[Bob Tanner]

Lost in the debate over the quality of Sunday's race and how much of the problem falls at NA__AR's feet was a Hell of a performance by Robert Richardson, Jr. He ran a very decent 18th in his first Cup race, in a car that is well known for parking it before the first set of tires can be changed! He must like the Super-Dooper Speedways. All of his best finishes have been on the BIG tracks in both BGN and CTS.

He brought Mahindhra Tractors to Tommy Baldwin's normally S&P #36 and not only did the kid from Texas finish the race, he stayed out of major trouble and finished on the lead lap, one of the current NA__AR yardsticks of quality measurement! Of course, since Robert is an unknown and isn't in the Playoffs or the team not being one of The Chosen, after the initial line up was given, he was relegated to being a "Non-person," as far the the announcers go. That's a shame.

I hope the finish allows the Richardson family (Papa Richardson is, I believe, a major Mahindhra distributor in Texas) and Baldwin to get together for more races and better finishes.

Good job, Robert. You've given us something positive to talk about regarding last Sunday's "Parade."

[oncea3fan]

I saw that name in the top 20, and was wondering who it was.
but like you said he wasn't a chosen son so thier was no mention of him during the race.
but at least we heard about the bump drafting rule 5000 times

[Robertdjr]

Thanks for bringing this up, Bob! Here's his bio:

Using the instincts he learned growing up while on the football field, Robert Richardson Jr. brings a whole new level of intensity to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Piloting the No. 23 Mahindra Tractors Chevrolet in 2009, Richardson is aiming to throw more “touchdowns” in his racing career by bringing home strong finishes for R3 Motorsports.

The McKinney, Texas native grew up around the gridiron with a love and passion for the game like many Texans. A former quarterback for the McKinney High School Lions and Mustangs of Southern Methodist University, Richardson was an outstanding college athlete. Despite his love of the pigskin, Richardson was pulled by a need for speed and after a year of college sports, decided to make a change and pursue racing. Even with his late start in the realm of automobile racing, Richardson has seen success in every level he has competed in.

Richardson had his first taste in racing in 2003, during his first full season racing, when he won the Lone Star Legends Championship in Legend Cars. Fueling his desire to climb behind the wheel, Richardson then moved on to Super Late Models in 2003 and 2004 in the NASCAR Southeast Touring Division where he notched two season of finishing in the top 10 in points. Along with strong finishes in Super Late Models, Richardson was also a two-time qualifier for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in 2004 and 2005. In 2005 he also competed for Bob Schacht Motorsports in the ARCA ReMax Series for half a season.

2006 saw Richardson pilot the No. 1 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. During the season, he notched several top 20 finishes including a 17th place finish at Daytona and a 16th place at Talladega.

Taking his career to the next level of racing, Richardson signed with Jay Robinson Racing for the 2007 season where he piloted the No. 28 car during 16 races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The 2008 season saw Richardson begin with JRR before returning to his father’s team of R3 Motorsports for the last few races of the season.

The 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season pairs the Texas native with Texas-based Mahindra USA with R3 Motorsports giving this pair a Texas two-step that will be looking to outshine the competition.

Looks like he can add a successful Sprint Cup finish of 18th at Talladega to his resume. Well done young man!

[Quality88]

Not bad, not bad at all.

[nascar_freak]

The kid did real good.
Saw his name in the line up but though he was just another S&P'er.
Nice to see a virtual unknown run well.

[BrianFranceFan]

I saw him running at the back all day long. He musta caught a lucky break and got passed the "big one".

[kkfan91]

good run for him

[jks812]

Originally Posted by BrianFranceFan

I saw him running at the back all day long. He musta caught a lucky break and got passed the "big one".

You mean like Jimmie did.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by jks812

You mean like Jimmie did.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[bob101]

He was in the truck race and his engine let go. I saw him racing in the cup race. I see as a true first timer he got exactly zero mentions on TV unless I fell asleep during that part...which was entirely possible.

[kkfan91]

Originally Posted by bob101

He was in the truck race and his engine let go. I saw him racing in the cup race. I see as a true first timer he got exactly zero mentions on TV unless I fell asleep during that part...which was entirely possible.

i was awake nothing

[BrianFranceFan]

Originally Posted by jks812

You mean like Jimmie did.

Not exactly! While I do call Jimmies finish lucky...all the other so called nascar fans call it a"fix" by nascar to get Jimmie his 4th championship!

[BrianFranceFan]

If you want air time,,,you gotta be a little baby a whine about the race like Newman, Gordon and Martin did.

[Robertdjr]

Originally Posted by BrianFranceFan

If you want air time,,,you gotta be a little baby a whine about the race like Newman, Gordon and Martin did.

Oops...they interviewed the winner and Jimmy Johnson after the race. Neither of those two were whining about anything.

[BrianFranceFan]

speaking of interviews...how long has it been since Dave Blaney has had an inteview?