Catchfence

August 23, 2011 (Chicago, IL) – The dog days of summer are coming to an end and that typically means two things for the ARCA Racing Series, roasted corn at the State Fair and dirt racing! True to form the Series and Venturini Motorsports rolled into Springfield, Illinois over the weekend and competed Sunday in the Allen Crowe 100 at the state fairgrounds.

Driving for the team this weekend was the “dirt duo” of Josh Richards and Will Vaught.

Richards, the two-time reigning champion of the World of Outlaws late model series was quickest in practice and qualified 2nd behind Ty Dillon just missing out on his second Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell of the season.

The dirt racing specialist took the lead on lap-2 but gave the spot back 15 laps later to the eventual race winner, Chad McCumbee. Richards kept his No.25 Joy Mining Machinery Chevrolet in contention throughout the race and finished in the 9th spot.

Will Vaught made his Venturini debut and impressed the team with his first career Top-5 finish (5th place) in just his third ARCA start. Vaught qualified 9th after posting the third quickest practice time of the day directly behind his teammate Josh Richards and pole winner Ty Dillon.

Working with veteran crew chief Kevin Caldwell, Vaught quickly adapted to his No.55 Venturini “Manpower to Horsepower” Chevrolet and overcame a left side flat tire that put him a lap down midway through the race. With reassurance from his crew chief, Vaught stayed focused and raced hard. Benefitting from the lucky dog rule Vaught got his lap back and a boost of confidence which helped him fly back through the field and into the top-5.

“I can’t say enough about the effort given by my crew chief (Kevin Caldwell) and the entire Venturini team. I was a bit bummed after losing that tire and going a lap down but Kevin kept me calm and reminded me the race was far from over and we had a car that could come back and fight for the win,” said Vaught. “I’m excited with today’s finish and all the experienced I gained. DuQuoin is right around the corner and I’ll be back in the same “Manpower to Horsepower” Chevrolet competing for the win.”

Vaught who finished 10th at Talladega earlier in the season is slated to rejoin teammate Josh Richards and the Venturini team at DuQuoin on Labor Day Weekend for the running of the Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Auto Parts.

- Venturini Motorsports Press Release