By Bill W
April 19, 2010 – Hopes were high for Smithton, Missouri’s Josh Fisher heading into the Spring Nationals at the Lake Ozark Speedway near Eldon, Missouri. Unfortunately, a bad draw was a precursor to the night’s events. Though it was a tough go, Josh still managed a top ten finish in the event with a late charge. This week, he’ll be back at LOS on Saturday.
As luck would have it, Josh was scheduled for the most stacked heat of the night, starting scratch on the field. The likes of Randy Martin, Mike Trent and Aaron Berryhill were starting in front of him. He managed a fifth place finish, and headed for the B. “We started last in the last heat, and it was really a catastrophe from the beginning,” he says. “There really wasn’t a whole lot of room to pass, to be honest.”
Starting fourth in the B main, Josh held down second to start in the back of the main event. “We were able to get up to second, and we almost got by Justyn Cox there at the flag stand for the lead right away,” he says. “He chopped me pretty good going into one, and we just settled for second.”
Starting 18th, the 2007 National Sprint Car 360 Rookie of the Year found the going tough. “The cars on the high side seemed to be going the same speed as the cars on the low side,” says Josh. “I ran the bottom for the biggest part of the race. I probably should have spent more time on top, but I did pass most of the cars on the bottom early on.”
Josh changed tactics on a late restart. “I got to the point where I wasn’t passing anyone, and I wondered if I should go up top, or stay on the bottom to protect my position,” he says. “When we had a red for (Jason) Johnson and (Kyle) Hirst, I went to the top on the restart. I probably should have done that earlier. I was better up there.”
The decision proved a good one, and Josh surged ahead. “We ended up getting a few at the end, including (J) Kinder at the end for tenth,” he says. “If I would have gone up top earlier, I feel we could have finished in the top six.”
It looks like another one race weekend for Josh and the Ozark Barge and Dock Services #86 team. A blown motor at the ASCS opener at the Devil’s Bowl has the team down to one bullet. “I think we’re just running Lake Ozark on Saturday,” says Josh. “We’d like to run Sedalia too, but right now, we just have the one motor.”
Follow Josh on his Website and on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter!
Follow Josh at his website located at www.JoshFisherRacing.com! Also keep up with him on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter (which also can be accessed at the website) at the following links…
MySpace link = http://www.myspace.com/joshfisherracing
Facebook link = http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=name&id=100000662545016
Twitter link = http://twitter.com/JEFRacing
Josh would like to thank the following sponsors for all their help: Ozark Barge & Dock Services Inc., ASAP Properties, Impact Wraps, Impact Sign & Lighting, Fischer’s Concrete, Champion Brands, Bill Ferguson Livestock Trucking, K&N Filters, Butler Built Seats, Maxim Racing Chassis, Winters Performance, Bell Helmets, Hoosier Tires, Ramey Dirtworks, TCI Tire Centers, Brian’s Gym