Robert Richardson Jr. preview

R3 Motorsports and Richardson, Jr. looking to continue upward swing at Dega
Driver hasn’t finished outside top-20 at Talladega

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (April 12, 2011) – Robert Richardson, Jr. and the No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge of R3 Motorsports takes to Talladega Superspeedway a tad more relaxed than last weekend, and their sights set on bigger goals.

Robert Richardson Jr., Richardson Dodge

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

After qualifying on time at his native track of Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, the 29-year old McKinney, Texas native overcame an early race spin to garner a 26th-place finish. Keeping the rest of his run clean allowed the No. 23 Dodge team a return to the top-30 position in the Owner’s Standings, as well.

With that goal achieved, Walter Giles and team can concentrate on race runs during the two practice sessions on Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s race on the 1.66-mile superspeedway. If history is on their side, Richardson hopes to add another top-20, or better, finish to his streak of four consecutive ones at ‘Dega.

Car Facts: Walter Giles and the R3 Motorsports team are bringing Car No. 55 to this weekend’s race. Last used at Daytona in the season opener, Richardson roared from 38th to seventh in the opening laps. An overheating issue, after damaging the right-front fender in a wreck, sidelined the team with less than 20 laps from the finish.

Robert Richardson, Jr. Quotes

Talk about racing at Talladega: “It’s interesting, exciting, exhilarating and can be over in the flick of wrist just like that at this track. I love racing here and all the speed and excitement that goes on during the race. The secret, though, is you want to be on the good side of the excitement - not the replay reels.”

What about the new style of racing you experienced at Daytona with these new cars: “I’m not sure if I’m a fan of it yet, but the good news is I now have two races under my belt with the two-by-two racing. (Rob Jr. competed in the Nationwide and Daytona 500 races in February) We’re all new to this; you just have to figure out if two cars can hook up with other cars and be faster than everyone else. If it’s the two-by-two style, then you want to find someone to work with who can push and you can push back.

“We’re bringing back the same car we had in Daytona and that one raced really, really well. I know Walter (Giles, crew chief) and the rest of the guys have done some work on it to make it better. I’m looking forward to a great weekend at Talladega in regards to a good finish and moving up in the Owner’s Points some more.”

-source: r3 motorsports