Monday
Josh Richards Tops Venturini Drivers with Third Place Finish at Chicago
Press Release
Leading the way was Venturini driver, Josh Richards who finished third after leading the first 11-laps of the race. The 23-year old West Virginia native started his No.25 Kentucky Fuel/Texas Corral Toyota on the front row by capturing his first ARCA pole position of his career after turning in a qualifying lap of 30.421 seconds (177.509 mph).
“We had a fast car right from the start all weekend,” said Richards. “Billy (crew chief) did a great job with adjustments and pit strategy, and was able to get us put in position to have a shot to win. It was nice to get some valuable seat time and bring the car home in third.”
Venturini teammates, Kyle Fowler, driving the No.15 Lauren Briant entry started third and Hal Martin rounded out the driving trio with a fourth place qualifying effort with his No.55 NOLA Motorsports Park-US Forensic machine.
Both Fowler and Martin were strong early on into the race. Fowler ran second behind teammate Josh Richards until he catapulted his No.15 car past Richards taking the lead on lap-12. Hal Martin followed behind keeping his car secured in the top-5.
The 18-year old Fowler, making his third start of the season jumped out and increased his lead on the field as he led the next 28 laps before relinquishing the top spot after the rookie experienced problems during a scheduled lap-39 pit stop. The team was forced to go behind the wall and address issues on the left rear axel of the No.15 Lauren Briant Chevrolet. Kyle would return and finish the race in the 23rd position.
Hal Martin was impressive all day keeping his car up front and in position for a late race jump to the front, when on lap-69 of 100 he keyed his radio informing his crew chief, John Quinn, his No.55 NOLA Motorsports Park – US Forensic Toyota had a cut left front tire.
“We had a great weekend with the No. 55 NOLA Motorsports Park/ U.S. Forensic Toyota up until we had a left front tire go down late in the race,” said Martin. “The track was tough to get a handle on at night since we had done all our practice during the daytime. We made gains on the chassis setup throughout the race and had a really competitive car running 2nd at the time of the tire failure. I look forward to going to Pocono next weekend as I think we will be just as competitive as we were this weekend at Chicago.”
This devastating blow forced Martin in for an unscheduled pit stop and cost him a chance to win the race. He would go 2-laps down but battle his way back to a respectful 12th place finish.
Meanwhile, back-to-back World of Outlaws Late Model Champion, Josh Richards, would find himself in the top-10 with 20 laps remaining. The talented driver came in for a late race adjustment and used the final laps to battle his way back towards the front before settling in with a third place finish.
Venturini Motorsports will return to the track this weekend at Pocono Raceway, with Martin piloting the No. 55 and Brennan Poole in the No. 25. Brennan Poole captured the checkered flag earlier this year in his ARCA debut at Salem Speedway. Josh Richards will make his next appearance with Venturini Motorsports in two weeks at Michigan International Speedway.
- Venturini Motorsports Press Release
Article Tags: ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, Billy Venturini, Brennan Poole, Chicagoland Speedway, Hal Martin, Josh Richards, Kyle Fowler, Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 150, No. 15 Lauren Briant / Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet Impala, No. 25 Kentucky Fuel / Texas Coral Toyota, No. 25 Kentucky Fuel / Texas Corral / Joy Mining Machinery Toyota Camry, No. 55 NOLA Motorsports / US Forensic Toyota Camry, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Venturini Motorsports
