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Richards Banks $100,000 DTWC Payday

PORTSMOUTH, OHIO - Josh Richards won his second straight Rhino Ag Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Batteries on Sunday afternoon at Portsmouth Raceway Park.

Richards took the lead on lap 22 from Brian Shirley and led the rest of the way to pick-up the $100,000 first-place prize and his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season.

Jonathan Davenport; the newly crowned Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion; finished in second followed by Brandon Overton, Brandon Sheppard, and Zack Dohm.

Richards was elated in Lucas Oil Victory Lane, "It's an emotional day. I want to thank everyone at Best Performance Motorsports, especially Eric and Kelly Brock for giving me this opportunity. I'd also like to give a huge thank you to Randall Edwards, this is the third straight year that he has been the DTWC winner's crew chief. The same goes to Brad Ramsey, I'd like to thank him for working so hard all year long. I know there was a little rough stretch during the summer, but they kept working hard and kept their heads up. To win the first and the final race of the year I have to thank my dad [Mark Richards] and all my sponsors."

"I knew it would be critical to get the lead early," Richards added. "I knew I'd also spun my tires early on trying to get by Shirley. I wanted to get out front as early as I could because of the restarts. I didn't know where Jonathan was. I wasn't sure when to pick the throttle up. He [Davenport] gave me a lot of room. He and his team did a great job to win the championship. We did what we came here for, and we won the last race of the season. Thanks to Carl Short and everyone here at this facility for working so hard for this race."

Davenport clinched the championship before the series' final race at Portsmouth. He commented afterwards on his runner-up finish in the season finale. "I think the top three cars all ran different tire combinations. There were a couple of restarts where we got a run on Josh to challenge for the lead. I could have gone in there and door-slammed him, but I got a feeling we are going to be racing with each other for several years. All three of us had fast cars, but Josh was just more dominant today."

Overton claimed third and was happy about his podium finish as well. "I felt like we were good at the end. I don't know if we had anything for Josh, but we hung right in there with JD. By the time we got to third there wasn't a whole lot of racing left, so all-in-all, another crown jewel race and another top five finish for the Billy Franklin team."

The winner's Eric and Kelly Brock-owned Rocket Chassis is powered by an Andy Durham Racing Engine and sponsored by: Colt Firearms, Bulk Material Lift.com, Valvoline, Bazell Race Fuels, Keyser Manufacturing, Boxo USA, Integra, Sunoco Race Fuels, Alexander Lawn and Landscaping, and Impact Race Gear.

Completing the top ten were Mike Marlar, Don O'Neal, Earl Pearson Jr., Jimmy Owens, and Chase Junghans.

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Founded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is the nation's premier dirt late model sanctioning organization. In 2018, the LOLMDS will sanction 60 events in 22 states. The series is owned by the parent company Lucas Oil Products Inc. and receives national exposure through a TV package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. LOLMDS events will be broadcast on four TV Networks including CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and the MAVTV Motorsports Network. For more information about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

About Lucas Oil Racing TV
The Future of Motorsports is HERE! Get Lucas Oil Racing TV and experience racing excitement like you've never seen! Lucas Oil Racing TV is the online app for all your favorite devices like Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android Devices and more! No matter where you are or when you want to watch, you can stream the best and most exciting motor racing on the planet!

Lucas Oil Racing TV has all your favorite motorsports - from grass roots to international competition, as well as exclusive LIVE EVENTS and behind the scenes interviews and footage that you won't see anywhere else! But that's just the beginning! Lucas Oil Racing TV brings you some of motorsports greatest broadcasters and build specialists... from Dave Despain to the mechanics of Two Guys Garage, as well as all the latest news, reviews, and interviews from every genre of racing.

Lucas Oil Racing TV is the Exclusive, Unlimited, 24/7 All-Access Motorsports App and it's available NOW! For more information or to sign up, go to: www.LucasOilRacing.TV.

About MAVTV Motorsports Network
Owned and operated by Lucas Oil Products, MAVTV is a television network with its roots deep in the automotive world. MAVTV offers an unparalleled line-up of exclusive motorsports, that includes prestigious events such as the Chili Bowl, The AMA Pro Motocross series, the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup and NHRA Drag Racing. But MAVTV goes far beyond the national mainstream events and also covers multitudes of grassroots series' from across the globe: Drag boats, sprint boats, drag racing, pro pulling, rally racing, drifting, dirt racing, ice racing and everything in between.

MAVTV also knows you don't have to be a race fan to be an automotive enthusiast, which is why we have developed a package of automotive reality and custom build shows that is truly second to none. If it has a motor, it's on MAVTV...MAVTV is THE motorsports network. To learn more about MAVTV go to: www.MAVTV.com.

About Lucas Oil Products
Founded in 1989 by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, Lucas Oil Products, Inc. has established itself as one of the fastest-growing lubrication product lines in the consumer automotive aftermarket, featuring a line of engine oils, greases, gear lubes, problem-solving additives, and car-care products. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil has established itself as a worldwide leader in the lubrication industry. Motorsports has always been part of the Lucas Oil culture and the cornerstone of the company's marketing strategy. Such passion for motorsports has inspired Lucas Oil to sponsor many race teams, events and series at all levels, including, NHRA, IRL, ASCS, NASCAR, IHRA and many more. Lucas Oil has also taken ownership and operational control of a number of high profile racing properties, such as: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Lucas Oil Drag Boat Series, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Lucas Oil Modified Series, Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO. and the Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway in Blythe, CA.

In 2007 Lucas Oil founded its own production house, Lucas Oil Production Studios, dedicated to producing high action motorsports television. Currently Lucas Oil Production Studios produces over 300 hours of original programming for networks such as CBS, CBS Sports, NBC Sports and MAVTV. More information about Lucas Oil Products, Inc. visit the company website at: www.LucasOil.com.

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