The bullring dirt track brought excitement between Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship contenders
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series visited Kokomo Speedway for the first time on Friday night. The 1/4-mile bullring dirt track has been a highly anticipated date, all year.
The Indiana dirt racing fans weren’t disappointed. They saw three wide dirt late model racing, all night.
Josh Richards started 9th. By lap 34, Richards had found the cushion and had moved to 2nd. He was flying to the lead.
Hudson O’Neal took the lead on lap 8. By lap 35, Richards was all over his bumper and looking to take the lead. However, as he looked for a way by, the right rear tire blew.
The caution came out. Richards went to the pit area for new shoes and returned to the bullring, at the tail of the field.
Richards was three wide from the drop of the green. He was on a charge back to the front with only 15 laps to go.
Jonathan Davenport ran side by side with Bobby Pierce just inside the top 10. Richards got a run on both of them off turn two. He drove it deep to the bottom and doored Davenport for the position.
As they went into turn one, Davenport straight lined the corner. He knocked Richards on the door and spun them both out.
Earl Pearson Jr and Johnny Scott were also collected in the contact. Scott ended up riding the wall and catching the catch fence. A brief red was deployed but all drivers were uninjured.
Both cars went to the pit area with heavy damage. They returned, Richards drove through half the field once again and finished 9th. Davenport finished 13th.
After the race, Davenport and crew were thrashing to get the car back together until 2AM so they could hit the road. The tour never stops with a race at Brownstown Speedway the following night.
Jonathan Davenport discusses contact with Josh Richards at Kokomo Speedway
I’d like to get your take on what happened last night?
“Ah, these things don’t slow down like they used to,” Jonathan Davenport told RacingNews.co .
Well, what was your take on the first contact? Was it that he slid up and didn’t hold the bottom? Or was it that there just wasn’t enough room?
“I don’t know, I never seen him. I was on a restart and racing somebody on the outside of me.”
“Next thing I know, somebody come under me. Between the tire and me. He hit me right in the left front wheel and took the steering wheel out of my hands.”
Did he hold the bottom though once he was there? Or did he slide up? It was hard to tell from the angle I was standing.
“I guess I thought I was on the bottom. I never seen him or I would have given him room.”
“He just, I don’t know. We made contact with his right rear wheel and my left front wheel.”
How long did you guys stay after the race to fix it up?
“We got everything back together probably about 2am.”
I saw you working and I feel like it’s not super often that I see a driver on the national series thrashing on the car late at night after the races.
“I work on it all the time when I’m out on the road with them,” Davenport concluded.
Josh Richards was approached for comment but was unavailable.
More
Kokomo Race Results: September 20, 2019
Josh Richards on the off-season and races he still wants to win
Jonathan Davenport discusses the parting of ways with Kevin Rumley
Talking modern dirt late model aerodynamics with Josh Richards
Jonathan Davenport and Lance Landers comment after picking up their first win together
Links
Jonathan Davenport | Josh Richards | Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series | Kokomo Speedway
