2011 NNS Robert Richardson Jr - Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR

But, the No. 23 North Texas Pipe Dodge team of R3 Motorsports did take away some good points from Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. And, driver Robert Richardson, Jr. completed his first race there since 2008 in the process.

After two practice sessions on Friday to learn the track and improve their car, Richardson laid down a qualifying lap on Saturday morning 3/10ths faster than his best practice lap. This lined him up 31st on the starting grid.

When the race started, Kyle Busch pretty much checked out and the engraver started putting his name on the trophy right away. He started lapping cars only 15 circuits into the race on the one-mile oval.

Richardson and crew chief Walter Giles kept communicating what the car was doing during the race as they prepared for the first pit stop. They didn’t get a chance to make adjustments until the first caution waved on lap 53 when Richardson was running 29th.

After hitting pit road, lap times started to pick up as the McKinney, Texas native negotiated the tricky layout of Phoenix.

Two more cautions allowed for adjustments and tires, but they were so far and few between that the team was limited in how many changes they could make during the race. As the laps ticked down, several cars were left on their own lap disallowing any improvement in the running order.

When the checkered flag waved, Richardson did pick up enough spots to finish 24th and earn some valuable driver and owner’s points for the team. As the NNS heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend, Richardson is 20th in driver’s points, five behind 19th, and R3 Motorsports in 31st in owner’s points trailing 30th by four markers.

Robert Richardson, Jr. quotes: “That was a pretty uneventful race we ran there in Phoenix. The green flag runs were so long we didn’t get a chance to really make enough adjustments and gain positions. There was a bunch of us who were left on our own lap there towards the end and we couldn’t improve our spot in the running order. Our car got faster and I was more comfortable getting around the track than when we first started, so we’ll take that bit of good news from this race. But, they’re going to tear it up and re-configure it before we come back in the fall, anyhow.

“We would have liked to finish better, but it’s good to know the team is all on the same page and really liking what we’ve seen in improvements. We moved up in both the driver and owner’s standings, now we just need to go to Vegas and have a good, solid run and move up some more. I’ve been to that track a few times, so I’m looking forward to getting back there.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports

This will be Richardson’s first start at the 1.5-mile oval in South Florida since 2007. Locked into the top-30 in Owner’s Points for the start of the 2011 season allows R3 Motorsports the opportunity to concentrate on one thing – go race. And, have fun doing it, too.

Speaking of, team owner Robert Richardson, Sr. has brought the shop guys down to join the road crew for some Florida sunshine. After the racing action on Saturday, the team is heading out deep-sea fishing to try their luck and lures in the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean first thing Sunday morning.

Fast Facts: This will be Richardson’s 69th NASCAR Nationwide Series race of his career. Through that span, the 28-year old native of McKinney, Texas has achieved six top-20 finishes with his career best finish of 15th coming at ORP in July of this year. This will be start No. 23 for him in the No. 23 this year, as well. This season, he’s achieved two of his top-20 finishes and completed 94.4 percent (3,901 of 4,131) of the laps contested.

Track Facts: Richardson will be making his second start at HMS, with the first taking place in 2007. In that event, an engine problem knocked him out of competition 139 laps into the 200-lap race. Having finished 20 of the 22 races this season, Richardson is looking to go the distance in the NNS finale for a good finish.

Car Facts: Steve Plattenberger and team will roll chassis No. 43 off the R3 hauler in South Florida this weekend. This car was last raced at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Robert Richardson, Jr. finishing 33rd after electrical problems sent him to the garage for nine laps. Before that, Alex Kennedy raced it at the first Gateway event where he finished 28th after getting a flat tire just eight laps into the race.

Did you know: The winningest driver at Homestead is the one and only “Front Row” Joe Nemechek? He’s been to Victory Lane three times (’97, ’99 & ’01) compared to Jeff Burton’s two trips to the Winner’s Circle in ’98 and ’07. In the latter event, Burton did set the mark for slowest qualifier (30th) to go on to victory.

Robert Richardson Jr.

Thoughts for the weekend in Homestead: “Well, it’s been awhile since I raced there, so the first practice is going to be real important for myself and the team. We’ll use that time to get our car dialed in to see how it handles through the turns. The second practice will be closer to the time we’re going to be racing on Saturday, so that will helps us with track conditions and how the car reacts once the sun goes down.

“I’m looking forward to logging some laps there and closing out this season on a good note. And, we’re going to treat the guys to a fishing trip Sunday morning. After all the hours, travel and hard work they’ve put in this year, they deserve to have a little fun in the sun. We did it last year and everyone had a good time. I think we even caught some fish.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports

With the team donating the entire paint scheme to Pink and Blue for Two, a cause that promotes men to receive regular screenings for prostate cancer, and women for breast cancer on a regular basis, they were feeling good about their race. With this being the fourth, and final, race in the new-style NASCAR Nationwide Series cars, they wanted to learn as much as possible to carry into next year.

Rolling off the starting grid in 41st position, Richardson radioed in the car was free on entry, but pretty good from the center off in the first few laps. Through several cautions in the early going, the decision was made to stay out and see how the car handled on longer runs.

Green flag pit stops ensued on lap 52 and Richardson came to pit road for his first stop on lap 60. Taking on four tires, fuel and making a slight air pressure change, he returned to action in 33rd place, one lap down.

The caution waved three laps later when a car glanced off the left-front fender of the No. 23 Chevrolet of R3 Motorsports and laid some debris down. Coming to pit road for four new tires, the crew looked over the dinged up fender and banged it back into place on lap 65 with no problems to the handling of the car.

Restarting 34th on lap 70, Richardson was running in heavy traffic two laps later. A car next to him took the air off his rear spoiler and he ended up spinning in the middle of turns 1 and 2. As he did so, the back end went up into the wall causing heavy damage to the left rear. The No. 99 of Ryan Truex was coming around and made driver-side contact with the sideways No. 23 causing even more damage.

Able to drive the car to the garage, Richardson said it felt like everything was straight and most of the damage was cosmetic. The talented R3 Motorsports team leapt into action and cut off some of the left-rear fender, straightened out the damaged decklid and bumper.

Using the welder, electric saw, hammers, drills, bear bond tape and rivets; the crew put the car back together as best as possible with Richardson returning to action by lap 118. Despite being 46 laps down in 36th place, he was able to take advantage of three other cars that dropped out of the race to pick up some valuable Owner’s Points and finish in 33rd place.

R3 Motorsports heads to Gateway International Raceway for the next NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday.

Robert Richardson Jr.

“But, when that deal happened to me out there in Turns 1 and 2 and I went up into the wall backwards, that pretty much tore up our car, and hopes, for a good finish. I have to hand it to the R3 crew, though. They fixed the back end of that tore up car and got us back out there to earn some more positions. These guys are great and it showed just how good of a team we are there when they made those repairs in the garage area.

“Be sure to check out PinkandBlueforTwo.com to learn more about the great folks we had on the car this weekend.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports

Making their only trip of the year to the two-mile oval of Michigan International Speedway, the R3 Motorsports team will do so with a brand-new Impala for the second NASCAR Nationwide Series race using the new-style car. This one was built from the chassis up in the R3 Motorsports shop under the watchful eye of crew chief Steve Plattenberger.

Richardson is hoping his Irish heritage will come to good use in the Irish Hills. And, the team is looking to capitalize on the momentum of their top-15 and two top-20 finishes in the last three races, as well. Those accomplishments allowed the team to move up to 26th in Owner’s Points, with their sights set on the next three positions within reach just ahead.

Fast Facts: Richardson will be making his third-career start at MIS, 16th of the season and 62nd of his career. His best outing at MIS was last year when he finished 24th. To date, his best finish was 15th at ORP last month; which was also a career best and third top-20 of the year.

Car Facts: Plattenberger and team will roll out chassis No. 52, which will be making its debut in NNS competition. This car was recently taken to the 7 post for a thorough test to acquire more information for this weekend’s race.

Welcome home, Jeff: R3 Motorsports team engineer Jeff Kirkendall returns to his home state. He hails from Onsted, Michigan; which is a whole six miles from MIS.

Did you know: In the previous 18 NNS races at MIS, no driver has repeated as a pole winner. And, only two drivers (Jeff Burton ‘98 / Carl Edwards ’08) have won from the pole. The farthest anyone has started from the back was 38th (Ryan Newman ’05) to win.

Robert Richardson Jr. - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images for NASCAR

What are some of your favorite things about racing MIS: “It’s a big, fast track that gives you multiple options in regards to where to race on the track. You can use the low groove, the middle groove and the high groove to get around there. This track is a lot of fun and I’m hoping this new-style car works well enough here to use all those grooves. As long as you can get good grip out of the corners and can keep your momentum down the straights, you’re going to have a good day.”

Speaking of the new car, you haven’t raced it since Daytona. What are you looking for this weekend: “I’m hoping it drives better than the first car we had for that race. It was heavier than what we wanted, so this new car should be a lot better. Steve and the team busted their butts to get this car ready on this new chassis, and having that 7 post time really helped, too. If we can roll off the truck and get all we can out of the car during Thursday’s test session day, we’ll be good to go for the rest of the weekend.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports

However, after enduring motor problems at the end of the first practice that forced them to bolt in the back-up power plant, they were only able to make two laps in the final practice. This led to them starting 41st in the 200-lap race on Friday night.

Thinking all of their bad luck was out of the way; the fickle finger of fate reached out again and tapped the team. Actually, it tapped the right front tire on the team’s Chevrolet forcing Richardson to pit road just nine laps into the event with a flat.

After losing two laps on pit road to change tires, Richardson returned to action in 40th place. From there, it was a night of survival to try and gain as many positions as possible before the checkered flags waved.

As frustrating as it was not to be able to race, the worst part was Richardson was logging top-15 lap times in the middle of the race passing competitors that were laps ahead of him. Throughout the race, crew chief Steve Plattenberger and team made several air pressure and chassis adjustments for Richardson.

But, as noted before, it was tough to race forward when you’ve been caught on your own lap since the ninth circuit of the race because of that flat. The team made their final stop on lap 144 and returned to action in 32nd place.

When the final flags flew, Richardson was credited with 31st place at the 1.5-mile oval. The team remains in the top-30 Owner’s Points positions in 28th place as the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Gateway International Raceway to race under the lights next Saturday night.

Robert Richardson Jr. - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images for NASCAR

“So, we started 41st and were looking to start moving forward as fast as possible. But, we got a flat right front tire that forced us to pit road just nine laps into the race. We went down two laps and then just tried to gain as many positions as possible for the rest of the race. The car was great through the turns and really stuck for most of the race. I can’t thank the guys on the team for swapping out the motor so fast and getting us ready for qualifying and the race. Just wish we could’ve had a better finish for the effort.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports

Foremost, this will be the first time the team will be on track with the new NASCAR Nationwide Series car. And, like other NNS teams, they didn’t partake in the test session in May leaving them to ponder many questions.

How will the car handle? How will it draft? How will the speeds and aerodynamics be once the No. 23 unsponsored Chevrolet takes to 2.5-mile trioval of DIS?

The only way to find the answer to all these questions is to simply get on the track. Considering the hours and efforts put in the by the crew the last few months to build the primary and backup cars, they’re hoping it’s all worth it when the checkered flag flies on Friday night.

Thanks to a four-hour open test session on Wednesday, the team will have a chance to answer some of their questions. Come Thursday, they’ll have two more practice sessions before qualifying and racing on Friday.

One advantage the team does have is Richardson has driven the similar body style in three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races the past two seasons on superspeedways. Liking the handling style of the Cup cars, Richardson hopes it will shorten the learning curve for him and the R3 team.

Fast Facts: Richardson has more starts at Daytona than any other track on the NASCAR circuit. Through those seven races, his best starting position and finish came in the most recent one in February. He started 27th, got involved in a multi-car wreck, and the crew made the repairs so he could finish 25th. The native of McKinney, Texas has completed 759 of 789 laps (96.2%), led one lap and registered only one DNF.

Car Facts: This week, the team will debut chassis No. 50 with No. 51 as the backup. These are the first new NASCAR Nationwide Series car the team built. Actually, they are refurbished Sprint Cup cars used by R3 Motorsports when Mike Skinner attempted to make the 2009 Daytona 500.

Halfway at the checkered flags: The conclusion of Friday night’s race at DIS marks the halfway point of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season. To date, Richardson has completed 1,949 of 2,050 laps (96.2%) of the 11 races he’s run, led one lap and has a best finish of 20th at Talladega.

Where is Robert? Fans are invited to a NASCAR Nationwide Series autograph session on Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Fan Zone located between the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series garages of the DIS infield.

Double Duty: In addition to making his 58th NNS career start, Richardson will be making his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start, driving for Front Row Motorsports in Saturday night’s Cup race. This is the final one he’s scheduled for with them this year.

Robert Richardson Jr.

Are you looking forward to racing the new NASCAR Nationwide Series car: “Actually, I am looking forward to getting out there and seeing how these cars will race. There’s going to be so much to learn between how it handles on the track, how it does aerodynamically and in the draft. My biggest concern is going to be how it reacts in the draft. Once we can figure that out, that will set us on our way to being that much better.

Having driven the similar Sprint Cup cars at Daytona and Talladega, does that give you an advantage with these new Nationwide cars: “Well, it certainly can’t hurt us any. I like how the Cup cars handle and drive on those tracks, so I’m hoping that will transfer over to the new Nationwide cars. I know they’re not going to be exactly alike, but it’s good to have a base to go off of when we get on the track this week. Again, I’m really looking forward to see what our cars are going to do in Daytona and hope to have a good showing for our R3 Motorsports team.”

What is it you like about Daytona so much: “A Friday night, under the lights, celebrating the birth of our nation, at Daytona – I can’t think of a better way to race.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports

R3 Motorsports

R3 Motorsports

R3 Motorsports

This was the third time Richardson has competed at the one-mile oval of NHMS making a Truck Series start in 2006 and one previous NNS race in 2007. Each time, he ended up not finishing the race, which left him without the experience of knowing what it took to go the distance at the tricky track.

After Saturday, now he knows.

Starting 42nd in the 43-car field, Richardson quickly took to the pack climbing to 31st when the first caution flag flew just seven laps into the 200-mile race. Opting not to pit, he radioed into crew chief Steve Plattenberger the car was handling tight coursing the flat corners.

When they were finally able to pit under green on lap 87, the R3 Motorsports crew changed four tires, took out a spring rubber and added fuel. The caution waved six laps later and Plattenberger opted to top their Chevrolet off with fuel to gain more laps for later in the race.

By the halfway point, there were only 22 cars on the lead lap and Richardson was faster than three of the five cars one lap ahead of him on the scoring chart. As the laps ticked down, he started running lap times consistent with the top-15. However, long green flag runs prevented him from capitalizing on lucky dog and wave arounds to gain some laps back as only 19 cars finished on the lead lap.

After the lap 147 caution, Richardson hit pit road for the final stop of the day for fuel, tires and adjustments. Restarting 30th with only five cars on the same lap, he gained three more positions when the checkered flag waved to finish 27th.

The No. 23 Chevrolet is now 27th in the Owner’s Points standings trailing 26th place by five points, 25th by 16 and 24th by just 26 markers. Next up, the NASCAR Nationwide Series begins the second half of the 2010 season with a return to Daytona International Speedway.

Richardson will be pulling double duty this 4th of July weekend by making his third start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports, and driving for R3 Motorsports in the Nationwide race.

This also marks the debut of the much-anticipated, new-body Nationwide Series cars that will be utilized for all of next season. This is the first of four races for these cars in 2010, with Michigan, Richmond and Charlotte being the other three.

Robert Richardson Jr. - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images for NASCAR

“I am really looking forward to this weekend in Daytona. I’ve driven the Sprint Cup cars enough to know I like how they drive better than what we currently have in the Nationwide cars. So, with us finally getting the similar body styles now, I hope the learning curve for us is real short.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports

He’ll pilot the unsponsored No. 23 Chevrolet for R3 Motorsports at the 1.058-mile oval. Racing in the Granite State isn’t something new for Richardson as he’ll be making his third start at the track, second one in the NNS.

And, like many others on NASCAR teams, he’ll partake in some of the high-quality seafood the area is famous for serving.

Fast Facts: Richardson will be making his 57th NNS career start and 11th of the season this weekend. His best finish in 2010, so far, is a 20th place showing at Talladega Superspeedway in April. In 2006, Richardson made a Camping World Truck Series start at NHMS and his first NNS one there in 2007.

Car Facts: Steve Plattenberger and the No. 23 team are bringing car No. 44 to NHMS this weekend. It was last raced at Phoenix International Raceway where Johnny Sauter drove it to a 15th-place finish in April.

Owner’s Points Update: With 15 NNS races in the books, R3 Motorsports has the No. 23 Chevrolet ranked 26th in the Owner’s Points standings. With the top-30 positions locked in for every race, that leaves the team in a very good position for a guaranteed start.

Did you know: Only three drivers have started and won from the pole at NHMS. They are Ricky Craven in 1991, Tim Fedewa in 2000 and Kevin Harvick in 2007. The farthest anyone has come from the back to victory lane was Buckshot Jones, who started 26th in 1998.

Robert Richardson Jr.

It’s been awhile since you been up to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway to race: “Yeah, I’ve made one Truck start and one Nationwide Series start there. Both didn’t turn out quite as good as we would have liked, but I’m looking forward to going up there this weekend.

I’m in a much different situation now with the people and equipment we have here at R3 Motorsports. They put a lot of effort into preparing the cars and making sure everything is good to go. So, with that in mind, I’m expecting some much better results.”

What is it about the track that you find tricky: “The track is very flat and takes a certain knack to get into Turns 1 and 3, then power out of Turn 2 and 4 to be fast. I like the bigger ovals with higher banking, so this track will be a different layout than I’m used to racing. But, I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel. I know the fans up in that area look forward to us coming up there each year, too.”

Since we’re going to an area known for their seafood, what’s your favorite: “I’ll take a good sized lobster, boil or broil him, then put it on a plate and bring on the butter. Oh, don’t forget the lemon, too. My favorite part of the lobster is the claws. I like some big, meaty claws that are nice and tender.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports Logo

The first practice session was so hot that crew chief Steve Plattenberger opted for minimal laps during that session. With the second session taking place later on Friday, cooler temperatures prevailed allowing the team to get a better read on track and car’s handling conditions.

An early-day rain came over the track on Saturday washing off any rubber that had built up on the track for qualifying. When he finished with his two laps, Richardson recorded a time that lined him up 42nd in the 43-car field.

From the start, there were early cautions that slowed the pace of the race. However, Richardson was able to take advantage and move up 10 positions to 33rd. From there, he conveyed to the team the car was tight on exit from the turns.

A competition caution on lap 25 for the entire field had the black and red HelpTruckers.com Chevrolet in 31st place. After the stop, the team got Richardson out to restart in 23rd place. Several green-flag runs shuffled the field with some teams taking fuel only, some taking right-side tires only and others taking four on caution pit stops.

By the halfway mark of the 200-lap race, Richardson was 34th on the scoring pylon. The next 100 laps had several more cautions for wrecks and shorter green-flag runs.

When the checkered flag finally waved, Richardson was credited with 30th place. The team now stands 26th in the Owner’s Points as the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to the road course of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc.

Robert Richardson Jr.

“I like the track, but it just didn’t seem to like us this weekend. We have some good tracks coming up and I’m really looking forward to the first Nationwide race in the new car at Daytona.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports Logo

The casino resort is the “official resort of R3 Motorsports when racing at Kentucky Speedway” at the 1.5-mile oval in Sparta, Ky. Fans are encouraged to check out the superb facility and spend some time with the R3 Motorsports team.

As an associate marketing partner, Hollywood Casino will have their unique logo on the lower quarter panels of the team’s Chevrolet for this weekend’s racing activities.

“Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg is pleased to team with R3 Motorsports for this weekend’s Nationwide Series at Kentucky Speedway,” says Tony Rodio, Hollywood Lawrenceburg general manager. “Our casino is just an hour away from the track in Sparta, and we’re expecting a big weekend with NASCAR fans enjoying an unbeatable combination of casino entertainment and racing.

“The entire team at Hollywood wishes Robert Richardson, Jr. and the crew on the No. 23 Chevrolet “Good Luck” during qualifying and on race day.

About Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg

Hollywood Casino is a Penn National Gaming property located on the Ohio River in the City of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, just off I-275, less than 30 minutes from Cincinnati and just an hour from Kentucky Speedway. A new, state-of the art casino floor, opened June 2009, features 3,300 slot machines and 90 table games, including a 41-table World Poker Tour® poker room.

The property includes a 300-room hotel, the new Final Cut steakhouse and Boogie Nights 70s and 80s themed dance club. On-site parking is available for up to 4,000 vehicles. For more information, visit www.hollywoodindiana.com

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports Logo

During qualifying, the backend of the red and black Chevrolet came out from under the 28-year old driver in Turns 1 and 2 on the first lap. As a result, the back end slid up the concrete racing surface, making heavy contact with the wall.

Damaged beyond repair, the Steve Plattenberger-led team leapt into action and brought out the back-up car. Once it was readied and cleared NASCAR inspection, the team lined up 43rd for the 225-lap race.

Because there were zero laps on the car, Richardson took the early part of the race to sort out the car’s handling. Saying the car was “way too loose” during that time, the team utilized a lap five caution to pit for tires, fuel and an aggressive chassis adjustment.

From there, Richardson moved up to 34th place, then to 32nd for two other pit stops before the halfway point. Breaking into the top-30 by lap 87, the McKinney, Texas native moved to 29th and 28th place with fuel only and right-side only pit stops.

After going two laps down, the R3 Motorsports team was able to put the HelpTruckers.com Chevrolet back on the lead lap via wave around laps and the Free Pass Rule on two separate cautions. They returned to lead-lap status on lap 126 and lap 170, trying to remain there for until the checkers waved.

However, long-green flag runs stretched the field out around the 1.333-mile concrete oval putting several cars a lap down. For the final late-race cautions, Richardson remained in 27th place and stayed there when the checkered flag flew on lap 225.

Though the finish wasn’t what the team wanted, the good news is the back-up car raced well and they brought it home in one piece. The better news is R3 Motorsports remains 24th in the all-important Owner’s Points standings as the team heads to Kentucky Speedway this weekend.

Robert Richardson, Jr. quotes: “This isn’t what we wanted this weekend and didn’t want to start it the way we did there in qualifying. We got the primary car pretty decent during the two practices on Thursday where I knew it would race pretty good.

“But, that all went away on the first lap in qualifying when it got backed into the fence. I hated that we had to pull out the back-up car because I knew the guys worked so hard on the primary. But, like they always do, they had the back-up out and ready for the race in no time.

“It’s tough to go out there and not know what, and how, you’re car is going to be on the track. We made some pretty good adjustments there in the beginning and it helped us for the rest of the race. I wish the finish would have been better, but it was better than where we started.

“So, we’ll go to Kentucky and earn us a good finish there in the No. 23 HelpTruckers.com Chevrolet and keep gaining in the Owner’s Points.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

R3 Motorsports Logo

After starting 41st, Richardson battled tight racing conditions on his car through the early going of Saturday’s 200-lap race. Utilizing several timely caution pit stops, crew chief Steve Plattenberger called for chassis and air pressure adjustments to help Richardson around the one-mile, concrete oval of the Monster Mile.

The crew contributed several, well-executed stops that enabled Richardson to pick up six positions for one restart and five for another on pit road. Once he got to where the car drove better for him, the native of McKinney, Texas was able to maintain running positions between 29th and 31st place.

Knowing the history of racing at Dover, the team was counting on at least one more pit stop to make some more adjustments to their Chevrolet. That, and knowing how late-race restarts can cause more cautions, the team would be able to take advantage of attrition to gain more spots.

However, while running 31st on lap 151, the car slowed coming out of Turn 2 heading down the backstretch. Waving his hand out the window to warn his fellow drivers, Richardson stayed out of harm’s way as his red and black Chevrolet rode the high side.

With the caution waving for debris and fluid on the track, Richardson eased the No. 23 to pit road. There, the team lifted the hood and saw the oil pump belt was gone and rolled it back into the garage. Actually, the belt was the debris and oil from the car was the fluid that brought out the caution.

Once in the garage, Plattenberger and Co. determined the team was done for the day relegating them to a 35th-place finish. While looking things over, a large ball of bear bond tape, with a piece of the car’s front valence stuck to it, was found stuck under the car. It was quickly determined that was what knocked off the oil pump belt to end the team’s day.

This was the team’s first DNF of the season and dropped them from 21st to a tie for 23rd in the Owner’s Points standings. They trail 22nd place by 44 points and 21st by 52 markers.

The team has a week off before racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend. But, look for Richardson to drive in the Sprint Showdown, leading up to the All-Star Race, next weekend for another team at Charlotte.

Robert Richardson Jr.

“When I went back to the gas there on lap 151, the motor just wasn’t there and I knew right away we were in trouble. Once we got into the garage, the guy’s pulled a big ball of bear bond tape out from under the car with a piece of our valence stuck to it. We knew what happened right away.

“I hate that we ended our day earlier because of something like that happening. We’ll take our week off and get ready to race at Charlotte in two weeks.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release

2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Fan Vote

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C.

As of May 11, the top 10 drivers in the Sprint All-Star Fan Vote standings (in alphabetical order) are A.J. Allmendinger, Marcos Ambrose, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Elliott Sadler, Martin Truex Jr. and Michael Waltrip.

While the list of drivers in the top 10 remains unchanged from last week, it’s still anyone’s game, as fans traditionally increase their voting frequency closer to race day.  Historically, nearly half of the annual vote total has been cast during NASCAR Sprint All-Star Week, so fans still have time to help their driver gain a starting spot in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Voting continues until one hour before the start of the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday, May 22. Fans can cast votes for their favorite eligible drivers using the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile application, by visiting NASCAR.com or at the Sprint Experience, located in the midway at every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.

As an incentive for Sprint customers, every wireless vote submitted from a Sprint or Nextel device counts double in the driver standings.

Last week’s Sprint customer favorites (in alphabetical order) were Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya and Elliott Sadler.

To be eligible for the Sprint All-Star Fan Vote, drivers must be approved by NASCAR for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition and have met all other eligibility requirements. Those requirements include, but are not limited to, competing in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Event during the 2009 season; finishing in the Top 50 of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship point standings; or attempting to qualify for a 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship event as of Feb. 15, 2010.

The driver accumulating the most votes, who also finishes the Sprint Showdown qualifying race, will earn a spot in the prestigious Sprint All-Star Race field. The Sprint Fan Vote winner will be announced immediately following the completion of the Sprint Showdown.

In addition to voting, fans can also use the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile application to view the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in its entirety on Sprint devices.

To download the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, which is free with any data plan, Sprint customers should text “NASCAR” to 7777. Votes may also be cast on Sprint devices by texting “VOTE” to 7777 (Standard text messaging and data rates apply).

Drivers eligible for the 2010 Sprint All-Star Fan Vote:

A.J. Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Marcos Ambrose, John Andretti, Norm Benning, Greg Biffle, Dave Blaney, Mike Bliss, Todd Bodine, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Patrick Carpentier, Terry Cook, Derrike Cope, Erik Darnell, Carl Edwards, Bill Elliott, Jeff Fuller, David Gilliland, Robby Gordon, San Hornish Jr., Travis Kvapil, Michael McDowell, Casey Mears, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joe Nemechek, Max Papis, David Ragan, Tony Raines, Robert Richardson, Scott Riggs, Elliott Sadler, Boris Said, Regan Smith, Reed Sorenson, Scott Speed, David Stremme, Martin Truex Jr., Mike Wallace and Michael Waltrip.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, and the first and only wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile and Assurance Wireless and instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. With its customer-focused strategy, you can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

- Sprint Nextel, Press Release

Dover International Speedway

The NASCAR community has embraced the messaging of Autism Speaks, and throughout the May 14-16, 2010 race weekend in Dover, 27 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars, 21 NASCAR Nationwide Series cars and 13 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series trucks will sport the colors of the Autism Speaks blue puzzle piece logo as a sign of support for the nation’s leading autism science and advocacy organization.

Participating drivers and teams include:

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

David Reutimann, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota

Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet

Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

David Ragan, No. 6 UPS Ford

Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Ford

Brad Keselowski, No. 12 Penske Dodge

Max Papis, No. 13 GEICO Toyota

Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/ Old Spice Chevrolet

Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford

Elliott Sadler, No. 19 Stanley Ford

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet

Jeff Burton, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet

Clint Bowyer, No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet

Travis Kvapil, No. 34 Long John Silver’s Baja Fish Taco Ford

Kevin Conway, No. 37 ExtenZe Racing Ford

David Gilliland, No. 38 Taco Bell Ford

Ryan Newman, No 39. U.S. Army Chevrolet

Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Chevrolet

AJ Allmendinger, No. 43 Richard Petty Hall of Fame Ford

J.J. Yeley, No. 46 Whitney Motorsports Dodge

Martin Truex Jr., No. 56 NAPA Toyota

Bobby Labonte, No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet

Sam Hornish Jr., No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge

Scott Speed, No. 82 Red Bull Toyota

Brian Vickers, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota

Paul Menard, No. 98 Zecol / Mednards Ford

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Aflac Ford

NASCAR Nationwide Series

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 6 CitiFinancial Ford

Landon Cassill, No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

TBA, No. 09 RAB Racing with Brack Maggard Ford

Jason Leffler, No. 10 ABF Toyota

Brian Scott, No. 11 AccuDoc Solutions Toyota

Justin Allgaier, No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge

Michael Annett, No. 15 Germain.com Toyota

Colin Braun, No. 16 Con-way Freight Ford

Clint Bowyer, No. 21 Zaxby’s Chevrolet

Brad Keselowski, No. 22 Ruby Tuesday Dodge

Robert Richardson, No. 23 R3 Motorsports Chevrolet

Eric McClure, No. 24 Hefty Ford

Greg Biffle, No. 27 Red Man Moist Snuff Ford

Reed Sorenson, No. 32 Dollar General Toyota

Kevin Harvick, No. 33 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevrolet

Kasey Kahne, No. 38 Great Clips Toyota

Scott Lagasse Jr., No. 43 Baker Curb Ford

Carl Edwards, No. 60 Fastenal Ford

Jamie McMurray, No. 88 K’NEX Chevrolet

Morgan Shepherd, No. 89 Victory in Jesus Chevrolet

Trevor Bayne, No. 99 Diamond-Waltrip Racing

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Donny Lia, No. 07 Autism Speaks Chevrolet

Elliott Sadler, No. 2 Best Buy / Insignia Chevrolet

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet

Mike Skinner, No. 5 International Trucks / Monaco RVS Toyota

Justin Lofton, No. 7 visitpit.com Toyota

Max Papis, No. 9 GEICO Toyota

Johnny Sauter, No. 13 Curb Record / In-Country Chevrolet

Timothy Peters, No. 17 Autism Speaks Toyota

Todd Bodine, No. 30 Germain.com Toyota

Ron Hornaday Jr., No. 33 Longhorn Moist Snuff Chevrolet

David Starr, No. 81 PC*MILER Toyota

Matt Crafton, No. 88 Menards Chevrolet

Chris Lafferty, No. 89 Lafferty Performance Chevrolet

NASCAR returns to the Monster Mile on May 14-16, 2010. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 1-800-441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com.

