Eric Richardson, and Rich Pak Motorsports, will be very busy next weekend when the gates open for the 28th annual October Classic at Bakersfield’s Mesa Marin Raceway. Richardson, the newly crowned 2005 NASCAR Late Model track champion, will be competing in two major racing divisions as well as participating in the track's Race of Champions October 13th through the 15th.
Richardson's October Classic adventure begins Thursday, the 13th, when he climbs into the Rich Pak Motorsports, Green Frog Markets, Richland Chevrolet Late Model to compete in one of the 40 lap twin qualifying races that will determine the lineup for Friday's main event.
On the same evening, Richardson will climb behind the wheel of the Bob Cosaro owned Grape King, Green Frog Markets, D'Angelos NASCAR Super Late Model Chevrolet to qualify and race the car in a 125 lap feature that will be the grand finale of Thursday's activities during the October Classic. All of this follows day long double practice sessions that will have Richardson testing both cars.
On Friday, October 14th, will again be doing double duty. First he will climb into his familiar, bright red, #40 Rich Pak Motorsports Chevrolet to race in the NASCAR Late Model division's Green Frog Markets 125, presented by Racing West.Com. As the reigning NASCAR Late Model track champion, Richardson is heavily favored to pull off another win at his home track despite the abundance of highly talented, and well sponsored, out of town teams who traditionally come to the October Classic looking for some post season racing glory.
Richardson's 2005 championship has earned him a starting berth in the Mesa Marin Raceway: 28 years of champion’s race. Past track champions will be placed in identical street stocks for this special, winner take all, event. The stellar entry list also includes 1986 champion Gary Collins who, coincidentally, also plays a supervisor role in Eric Richardson's racing operations. Also joining the field will be 1990 champion Mark Wilson, 1991 and '92 champion Frank Adamo, who won last year's Race of Champions, 1996 and '97 champion Dick Shepherd, 2001 champion Dan Holtz and 2003 champion Brian Richardson who is also Eric's cousin and Rich Pak Motorsports team mate.
Despite the very busy two days, there is going to be a certain amount of emotional impact for Rich Pak Motorsports, as well as the rest of us, because the 28th annual October Classic is also the final one due to the June announcement that the track has been sold and will be replaced by a residential housing tract.
Commenting on the upcoming October Classic, in a recent interview, Richardson said "we're going to run the Super Late Thursday night and the Late Model Friday night. We have two great cars and, hopefully, we'll come away with two wins or at least top three finishes in both of those races."
Long before Eric Richardson decided he wanted to get behind the wheel of a race car, Rich Pak Motorsports, owned by Eric's dad Gary Richardson, and was a part of the Mesa Marin racing scene. When asked how important it would be for him to visit victory lane during the track's final weekend, Richardson said "it would be huge. We need to prove that it was not a fluke that we won it, (the track championship), for one. Despite my feelings and appreciation for Mesa Marin, it's a time for us to now be going to different tracks in bigger cars. It's now all about moving forward and getting better."
Be on the look out, Thursday and Friday, for the yellow #98 NASCAR Super Late Model and the red #40 NASCAR Late Model cars driven by Eric Richardson. Eric and Rich Pak Motorsports, knows very well what it takes to produce a winning combination at Mesa Marin Raceway
