Texas Speedzone - Richardson Ready for Inaugural Daytona Experience

It’s certainly not unique for a race driver to feel great emotion upon entering the most historic race track there is; the Daytona International Speedway.

Richardson Ready for Inaugural Daytona Experience; Hopes Destiny Equals Success Lisa Hughes Kennedy LM Motorsports Marketing (704) 799-3195 office (2-11-05) It’s certainly not unique for a race driver to feel great emotion upon entering the most historic race track there is; the Daytona International Speedway. But what makes 22-year old Rob Richardson’s journey to Daytona so special is what brings him to the 2.5-mile speedway and the short period of time in which it took his career to reach this point. Richardson will compete in this Saturday’s Advance Auto Parts 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Daytona, making only his second career start in the series. Richardson has already turned heads in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition turning the fastest lap in the draft during ARCA testing in December and teaming with veteran owner, driver and crew chief, Bob Schacht. Even more impressive than his selection of crew chiefs and his performance in testing is that this 2005 season will mark only Richardson’s fourth racing season of his career. Richardson’s path in life seemed to be in place as he had been playing football since the age of nine. A quarterback throughout his years at McKinney High School in Texas, Richardson received a scholarship to continue playing football while he attended Southern Methodist University as an Art major. While football was very important, Richardson spent his weekends watching NASCAR on television, specifically watching his icon, Dale Earnhardt. Almost immediately following Earnhardt’s tragic death in February of 2001, Richardson approached his family with his intention to start driving race cars. While this seemed to be quite a stretch from the gridiron, Richardson felt a calling to the race track very different than any he had felt previously. Richardson immediately purchased a Legends race car and began competing in the fall of 2001 at the Texas Motor Speedway. In his first racing season ever, Richardson earned the Lone Star Legends Championship. Just as he made a dynamic change from football to auto racing, Richardson then made a jump from Legends racing to the Romco Super Late Model Series. The Super Late Models proved to be of a solid competition level for Richardson as he finished seventh in overall points in the NASCAR Southeast Series, earned a win at the Texas Motor Speedway during the Nextel Cup Series weekend and earned a spot at the 2004 Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway in California. While competing at Irwindale, Richardson posted the fastest race lap of the entire event along with competing in the top ten throughout much of the event. Toward the end of the 2004 season, Richardson decided to take his racing career once again to a higher level of competition and compete in the ARCA Re/Max Series at the Chicagoland Speedway. Richardson would compete for Bobby Gerhart, but unfortunately did not receive any practice before qualifying began due to a mechanical problem in the race car. With all parties optimistic about Richardson’s chances of making the highly competitive field, the car took to the track for it’s two laps of qualifying. Richardson would post the 20th fastest time easily securing a starting position for the event. Richardson moved his way into the top ten during the race, but was involved in an accident forcing him to finish in the 20th position. Now that Richardson has realized his path has lead him to motorsports he plans to capitalize on his first trip to Daytona. A visit to his hero was on the agenda during the December test session where he turned such an impressive speed along with those butterflies that come with entering the gates of Daytona for the first time as a driver. Richardson has aligned himself with one of the very best as both a crew chief and a coach, Bob Schacht. Together they hope to achieve what seems to be destiny for Richardson…success and accomplishment at Daytona. For Further Information or Interview Requests Please Contact: Lisa Hughes Kennedy LM Motorsports Marketing (704) 799-3195 office (704) 500-9504 mobile LKennedy@LMMotorsportsmarketing.com