Darlington Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Insignia/Best Buy Ford Fusion

• Allmendinger has made six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the 1.366-mile track
• Allmendinger holds down 21st place in the owner points standings
• Insignia returns to the hood of the No. 43 RPM Ford this weekend

AJ Allmendinger on Darlington: “Darlington is such a tough track, maybe one of the toughest we race on all season. I don’t think anyone walks out of there with their car unscathed. There is definitely truth to why the track is called “Too Tough To Tame.” But I love it. With Richmond last weekend, it’s cool to have back-to-back Saturday night races. Darling-ton, like Richmond, has been a part of the sport for a long time so the history-side of it is pretty cool too.

“The No. 43 Insignia/Best Buy Ford Fusion will have the new Ford FR9 engine under the hood this weekend. I’m really excited about that engine. I think we’re all pleased with what we’ve seen with it so far. Qualifying is going to be important this weekend. It’d be great to grab another pole and get ahead from the start of the race. Mike Shiplett and this No. 43 team have worked really hard. We’ve made some progress in the point standings but there is plenty of more work to do. I’m excited and ready to get at it.”

Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on Darlington: “You still run the same line that you ran at the old Darlington before they repaved it, but the tires do not fall off now like they used to. They only lose about two tenths over a fuel run. The track is really fast, the tires get really hot and you lose overall grip, but the speed is still there. You need a really good turning car there. Qualifying is going to be really important because it’s really hard to pass. We’ve got the notes from the No. 19’s test there and we had a good race at Darlington last year. AJ runs really well there. He likes that track, so I’m excited to be going there this weekend.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Insignia/Best Buy team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis No. 277 for this weekend’s 500 mile race in Darlington. This car was last run at the event at Phoenix International Raceway where Allmendinger started from the pole and finished inside the top 15.

The No. 43 machine will have the new Ford FR9 engine under its hood this weekend.

Support The Paralyzed Veterans of America: There are several ways you can help support the PVA, a veterans service organization established in 1946 that helps our military heroes who have experienced spinal cord injury or dysfunction. Enter a raffle to win a Jeep CJ-2A Willys restored by Petty's Garage. Visit www.pva.org/jeep. Don’t miss out on the second an-nual King’s Cup—Karting For A Cause event hosted by Richard Petty on Tuesday, May 25. To learn more about how you can participate in the King’s Cup, visit: www.pva.org/gokart.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR