Daytona II Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 PVA Mission: ABLE Ford Fusion

- AJ Allmendinger has made four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway
- Allmendinger has posted one top-five finish at the track—a third –place effort in 2009
- The driver moved up one spot last week and is currently 21st in the NSCS driver point standings

AJ Allmendinger on Daytona International Speedway: “I think this is definitely a race we’re capable of winning. NASCAR has decided to use a larger restrictor plate and we’ve got the spoiler instead of the wing this time around so there are a couple of unknowns heading into the weekend, but we’ve got some momentum on our side right now, so I can’t wait to get to Daytona and see what we’ve got.

“This is a big race for our partners, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and we’re excited about the paint scheme this weekend and the opportunity to highlight the PVA’s new initiative, Mission: ABLE. PVA does really great work and for our country’s veterans and it’s especially important to bring that to light heading into Independence Day. I’m really proud to be able to work with the PVA and hope we can get this No. 43 Ford into victory lane for them Saturday night.”

Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on the Weekend: “Handling, handling, handling—that’s the most important thing about racing at Daytona. The new, larger restrictor plate will really affect the handling of the cars because it will be much harder for the driver to hold it wide open.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis No. 682 for this weekend’s event at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. This car was run earlier this year in the season opener at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

Notes: AJ Allmendinger is currently in the midst of a streak of six consecutive top-15 finishes in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. In addition, Allmendinger has finished inside the top 20 in 10 of the last 11 races. Last week’s 10th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the third top-10 of the season for the No. 43 team and the second in the month of June.

The Paralyzed Veterans of America new initiative Mission: ABLE will be featured on the No. 43 Ford this weekend. The PVA is the nation’s leading veteran organization and its national network provides comprehensive support for veterans. In addition to featuring its new Mission: ABLE initiative, which raises awareness and funds to enable veterans to find jobs, secure benefits and receive care and camaraderie, three members of the PVA will attend the race and be guests of RPM.

Allmendinger is set to make his 98th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend at Daytona. He is on track to reach the 100-race mark at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR