Josh Richards NCWTS Bristol Motor Speedway Advance

Josh Richards NCWTS Bristol Motor Speedway Advance

RACE: O’Reilly Auto Parts 200

TRACK: Bristol Motor Speedway

TRUCK: No. 51Joy Mining Machinery Toyota Tundra

TEAM: Kyle Busch Motorsports

PRIMARY CHASSIS: KBM-2

BACKUP CHASSIS: KBM-3

MOTORS: Triad Racing Technologies

BROADCAST: Wednesday, August 24, 8:00 p.m. ET SPEED, MRN 7:45 p.m., Sirius NASCAR 90

NOTES AND QUOTES

Two-time World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Josh Richards will make his debut at Bristol Motor Speedway and his fourth career start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) this week. In Wednesday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 200, Richards will pilot the No. 51 Joy Mining Machinery Toyota Tundra fielded by Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM).

This will be Richards’ first time to race at the World’s Fastest Half Mile, but the twenty three year-old did visit the track in 2000 and 2001 when his family’s race team entered the dirt late model races when the 0.533 mile track was temporarily a dirt oval. The historic track’s 0.533-mile oval was converted to dirt for a short time in both years requiring 14,000 truckloads (8,000 cubic feet) of red clay to cover the paved surface. The lap record of 13.86 seconds stood from 2000 until 2011 when Sammy Swindell made the fastest lap recorded at Bristol in a World of Outlaws Sprint car.

Joy Mining Machinery will have over 350 employees and customers as guests to the speedway for hospitality and the NCWTS race on Wednesday. The guests are employees and customers coming from five Joy facilities within 160 miles of the speedway including engineering, manufacturing, warehouse and service centers.

On Thursday, Richards will visit with one of Joy Mining Machinery’s biggest customers for a company picnic in Abingdon, Virginia with over 300 employees.

KBM at Bristol Motor Speedway:

Team owner Kyle Busch won the NCWTS race at Bristol in 2010 from the pole and led 116 laps.

Driver Josh Richards on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:

“Believe it or not, I’ve been to Bristol (Motor Speedway) for two dirt races, but never for a pavement race. I went in 2000 and 2001 when they converted the track to dirt for some races. That was really cool to have the opportunity to see that and to be at those races. This place was fast when it was dirt, and I know it’s going to be fast on Wednesday.”

“I spent some time this week talking with Rick and Kyle about Bristol. They talked with me about how the truck is set up, what line I need to run, when to brake and when not to brake. They gave me a lot of information that I can take on track with me.”
“I really can’t wait to get out there to see what it’s like. I know that KBM has brought a great truck for us, and I’m ready to get on track. I’m looking forward to having Kyle at the track again this week. He’s won here 11 times, with wins in all three series. To have that kind of mentor is an incredible benefit.”

Crew Chief Rick Ren:

“Josh showed a lot of improvement in his last race at Indianapolis. Now we’re going back to a short track, so it should give him some more confidence. Bristol is a little intimidating though if you’ve never been there. This week we worked with him to understand the line, and just about how to maneuver around Bristol. It’s tough to tell a driver when you go to a place like Bristol to stay away from the brake pedal, but that’s what you have to do at Bristol in a truck. You have to attack the track, get in the gas and stay away from the brake pedal. When we started practice at Indy, he really started to attack the racetrack differently than he had before. I expect to see more progression this week and he’ll have to attack the racetrack a lot harder, because Bristol’s not forgiving and you have to be very aggressive, attack the wheel and mash the gas.”

“Another important thing for Josh this week is to really pay attention to the spotter, more so than ever. Things happen even more quickly at Bristol than they do at other places. Josh is used to dirt racing without a radio, so he picks his own holes and sees where he’s going and makes his own maneuvers, at Bristol when the spotter says clear, you might only have two inches to go, so you have to take the opportunity. We’ll work on him on that during practice, he’s new at this having a spotter so the trust factor might not be there, but you really get in trouble quick if you don’t listen to your spotter.”

CHASSIS SELECTION:

Primary Chassis – KBM-2

This is the first time this season KBM-2 has been raced.

ABOUT JOY MINING MACHINERY:

Joy Mining Machinery has over 90 years of experience as a global leader in the development, manufacture, distribution and service of underground mining machinery for the extraction of coal and other bedded materials. Headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, Joy Mining Machinery employs over 8,000 employees worldwide. For additional information, visit www.joy.com.

ABOUT KBM:

Kyle Busch Motorsports has quickly established itself as one of the most successful teams in all of NASCAR. The reigning Camping World Truck Series owners’ champions prepare a fleet of race-winning Toyotas out of a 77,000-square-foot facility in Mooresville, N.C. Pending LEED certification, the facility’s state-of-the art equipment and innovative green initiatives make it unmatched among its peers. Fans can stay up-to-date with all the latest KBM news online at kylebuschmotorsports.com, by liking the team on Facebook (KyleBuschMS) and following the team on twitter (@KyleBuschMS).

For more information on Josh Richards and Joy Racing visit joyracing.net or follow on Twitter @joyracing.