117 laps of action.
Robert Richardson, Jr. Quotes Talk about racing at Talladega:“It’s interesting, exciting, exhilarating and can be over in the flick of wrist just like that at this track. I love racing here and all the speed and excitement that goes on during the race. The secret, though, is you want to be on the good side of the excitement – not the replay reels.” What about the new style of racing you experienced at Daytona with these new cars:“I’m not sure if I’m a fan of it yet, but the good news is I now have two races under my belt with the two-by-two racing. (Rob Jr. competed in the Nationwide and Daytona 500 races in February) We’re all new to this; you just have to figure out if two cars can hook up with other cars and be faster than everyone else. If it’s the two-by-two style, then you want to find someone to work with who can push and you can push back.
“We’re bringing back the same car we had in Daytona and that one raced really, really well. I know Walter (Giles, crew chief) and the rest of the guys have done some work on it to make it better. I’m looking forward to a great weekend at Talladega in regards to a good finish and moving up in the Owner’s Points some more.”
