Richardson Jr. prepped for Chicagoland II

R3 Motorsports and Richardson, Jr. set to take on the Windy City track of Chicagoland

Robert Richardson

Photo by: Michael C. Johnson

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (September 13, 2011) – Robert Richardson, Jr. and the No. 23 North Texas Pipe Chevrolet team of R3 Motorsports are making their way to Chicagoland Speedway for some Saturday afternoon NASCAR Nationwide Series action.

After several consecutive Friday night events, the series will go back to battling for spots under the sun with this weekend’s race. And, with the task of taking on the 1.5-mile oval of Chicagoland at hand, they’re going to be seeking all the bright moments possible.

This is the first time in series history the Joliet, Ill. facility has hosted two NNS races in the same season, so drivers will have a fresher memory of the track since they were just there in June.

Richardson is coming off a 22nd place finish at Richmond last Friday night.

Fast Facts: This will be Richardson’s 88th career NNS start and 19th of the 2011 season. During the current campaign, the McKinney, Texas native has completed 2,753 of 3,540 laps contested and led one lap.

Track Facts: For the fourth time in his career, Richardson is making a start at Chicagoland Speedway. During the first three, he made his best start of 30th earlier this year. However, his best finish of 28th took place during the 2008 race. He’s completed 457 of 603 laps during the first three races at Chicagoland.

Where’s Robert?: There are no planned autograph sessions in the Chicago area.

Tune in for the Win: There will be two practices on Friday, with the second one from 4:30 p.m. to 5:50 p.m. ET on Speed TV. Then, keep that channel locked in for qualifying at Noon on Saturday. Then, jump over to ESPN2 at 3 p.m. for the 200 laps of race action. Or, you can listen to MRN Radio or Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90, as well.

Robert Richardson, Jr. Quotes: “This will be good going back to Chicagoland for the second time in one year. We didn’t fare too well the last time we were here and had to bail out early with electrical problems. So, we’re definitely looking to do better this time.

“The track is 1.5 miles, but it’s not as fast as a Charlotte, Atlanta or Texas. So, that gives you more time in the corners. But, that also means you have to have your handling of the car that much better, too.

“We’ll take those two practice sessions and get ourselves set up for qualifying. If we can get a decent spot there, then that will help us out towards a good finish. The less cars you have to pass in the beginning, the better.

“The guys have been working hard to get the cars ready for the homestretch here in our season. We just need to keep doing what we know how to best and get all the positions and points we can from each race.”