Patience and Practice; Rookie Richardson's Best Friend
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TruckSeries.com Report
The competition in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has
increased year by year and now race by race, forcing manufacturers and teams to
continually keep up. When you are a rookie coming into a series, the ideals are
large but when the reality of competition comes through - you can see those
ideals disappear. Patience and practice becomes a rookie's best friend. Robert
Richardson, in his first full year in the NCTS, has learned this well.
"Some of the technology that has evolved, you just can't use with a Rookie,"
Kevin Caldwell, Richardson's Crew Chief said. "Not that it is right or wrong.
Some of the guys out there right now are coil binding the trucks which helps
settle the front end. It's not always a good thing and you can only do it with a
veteran drivers behind the wheel of the trucks. Robert (Richardson) came from
little experience in a car prior to joining the forces of the Craftsman Truck
Series, making him a green Rookie. It isn't a bad thing for him - but the time
to adapt between tracks is getting smaller and smaller - and every track is a
new experience. Adaptation is the key and we've really been working with Robert
on that. I know a lot of drivers talk about racing the video games, but I just
don't think it is realistic enough for drivers with shorter seat time."
Richardson heads to the Kentucky Speedway with experience on his side having
five previous starts at the track in the Southeast Series and the ARCA RE/MAX
Series. This will be Richardson's first start at the track in a NASCAR Craftsman
Truck.
"I'm really looking forward to heading to a track I've had laps on before,"
Robert Richardson said. "It makes it easier to find the line. I know the truck
handles different, but I am hoping because I know the track, the time to adapt
is smaller. We plan on debuting a new truck this weekend and Hutter Engines is
now supplying our powerhouse under the hood, so I know we'll have good power all
weekend."
"Although I have experience in Kentucky, I am still going to make it a point to
go and talk to the veterans of the series to get their take on the track. Mike
Bliss, Johnny Benson, Todd Bodine and Dennis Setzer are drivers I really admire
and I hope to learn more from them in the coming months. It gets discouraging
not running where we want to be, but I know the more laps in the truck, the more
I work with the veterans, and the longer my team and I are together, the better
we will become."