Trading in a Steering Wheel for Textbooks
In August of 2010, Delaware Speedway driver Stephen Richmond made a run for the border, heading for Charlotte, NC, leaving his race car behind, but taking his racing smarts… and a few textbooks.
Richmond, who graduated from Central Secondary School in London, was recently the recipient of the Alan Kulwicki Memorial Scholarship for the Motorsports Engineering Program in the William States Lee College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Sciences. The College is located at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte, and every year one student is admitted to the program. The award is made to an outstanding high school graduate who has an affiliation with NASCAR and who exemplifies Alan’s experience and commitment.
With the first year of schooling under his belt Richmond is looking forward to putting some of his practices to work on the track in 2011, “The first year is general engineering, and then moves towards more motorsports related course next year. That’s the stuff I’m really looking forward to.”
Richmond explained, “I went to the Bandolero driving school in Charlotte, NC, and while I was down there, I met Ryan Zeck, who had won the award previously. After talking to him, I knew I wanted to be an engineer.”
To be eligible for the scholarship the person has to be involved with some type of NASCAR program, which has made the dream on, off, and then on again for Stephen. “We knew about the program and looked into it years ago when Delaware was NASCAR track, but when they dropped the sanction I thought I was out of luck. Then, in 2009 the track announced we were going to be sanctioned again, and it put it back in my mind.”
As far as getting prepared for college, Richmond said, “I’ve taken Physics in high school, but it won’t be anything close to the topics we’ll be getting into at college. I’ve picked up a few college engineering textbooks and have started to read through them so I’ll be as ready as I can be. It also might sound a little silly, but I do a lot of playing around on video games as well with setups. You can learn quite a bit about what type of changes you can make to the car, and how it will affect the handling of your car. It’s as close as you can get to being in the seat.”
Richmond has been able to turn that love of the mechanical end of race cars to working for the past two years at McColl’s Racing. “I’ve learned so much working for Mike McColl already. He also has so many racers that either work there or come in to buy parts, so advice from some really good racers is never hard to find.”
The dream of a racing career started early for Richmond, as he introduced his family to NASCAR at the age of four. While many racers started because of a family connection, Richmond brought the racing bug to his family. “I was about four and sick and was on the couch watching a race on TV. Jeff Gordon won, and I’ve been a Jeff fan ever since. When I was seven we saw the Junior Late Models on display at Westmount Mall, and the next Wednesday night we went to watch them race at Delaware, and my Dad started talking to Matt Lake. Matt told my dad that we could do it, and we bought a car, #24 on it, and started racing.”
He graduated to a Dynamic Fluids Super Stock when he turned 15, and added a Powerade Open Wheel Modified to the stable on a full-time basis in 2009. Richmond has since spent a bit of time in a NASCAR Late Model, as well as a Transmission Direct Enduro car, taking part in action three straight days last Labour Day weekend. Richmond had a respectable run going in the Great Canadian Race until mechanical problems put him on the sidelines. He explained, “I looked at the scoreboard a few times, and saw Steve Robblee’s number up there and D.J. Kennington’s number up there. It was pretty cool to race against the guys I’ve been watching since I was little, and it was a whole lot different being in the car, as opposed to on the hill.”
The Super Stock has been sold, and Richmond will be concentrating on the Modified in 2011, after finishing fifth and seventh in the points standings. “I’m looking forward to the season, and with the formation of the MRA, things seem to be going well. It’s great when we get to race against the Mosport and Varney cars. We struggled last year with the car, but I think we’ll be in better shape this year. Dad told me they’ve been working on it, and I miss not being able to help them out.”
Despite not being a traditional ‘racing family’, the Richmond’s have become one, “I have a great crew – especially my Dad –and my uncle comes out to help every night as well. We also get a lot of help from John Minty, Bill Wells, Carsten Wilson, and of course my mom, Janice. She’s in charge of stickers, and cheering from the top of the hill.” Sponsors on ‘Smilin’ Stephen’s number 24 include Reality Dreams Financial, Designs Your Sign Source, Ardel Transmissions, Don-Mor, and Terry Sockett Auto.
Even without the Super Stock, Richmond should get a decent amount of track time this summer, between the Modified, and any other rides he’s offered, and his talent and driving style seems oddly familiar to Alan Kulwicki. Kulwicki was the last championship winning driver/owner, and admired for wanting to race ‘his way’. Richmond, like Kulwicki always seems to bring his car home in one piece, and is as clean of a racer as they come. This year, he will be looking to continue his consistency behind the wheel, enjoy his summer home with his biggest fans, and trying to win another one for the ‘Underbird’.
Story and Photos by Jamie Maudsley for Delaware Speedway
