The finish wasn’t what Josh Richards wanted in his first feature start in nearly three years. The vibe the outing gave him, though, was undeniable.

All the anticipation and excitement of Josh Richards’s return to Dirt Late Model competition Aug. 29 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., lasted … exactly six heat-race laps.

Five-time national champion Josh Richards plans to end a nearly three-year absence from competition this weekend when he enters the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Hillbilly Hundred at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., his father, Mark, confirmed to DirtonDirt Monday afternoon.

Mark Richards knew there was plenty of interest surrounding his son Josh’s first fast laps behind the wheel of a Dirt Late Model since the 2022 season. And with last weekend’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., being the Rocket Chassis house car owner’s first racetrack appearance since Josh’s comeback test, he was naturally peppered with inquiries about his son.

Five-time national touring champion Josh Richards, who rose to fame as a teen in his father's Rocket Chassis house car en route to more than 170 career Super Late Model victories but saw his career ebb in recent seasons, recently announced his effective retirement from full-time racing.

Who tops the all-time list of laps led in the Late Model crown jewel events at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio? Check out the historical breakdown in the table below:

How well do you recall Eldora Speedway’s 2020 Dirt Late Model invitationals? Check your knowledge with 13 trivia questions on the Stream and Intercontinental Classic, which boasted six fan-less events including four $10,000-to-win preliminaries and two $50,000-to-win finales (answers included at the bottom):

For more than three decades now, the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals has been a proving ground for racers from almost every discipline imaginable.

After a season full of near-misses and heartbreaking defeats, Josh Rice thought his luck couldn’t get much worse. But during the first night of Eldora Speedway’s Intercontinental Classic on Thursday, it did.

As Josh Richards walked with his father, Mark, from victory lane to the infield technical inspection area after winning Thursday’s 30-lap Intercontinental Classic preliminary feature at Eldora Speedway, he received a congratulatory handshake from a reporter.

For some added fun at home during Sept. 10-12’s Intercontinental Classic, play along with a selection of hypothetical proposition bets and driver matchups for Eldora Speedway’s fan-less, $50,000-to-win event: