Catchfence

Hello everyone. My name is Robert Richardson, Jr. from McKinney, Texas and I’m going to share my very first full Speedweeks with you here on Catchfence.com each day we have some on-track activity.

I’ll be driving the No. 38 Mahindra Tractors USA car in the Daytona 500 for Front Row Motorsports. I will also be driving the No. 23 Mahindra Tractors USA car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race. That makes for a busy week, thanks to Mahindra Tractors.

I’ve been competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series the last few seasons for R3 Motorsports. Last year, I made my Sprint Cup debut with Tommy Baldwin Racing at Talladega. It went well enough that I ended with an 18^th-place finish and that gave me the taste of what Cup racing is about at the plate tracks. So, we cut a deal with FRM to get in the Daytona 500.

It’s been a pretty busy week leading up to getting to Daytona. Before we left Texas, I went by the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in the Dallas area on Wednesday. They specialize in helping kids with scoliosis and other orthopedic problems up to 18 years of age.

I was so moved by the kids and what the people at Scottish Rite do that we decided to carry their logo on our rear quarter panels for the Nationwide race at Daytona. We just wanted to bring awareness to the hospital and all the good things they do for those kids.

We got to Daytona on Thursday and finally got to get in the Cup car on Friday for some practice. I was pretty jacked up to get out there and drive. The plate tracks are something I’ve always enjoyed and done pretty well at, so this week is even more special being that I’m in the Daytona 500.

During the NFL playoffs, they had an ad for the Daytona 500. Then, they had another one and it kind of hit me how surreal this is going to be that I’m actually IN the Daytona 500. Watching so many of those with my family through the years, and this year I’m going to be one of 43 drivers in it – that’s pretty darn cool.

Mother Nature showed up at the track on Friday, too, and ruined practice. I was able to make only two damn laps before everything got washed out. The bottom  was hitting the track, so we made some adjustments to the truck arms and we were going to go back out to see how it worked. But, it rained and cancelled everything.

So, for Daytona 500 qualifying, I’ll be going out 15^th (of 54 cars) with only two laps on the car. The good part is; everyone else only has two laps, too.  This should be interesting, so wish me luck.

Talk to you after Daytona 500 qualifying.

- Robert Richardson, Jr.
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