John Richards is a former American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 racing driver from Waco, Texas

Waco, Texas

Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....

. A former motorcycle racer, Richards switched to racing cars and competed in the US Formula Super Vee

Formula Super Vee

Formula Super Vee was a type of open-wheel motor created to act as a platform for the promotion of VW products, playing much the same role in the 1970s as formulae such as Formula Renault play today. The idea for Formula Super Vee is generally attributed to Josef Hopen, who worked as the Special...

 championship in 1984 and finished 10th. In 1987 he funded a series of road course drives in the CART

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

 Championship Car series with Dick Simon Racing

Dick Simon Racing

Dick Simon Racing was a race team owned by racer Dick Simon that competed in the CART Championship Car series from 1983 to 1995 and the Indy Racing League from 1999 to 2001.-CART:...

. He was knocked out by a practice crash in what was to have been his debut at Portland International Raceway

Portland International Raceway

Portland International Raceway is located in Portland, Oregon, USA's, Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It is west of a light rail station and less than a mile west of Interstate 5....

, but competed at The Meadowlands, Cleveland

Grand Prix of Cleveland

The Grand Prix of Cleveland was an open wheel automobile racing event in the Champ Car World Series, held annually at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America. The 2006 race, held on June 25, marked the 25th anniversary of the event...

, Toronto, and Laguna Seca and finished both the Cleveland and Laguna Seca races in the 13th position, one spot out of the points. He now lives in Seeley Lake, Montana

Seeley Lake, Montana

Seeley Lake is a census-designated place in Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is part of the 'Missoula, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area'...

.