Second-generation drag racer Dave Richards has waited far too long to slip back into the driver’s seat of his family’s Funny Car, but this weekend’s 46th annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals at famed Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville will finally afford the Florida resident the opportunity.

Richards, owner of All Pro Pools and a resident of nearby West Palm Beach, Fla., will pilot the Paul Richards Racing Toyota Solara at the event. His most recent turn as a Funny Car driver came last fall at the NHRA Carolina Nationals at Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway, where he qualified in the No. 16 position and out-pedaled No. 1 qualifier Alexis DeJoria to score the first round-win of his career.

With the win came a second-round match with iconic drag racer John Force, the driver to whom he forfeited his first win light in his debut at the 2013 NHRA New England Nationals in Epping. Notably, Richards has only ever lost to a driver with the last name Force; in 2014 at the Epping race, the now 36-year-old competitor clocked a career best 4.371 and qualified No. 14 before squaring off with the legend’s daughter, Courtney Force.

Richards relished the chance to get back in the ring with the Force family and settle the score, but wet weather and resulting track conditions necessitated a delay in the conclusion of the Charlotte event. When the completion of eliminations was moved to the next NHRA event on the schedule in Dallas, Richards was forced to withdraw and forfeit the round to John Force.

“It was very hard to make the decision not to go to Dallas and finish the Charlotte race last fall,” said Richards. “We had a lot of people trying to help us find a way to get there, but financially, it just didn’t make sense. I wanted to go – after that round-win, my confidence was sky high. I finally realized that I could compete with these drivers out here. As a new driver, that was a big deal. I’m excited to get back out there now. We’re going to steadily get better, and we learn something every lap.”

The motivated group made a handful of brief test runs at West Palm Beach Int’l Raceway this winter to shake off the rust, and their Toyota Solara has recently been re-wrapped with a fast black and red design to launch cleanly into 2015.

“I’m feeling confident that we have the car right, and I’m confident I’ll be able to do my job behind the wheel,” said Richards, who would like to continue a part-time schedule mainly on the East Coast as the team builds momentum. “I’m just grateful that we won’t have to wait any longer to get back out there. We’re still looking for partners as primary sponsors on our car, and we are thankful to our good friends Alex and Marya Ardizzone, who have once again stepped up to help us get to the Gatornationals – just like they did for the last race in Gainesville in 2014.”

The team will be fortified by a steadfast and familiar crew, including Danielle and Kevin Fenstermaker, Chris Foster, Dave Lindsey, Stephen Hoppe, Mike Harrigan, Steve Gruenwald, Jason Jones, Sue Winters, and Dave’s big brother Paul Richards – whose new bride, Marlo, will be cheering the team. Of course at the head of the cheering section will be Dave’s wife, Serena, and 17-month-old daughter, Leah, along with his parents, Gary and Peggy Richards, and brothers, Michael and Brian.

In addition to their collective families, the team thanked Florida Brake and Truck Parts, S&G Fabrication, Valvoline, Hedman Hedders, K&N Filters, DJ Safety, Paul Lee and McLeod, Paul Smith, and Alex and Marya Ardizzone.

“Our biggest goal this weekend is to get some consistent runs with our racecar,” said Richards. “We normally take a different approach during qualifying and choose to sit out a couple of runs to save parts and stretch dollars, but the plan right now is to make all of the qualifying runs to get a better handle on the car and tune-up. Once we have a consistent racecar, hopefully we’ll have the luxury of sitting out a couple of qualifying runs – but right now we need to make sure that we can go A to B.”

For more information visit:  www.PaulRichardsRacing.com

Posted by: Kelly Topolinski