No. 23 Mahindra Tractors Chevrolet Impala - Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

But, because Mother Nature decided to attend another race this weekend, the NNS race was postponed until Sunday. Meaning, Richardson was one of 10 drivers to do something no other has ever done at Talladega  – run both races in the same day.

After running the NSCS race for Front Row Motorsports and finishing 26^th, Richardson changed uniforms, rehydrated, ate two peanut butter sandwiches and then climbed in the No. 23 Chevrolet for R3 Motorsports.

Starting 41^st, it didn’t take long for Richardson to start clicking off the running positions and move forward through the field. A mandatory caution on lap 20 occurred just as a multi-car wreck claimed several entrants.

Quick work by the R3 crew put Richardson back on track in 21^st for the restart. From there, it was more adjustments to air pressure and several right side tire stops kept him in the hunt for more.

The only handling problems he radioed in to crew chief Steve Plattenberger was “too tight on entry and too tight on exit” while coursing the 2.66-mile track. Several green flag runs resulted in two green-flag pit stops. By the time the day was done, the R3 pit crew had picked up a total of 16 positions on pit road.

During one of the cycles, Richardson ended up leading the race on lap 94. This was the first lap led for the team and driver in the 2010 season. As the race neared the scheduled finish of lap 117, several cautions slowed the pace and forced a green-white-checkered finish to the race.

Another multi-car wreck just as the field was headed for turns 3 and 4 forced Richardson to make some evasive moves to avoid being collected in the wreck. When the checkers finally waved on lap 120, Richardson finished 20^th.

This was the fourth consecutive time he’s finished in the top-20 and second time he’s lead a race at Talladega. As a result of his finish, R3 Motorsports moved from 26^th to 24^th in the Owner’s Points standings. In the past four races, the team has improved a total of seven positions.

This weekend, Coleman Pressley returns to the No. 23 Chevrolet for the NNS race at Richmond International Raceway on Friday night.

Robert Richardson, Jr. quotes: “Man, what a day. Between the Cup race and Nationwide race we figured I ran about 850 miles here at Talladega. To say that made for a long day would be an understatement, but you do what you to do when weather controls your fate so much.

“I just tried to rehydrate as best I could and get some protein in to my system between races. I literally changed uniforms on the fly and then took off in the Nationwide car. We weren’t as good as I would have liked right from the start and I really wanted to keep up with the lead draft.

“We lost it, got it back, lost it again and then had a deal with three other teams to pit broken when they came in a lap earlier than planned. That resulted in us leading a lap there, which is always nice.

“The end of the race was just nuts as I saw cars rolling over, fire and spinning cars all over the place. We avoided them all and finished 20^th. I would have liked better, but it allowed us to move up in the Owner’s Points again, so that was a good thing for the team.”

- R3 Motorsports, Press Release

No. 23 Mahindra Impala SS

He and the No. 23 Mahindra Tractors Chevrolet team of R3 Motorsports have the talent, tenacity and equipment to get the job done. But, like any other young athlete learning as they go, Richardson can only do that one way – by actually doing the task at hand.

Robert Richardson

R3 Motorsports battled back from being out of the coveted top-30 in NASCAR Nationwide Series owner’s points for two weeks and are now concentrating on improving every weekend. With the Mahindra Tractors Chevrolet ready to roll at Chicagoland, they and Richardson feel good about their chances of success.

Tune in for the Win – After two practices on Thursday, the Nationwide Series qualifies at 3 p.m. (ET) on Friday live on ESPN2-TV. Hours later, the 200-lap race airs on ESPN starting at 8 p.m. with radio coverage on MRN Radio and Sirius/XM NASCAR Channel 128.

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

Robert Richardson, driver – “Going to a new track like this isn’t my favorite thing to do in a race car. But, I also know it’s what you have to do to learn and get better. The good news is I like the 1.5-mile tracks and seem to adapt to them fairly quickly.

“Not having to worry about qualifying our way into the race helps the entire team out. That allows myself and them to work on the car, make some mock qualifying runs and make some long runs to see how the car handles after multiple laps.

“Once I get the feel of how the car is on the track, then I can get behind some veteran drivers and see where their entry and exit points are on the track. I look forward to learning a new track any time I can, but I look forward to coming back again to put it to good use. And, we get to race under the lights on a Friday night again; I love racing under those conditions.”

No. 23 Mahindra Impala SS

Through a gentleman by the name of James Lupo, the Stock Car Gourmet, the team is carrying the familiar sneakers of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. As a special guest of Lupo and the team, Nicholas Holland, 11, will be serving as an honorary team member for Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event.

Mahindra Tractors supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and freed up a spot on the No. 23 Mahindra Tractors Chevrolet in support of the cause. Mani Iyer, President, Mahindra USA, Inc. stated, “The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is a very worthy cause and when we were offered this opportunity to support them, we gladly accepted.”

Richardson has already shown his prowess on the restrictor-plate tracks like Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. In the most recent outing at Talladega, Richardson came back from a pit road penalty to finish a career-best 16th place. In February at Daytona, Richardson was running near the top-10 when a plug wire melted and forced him pit side for quick repairs.

In his previous five events on the 2.5-mile trioval; he’s led one lap and completed 97.4% of the 507 laps available. His best start was 29th and finish of 26th, which occurred last July. This will be Richardson’s 39th career NNS start and he’s looking forward to the JDRF involvement and racing under the lights of the World Center of Speed.

Robert Richardson

“I love racing at tracks like Daytona and Talladega. The speed is just awesome; going two, three and four wide is incredible for a driver. Dega is all about speed, Daytona is all about handling. We were running in the top-10 there in February when we had that little problem. So, I know we have what it takes to go fast and handle.

“The contrast between racing during the day and racing at night at Daytona is something else. I’m not looking forward to the heat factor, but I’m looking forward to the racing factors, for sure. I mean, come on – Friday night under the lights at Daytona on the weekend celebrating the birth of our nation while giving awareness to the JDRF; what beats that?”

James Lupo, Stock Car Gourmet – “When I met Robert Richardson, he was great to talk with and I was very impressed with him as a person right from the start. When I had the chance to bring in the JDRF, Nicholas and his family; I knew right away who to talk with about this. So, I’m just as grateful to the team for what they’re doing, too. And, I do know one thing; they are going to be eating real well this weekend with the menu I’m cooking for them.”

Tune in for the win: ESPN2 will carry the final practice on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. (ET) then Friday’s qualifying session at 1 p.m. with all 100 race laps later in the day at 8 p.m.

- R3 Motorsports Press Release