About Autism

Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The prevalence of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

About Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks funds more than $30 million each year in new autism research, in addition to supporting the Autism Treatment Network, Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, Autism Clinical Trials Network, Autism Tissue Program and a range of other scientific and medical programs. Notable awareness initiatives include the establishment of the annual United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2 and an award-winning, multi-year national public service advertising campaign with the Ad Council. Autism Speaks’ family services efforts include the Autism Video Glossary, a 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families, a School Community Tool Kit and the distribution of community grants to local service providers.

Its government relations department, through its Autism Votes initiative, has played a critical role in securing federal legislation to advance the federal government’s response to autism, and has successfully advocated for insurance reform to require insurers to cover medically-necessary autism therapies. Each year, Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism fundraising events are held in more than 70 cities across the country, as well as Canada and the United Kingdom. Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. To learn more about Autism Speaks, visit www.AutismSpeaks.org.

- Dover International Speedway Press Release

R3 Motorsports Logo

Richardson, who has been out of the seat for the past two weeks while Coleman Pressley drove, is looking to keep the team’s momentum going in the upward direction. Currently 21st in the Owner’s Points standings, the team has gained 10 positions in the past six races.

During that span, the unsponsored car of R3 Motorsports has earned two top-15 finishes and three, of four, top-20 finishes consecutively. Richardson started the top-20 streak off at Talladega Superspeedway with a 20th, and Pressley followed that with an 18th at Richmond International Raceway and 15th at Darlington Raceway.

This is the highest the team has ever been in the Owner’s Points and hoping it will make them even more attractive to potential Marketing Partners. The combination of well-prepared Chevrolets, good drivers and team would be an instant fit for success with sponsorships.

Fast Facts: Richardson has made two previous NNS starts at the Monster Mile of Dover, both in 2007, where had a best finish of 27th.

Car Facts: The team, led by crew chief Steve Plattenberger, is bringing Chassis No. 37 from the R3 stable. This car was last used at Bristol Motor Speedway in March of this year, and ran at Memphis Motorsports Park, Bristol and O’Reilly Raceway Park in 2009. The car was running 15th at Bristol two months ago when it got wrecked after contact with another car. Since then, the body has been redone and the geometry changed to compliment the high banks of Dover.

Moving U-P in the O.P.: For the sixth-consecutive race, R3 Motorsports has moved up in the Owner’s Points Standings. Before the Nashville race on April 3, the team was 31st in points and in danger of being locked out of a guaranteed starting spot reserved for the top-30. Two finishes in the top-15 and four in the top-20 through that span has placed the team at a career best of 21st . They trail 20th by just 10 markers, 19th by 14 and 18th by 22 points.

Attention on Deck! R3 Motorsports is hosting four airmen from the Dover Air Force Base for Saturday’s race. Joining the team as honorary crew members will be SSGT Algie Lane from Texas, Lt. Col. Marti Reynolds from Miss., SSGT Braulio Quinones from Puerto Rico and SSGT Roque Morales from Penn. On race day, they will have lunch with and meet the team, take part in a hauler tour and sit on the pit box during the race.

Richardson joins the Air Force, sort of: The driver of the No. 23 Chevrolet will join other NASCAR drivers at the Dover Air Force Base on Friday night for the annual NASCAR Social. While there, Richardson will meet Air Force personnel and their families for autographs and photos.

Robert Richardson Jr.

Looking forward to getting back in the seat? “Heck yeah I am. It’s tough to watch someone else drive the No. 23, but Coleman (Pressley) did a good job at Richmond and Darlington. It’s great to see all the hard work by the guys back at the shop pay off on the track. As a driver, you can’t help but look forward to getting back into a car that’s been doing so well.”

Can you see why Dover is called the Monster Mile? “That track is something else. You have a one-mile, concrete oval with 24 degrees of banking in the turns and the back and frontstraights are banked, too. I love racing on the concrete and I know the car we’re bringing has been run on concrete before, so that helps. But yeah, I’ve seen quite a few guys end their days early because someone got sideways in front of them at Dover. Like I said, we’re going in the right direction with this team and my goal, our goal as a team, is to keep that going.”

What would some marketing partners/sponsors mean to the team right now? “It would give us the ability to be that much better. We’ve shown we have the cars to get the job done on the track, we’ve moved up in the Owner’s Points to ensure we’re locked into the show each week and we’ve been getting more coverage than ever. The best part is it changes your focus for qualifying and racing from being conservative to running a bit harder. If someone came on board, they would be in for a good ride with the No. 23 team. And the best part is – they’d have a lot of fun racing with us.”

- R3 Motorsports Press Release