Friday, July 30, 2010

Pocono II Post-Qualifying Quotes

AJ ALLMENDINGER - No. 43 Insignia/Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 7th
"It's not too bad. Qualifying is definitely where we've probably been a lot worse this year. We had the one pole and I don't think we've been inside the top 10 other than that. We knew we had a decent draw and were pretty good in practice, so I just wanted to get a solid lap in. I probably gave up a little bit in turn three. I've been really struggling today with the car, line, everything in turn three, which is pretty funny because that's always been my best corner, so it's kind of flip-flopped. That will get us in the top 10 and it's a long race, so track position is key but starting up front makes it a good start to the weekend."

***

KASEY KAHNE - No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion
Qualified 16th
"We felt like we made some gains from practice. I felt like the car was better and it actually drove pretty good, but it was just hitting the track too hard on the front. Minus that, it seemed like a pretty good lap. We need to work on it tomorrow, but with what we just did today, I think some of that will translate to tomorrow and we'll be better."

***

PAUL MENARD - No. 98 Menards Ford Fusion
Qualified 23rd
"It was okay. We picked up some and probably didn't have the best draw. The sun was out for a while and then right as we finished our lap a cloud came over, so it was just luck of the draw. We picked up quite a bit, so we'll see how it stacks up. We've been fighting a vibration, so we've got to find that tomorrow."

Credit - Ford Racing

Pocono II Qualifying Results

Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 Starting Lineup
1. Tony Stewart
2. Juan Pablo Montoya
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Ryan Newman
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. AJ Allmendinger
8. Jeff Burton
9. Jamie McMurray
10. Mark Martin
11. Brad Keselowski
12. Greg Biffle
13. Kurt Busch
14. Kevin Harvick
15. Sam Hornish, Jr.
16. Kasey Kahne
17. Joey Logano
18. David Ragan
19. Marcos Ambrose
20. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
21. Kyle Busch
22. Bobby Labonte
23. Paul Menard
24. David Reutimann
25. Carl Edwards
26. Matt Kenseth
27. Scott Speed
28. Martin Truex, Jr.
29. Elliott Sadler
30. JJ Yeley
31. Reed Sorenson
32. Travis Kvapil
33. Joe Nemechek
34. Regan Smith
35. Landon Cassill
36. Michael McDowell
37. David Gilliland
38. Dave Blaney
39. Casey Mears
40. Clint Bowyer
41. Kevin Conway
42. PJ Jones
43. Todd Bodine
DNQ David Stremme
DNQ Max Papis

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Pocono II Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Insignia Ford Fusion

• AJ Allmendinger has made six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
• Allmendinger posted his career best finish (10th) on the 2.5-mile tri-oval earlier this season
• The driver is currently 21st the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

AJ Allmendinger on Pocono Raceway: “We didn’t have the best car in the beginning of the race last time we were there, but Mike Shiplett and the guys worked hard all day. With about 50 laps to go, they got it pretty much right where I needed it and I was happy that we had that kind of adjustability in the car. We finished 10th, but I think we had a car that was capable of a little better than that so we’re looking forward to getting back there and seeing what we can do the second time around.

“We’ve got good car, good people and good engines on this Richard Petty Motorsports Insignia race team. We’ve just got to have a little bit of good luck, start off with a great qualifying effort and then some good strategy and we should be able to have ourselves a pretty decent finish this weekend.”

Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on Pocono Raceway: “The keys to success at Pocono Raceway are a good qualifying effort and fuel mileage. Track position is so important there that you need to start up front and do everything you can to stay there to even begin to think about a good finish. It’s a tough track. We hit on some things the last time we were there so we’re looking forward to getting back to the track and getting this Insignia Ford up front.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis No. 294 for this weekend’s event at Pocono Raceway. The team last utilized this chassis for the event at Michigan International Speedway where Allmendinger finished 11th. It was also run at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway where the team finished 14th.

Notes: Allmendinger has already had a busy week. The Los Gatos, Calif.-native was up bright and early on Tuesday to fly to Lexington, Ky. on behalf of sponsor Valvoline to join the mayor of the city and take part in a press conference regarding Spotlight Lexington and the World Equestrian Games. While there, he visited with folks at Valvoline headquarters.

Following his arrival back in North Carolina, Allmendinger made the drive to Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman to take part in VJGC NASCARnival night with members of the Richard Petty Motorsports Insignia crew.

Richard Petty’s No. 43 won the first Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway in 1974.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Indianapolis Race Recap

AJ Allmendinger wasn’t officially listed as being part of the opening lap crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, but the incident none the less completely changed the outcome of the race for the driver of the No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion as it forced him to fight back from an overheating motor and a long pit stop to score 16th in the Brickyard 400 for Richard Petty Motorsports.

Starting from his best-ever Brickyard grid position on the eighth row, AJ managed to avoid the first-lap carnage, but the debris from the incident ultimately cost him a lap after having to pit under green to clear the rads as the FR9 motor suffered skyrocketing temps.

With a race that boasts a lap of 2.5-miles and several long green flag runs, the setback was significant. But AJ kept his head down and just focused on making up as much ground as possible despite a consistently loose-handling Ford Fusion as the NASCAR Sprint Cup made its annual visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

That comeback rally, which saw AJ fighting his way forward to get back on the lead lap as if it was for the win, was set back once again when a lug nut issue caused a long stop on pit road, costing track position and time for the Valvoline entry.

But after fighting his way on to the lead lap once again, AJ was continuing to move forward and ran as high as 15th late in the race before closing the day out 16th in the order, exactly where he had qualified.

Even though he had shown great speed once again on a track where he has previously led, he wasn’t able to once again take a top ten finish at IMS.

But the long hot afternoon’s hard work still brought some reward as the RPM racer brought home his seventh top-16 finish in the last eight races, and moved him one spot up in the provisional championship standings.

Given everything he had to fight back from, the 16th place result was one that he was happy to leave the famed Brickyard with, although he knows that even the current consistent run of strong finishes won’t be what it takes to move up to the Chase, but the program continues to pick up speed.

“I'm relieved we were able to get the Valvoline 43 back up to a reasonable finish given how the day played out for us, but we're not a 16th-place team anymore, so to say it's okay, it's not,” said AJ. “Yes, we had a pretty severe overheating issue that caused us to pit under green, but we then can't afford to make any mistakes-even small ones if we're going to gain some footing. I've said it before, when 16th is a bad day for us, that's definitely a step up, but that's not where our expectations are set anymore. Basically, we just have to be better at minimizing mistakes across the board.”

Credit - www.ajallmendinger.com

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Indianapolis Post-Race Quotes

KASEY KAHNE - No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion
Finished 13th
"We just kind of battled the same stuff most of the race and couldn't get a real good balance. We were loose in and just weren't very good. It's just where we were today. We got 13th and even if things happened perfectly in traffic and all that we would have maybe run 10th at best, but we just weren't that good."

***

PAUL MENARD - No. 98 Motorcraft/Menards Ford Fusion
Finished 14th

“We fought loose just about all day and could never get our Menards Ford exactly where we needed it to be. Slugger made some good calls on pit road and, as usual, my pit crew was outstanding. We would have liked to come away with a top-10 finish at this place, but still, this is the best finish I’ve had here, so we’ll take it and move forward. We’ve been able to run pretty consistently in the top 15 wherever we go, and I’m really proud of the progress this team has made all year.”

***

AJ ALLMENDINGER - No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion
Finished 16th
"It seemed like everything that happened to us was of our own doing. The grass in the radiator at the beginning and we probably should have cleaned it off and not done tires, but Mike thought we'd get back out in front of the leaders and we didn't. That just killed the rest of our day. We were just fighting the 11 the whole time to get the lap back. I just wanted him to get the lap back, so I would be the free guy to get it back and it was just a tough day. We salvaged something decent, but it seems like we keep salvaging stuff. We need to be a little bit better. We've got some stuff to work on. I thought we were better than a 16th-place car, but we weren't a great car. I'm proud of the guys. We're working hard and keeping at it. We've got to keep working on our pit stops. We've got a lot of stuff to work on. I've got to work on some things. We salvaged it, but we've got to stop salvaging stuff and actually have good days."

***

ELLIOTT SADLER - No. 19 Stanley Ford Fusion
Finished 38th
"This is two years in a row where we haven't made a lap yet. Last year we had engine problems and oil leaks, and then the wreck today. The 18 spun out and we were trying to get checked up, but there was nowhere to go. Somebody ran into the back of me and we all just kind of spun out. It's just a shame. We felt like we hit on some stuff yesterday afternoon, and really wanted a chance to race today. We had a lot of people here from Stanley, so I apologize to them and my guys. We'll try to fix it and make some laps, but it's hard to put into words right now. I have not seen a replay yet. The first person I saw sideways was the 18, but I don't know what happened, and then we all just piled up from there."

Credit - Ford Racing

Indianapolis Race Results

Brickyard 400 Finishing Order
1. Jamie McMurray
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Greg Biffle
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Tony Stewart
6. Jeff Burton
7. Carl Edwards
8. Kyle Busch
9. Joey Logano
10. Kurt Busch
11. Mark Martin
12. Matt Kenseth
13. Kasey Kahne
14. Paul Menard
15. Denny Hamlin
16. AJ Allmendinger
17. Ryan Newman
18. Bill Elliott
19. Brad Keselowski
20. David Ragan
21. Marcos Ambrose
22. Jimmie Johnson
23. Jeff Gordon
24. Travis Kvapil
25. Scott Speed
26. Martin Truex, Jr.
27. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
28. David Reutimann
29. Jacques Villeneuve
30. Sam Hornish, Jr.
31. Bobby Labonte
32. Juan Pablo Montoya
33. Regan Smith
34. Kevin Conway
35. Reed Sorenson
36. Robby Gordon
37. Todd Bodine
38. Elliott Sadler
39. Landon Cassill
40. Joe Nemechek
41. Dave Blaney
42. Michael McDowell
43. Max Papis

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Indianapolis Post-Qualifying Quotes

AJ ALLMENDINGER - No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 16th
"I'm not very good at qualifying here, so no matter what I think it's gonna be my best qualifying ever, so you've got to take the positives. The car was really good. It's just a tough place to get it right. Yesterday, we were decent and just trying to get the line exactly right. I didn't want to overdrive the place and kill the lap, so I probably underdrove it just a little bit and left a little bit on the table. I probably left a couple tenths, but it's a long race and the car has been pretty good. We'll just go work on race trim here and keep working on it, but so far, so good."

***

PAUL MENARD - No. 98 Menard's Ford Fusion
Qualified 26th
"I would have liked to have picked up a little more than we did. I had kind of a sloppy lap, so I'm pretty disappointed in myself, but the car drove pretty good. There's a lot of grip in the race track right now and we had a good draw, so, hopefully, that holds on for a decent spot."

WHAT WILL THE HEAT DO TO THIS TRACK? "It slows down a lot. It's one of the more temperature sensitive tracks we go to, so early is good."

WHAT WILL WE SEE IN THE RACE TOMORROW? "We'll know more this afternoon. Nobody really ran around each other yesterday, so we'll see what the cars do in traffic. The tires seem to be holding on fine. It's hot and slick, obviously, and tomorrow is gonna be a lot cooler, so we have to take that into account. We've got two sessions this afternoon and will get to see how the cars actually drive in traffic."

***

ELLIOTT SADLER - No. 19 Stanley Ford Fusion
Qualified 27th
"It is pretty hot out here. We're just a little tight and that's what we've been fighting since we unloaded. The Stanley car has been just a little too snug through two and four to make that fast lap, but the car is in the race track and it's consistent. We're gonna switch it over to race trim right now and go from there. We didn't have the best draw in the world, so we're gonna make the most of it. Usually, Todd is really good at this race, so we're gonna build a lot of adjustability into it and go from there. We should be okay."

Credit - Ford Racing

Indianapolis Qualifying Results

Brickyard 400 Starting Lineup
1. Juan Pablo Montoya
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Mark Martin
4. Jamie McMurray
5. Ryan Newman
6. Clint Bowyer
7. Greg Biffle
8. Jeff Gordon
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Jeff Burton
11. Brad Keselowski
12. Martin Truex, Jr.
13. Matt Kenseth
14. Kurt Busch
15. Tony Stewart
16. AJ Allmendinger
17. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
18. Denny Hamlin
19. Carl Edwards
20. Landon Cassill
21. Robby Gordon
22. Regan Smith
23. Kyle Busch
24. Kasey Kahne
25. Sam Hornish, Jr.
26. Paul Menard
27. Elliott Sadler
28. David Ragan
29. David Reutimann
30. Scott Speed
31. Bill Elliott
32. Reed Sorenson
33. Joe Nemechek
34. Joey Logano
35. Max Papis
36. Bobby Labonte
37. Michael McDowell
38. Travis Kvapil
39. Todd Bodine
40. Dave Blaney
41. Marcos Ambrose
42. Kevin Conway
43. Jacques Villeneuve
DNQ David Gilliland
DNQ Casey Mears
DNQ David Stremme
DNQ JJ Yeley

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Indianapolis Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion


• AJ Allmendinger has made two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger finished 10th in his first race at the track, which occurred in 2008
• Allmendinger is currently 22nd in the NSCS driver point standings

AJ Allmendinger on Indianapolis Motor Speedway: “I never got to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a Champ car so it has always meant a lot to me to be able to race there in NASCAR. Indy really means a lot to me. A lot of my racing heroes growing up raced there and just knowing that I’ve had enough success in my career to be able to race at a track as historic as Indy is unbelievable. So many people work really hard to get there and it’s really something special to be able to do it.

“Winning at Indianapolis would be unbelievable and getting my first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at that track would be the most amazing thing I can imagine. I think this No. 43 Valvoline team has a legitimate shot at it too. We’re headed in the right direction, for sure, and I have all the faith in the world in Mike Shiplett and my crew that they’ve got a fast racecar ready for this weekend. Hopefully we’ll qualify up front and stay there all day Sunday.”

Mike Shiplett on Indianapolis Motor Speedway: “Indianapolis is about getting off the corners—being able to be wide open off the corners because the track has such long straightaways. Track position is big. Qualifying is really important at Indy especially because you qualify Saturday morning. Qualifying starts at 10:10 a.m. CT so it’s about the only place all year where you want an early draw.

“The track is very weather sensitive so you can practice at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and at 4 o’clock in the afternoon the track is totally different and you’re fighting a totally different problem. It’s all about trying to understand what the weather is going to be like for the race and setting the car up the right way during practice.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis No. 276 for this weekend’s event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This car was run earlier this year at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway where Allmendinger was involved in a Lap 171 accident.

Notes: Allmendinger will spend Wednesday in Orlando, Fla. visiting the Home Theatre Leadership Council on behalf of sponsor Insignia. Allmendinger will meet with VIPs and Orlando area Best Buy pit crew.

Allmendinger is set to make his 100th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend in Indianapolis. Since he began his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career in 2007, Allmendinger has earned one pole position (Phoenix, 2010), one top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. He has led 43 laps in Cup Series competition.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Chicago Post-Race Quotes

KASEY KAHNE – No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion
Finished 6th

“It was a good team effort. We had good pit calls and good pit stops. We probably should have finished in fifth. It was a good effort. We got way too loose there at the center part of the race and it was tough to pass. The aero here is really difficult. All things considered I think it was a pretty good night. We probably could have finished a little higher, but I will take it.”

***

PAUL MENARD – No. 98 Moen/Menards Ford Fusion
Finished 10th
“It was solid. We were very close when we unloaded and did some little things all through practice that helped. We were able to run top-10 all night. It was pretty uneventful really, but we had a good Ford Fusion and I am really happy with that.”

***

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Geek Squad Ford Fusion
Finished 14th

“The last couple of years I have been here you get loose the beginning of the race and then as the night goes on it gets looser. We were just way too tight the whole time. I hit the wall there and got way tight off turn two and that hurt us for a little bit. The guys did a great job to get it back to pretty much where it was. We just were fighting tight all night and struggling with that. I will take finishing 14th. One of my goals the last 18 races is to be in the top-15 every race. If we do that I think we will keep making up points. We are going to have days like this, but to get a 14th out if it is good. I am proud of the guys. We all deserve better and we will keep working at it.”

***

ELLIOTT SADLER – No. 19 Stanley/ACE/CMN Ford Fusion
Finished 21st
“It was a great weekend for this No. 19 Stanley Ford team. We battled the car being tight throughout the race but it was a good night. I feel like we’re continuing to move in the right direction. This was a special weekend with the Children’s Miracle Network guests we had with us. I would have loved to have put this No. 19 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford in Victory Lane for them but it wasn’t our night. My guys worked really hard. I’m really proud of our team.”

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Chicago Results

LifeLock.com 400 Finishing Order
1. David Reutimann
2. Carl Edwards
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Jamie McMurray
6. Kasey Kahne
7. Jeff Burton
8. Denny Hamlin
9. Tony Stewart
10. Paul Menard
11. Martin Truex, Jr.
12. David Ragan
13. Matt Kenseth
14. AJ Allmendinger
15. Mark Martin
16. Juan Pablo Montoya
17. Kyle Busch
18. Brad Keselowski
19. Joey Logano
20. Regan Smith
21. Elliott Sadler
22. Ryan Newman
23. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
24. Sam Hornish, Jr.
25. Jimmie Johnson
26. Kurt Busch
27. Reed Sorenson
28. Marcos Ambrose
29. Bobby Labonte
30. Scott Speed
31. Travis Kvapil
32. David Gilliland
33. Kevin Conway
34. Kevin Harvick
35. Greg Biffle
36. David Stremme
37. Bill Elliott
38. Robby Gordon
39. Landon Cassill
40. Casey Mears
41. Mike Bliss
42. Max Papis
43. Joe Nemechek

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Chicago Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Geek Squad Ford Fusion


• AJ Allmendinger has made two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway
• Allmendinger has posted a 13th-place effort in both events in which he has competed at this track
• Allmendinger is currently 22nd in the NSCS driver point standings

AJ Allmendinger on Chicagoland Speedway: “I can’t wait to get to Chicagoland Speedway. We get closer and closer to a win every week with our No. 43 Ford Fusion and I feel like our mile and a half program is really solid. Last weekend was pretty disappointing because we had a pretty good string of consecutive top-15 finishes going and it hurt us in the points, for sure. But we’re not out. If we can get back to finishing inside the top 12 or so on a consistent basis I think we have the potential to get ourselves right back there in the hunt for a really respectable finish in the points.

“We had a goal prior to the start of the season to finish inside the top 15 in points, so while we would really like to be a part of the Chase, if we can get ourselves inside the top 15 by the end of the season, then I feel like it will have been a successful one for us. This is our first year under the Richard Petty Motorsports banner and a top-15 points finish this season would be a pretty good accomplishment for us. I think the most important thing for us right now is to get that first win. We’re so darn close every week and it’s frustrating but exciting all at the same time. We’ll get it; it’s just a matter of time.

“This week in Chicago we’ve got Geek Squad on the car. It’s the first time it’s been on the car this year and it looks really good. Best Buy does a great job of incorporating different areas of the company into the race program and that changes things up and makes it more exciting for us and the fans, I think.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis No. 288 for this weekend’s event at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. This car was run earlier this year at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Pocono (Penn.) Raceway.

Notes: Allmendinger will be one of four NASCAR drivers taking part in a Minnesota Motorsports Gives Back event this Thursday at Elko Speedway in Elko, Min. NASCAR drivers A.J. Allmendinger, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Jason Leffler will compete in a 20-lap match race on the high banked 3/8-mile oval, which will be turned into a dirt track for the month of July.

Minnesota Motorsports Gives Back is a partnership with most all of the Minnesota-based companies involved in NASCAR, including Best Buy, 3M, General Mills and Great Clips. All revenue from this event benefits a group of charities including Minnesota Returning Veterans Fund, Victory Junction Gang for Terminally Ill Children, Greg Biffle Foundation for Animals and the Clint Bowyer Foundation.

Allmendinger is set to make his 99th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend in Chicago. He is on track to reach the 100-race mark at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Daytona Race Recap

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 PVA Mission: ABLE Ford Fusion

• AJ Allmendinger started the Saturday night event at Daytona in the 21st position
• Allmendinger finished the event in the 36th position
• The California native holds down the 22nd position n the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: Following a slight delay caused by rain showers in the area, AJ Allmendinger took off from the 21st position for the start of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night. As the opening laps unfolded, Allmendinger reported his Ford Fusion was running good but he was feeling a slight right-side vibration. At the Lap 15 competition caution, the driver brought his No. 43 PVA Mission: ABLE Ford down pit road for four new tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.

By Lap 35, Allmendinger was making headway through the field and racing towards the top 15. Just as teammate Elliott Sadler was taking the lead at Lap 40, the No. 43 Ford shot up to the eighth position. The driver began feeling a right-side vibration again, but continued to run amongst the leaders. At the Lap 58 caution period, the team made a quick stop for four fresh tires and fuel. Fresh tires solved the vibration issue and Allmendinger was able to continue his charge to the front, restarting in the 10th position on Lap 63.

At Lap 66, Allmendinger’s Ford became loose in Turn 4, resulting in contact with the No. 18 car. The No. 43 spun towards the entrance of pit road and made contact with the inside wall. The RPM Ford suffered heavy damage to the left rear and the PVA crew worked to make the needed repairs to keep their driver from making a trip the garage.

Allmendinger was able to keep his Ford machine on track, but at Lap 90 the team made the decision to head to the garage for further repairs. The RPM crew quickly made more extensive repairs to the No. 43 Ford and by Lap 117, Allmendinger was back on track.
The driver avoided being involved in the late-race accident that took out over a dozen cars. It took a green-white-checkered sequence to end the 400-mile event and as the dust settled, Allmendinger and the No. 43 PVA Mission: ABLE team were left with a 36th-place result.

Allmendinger on the Daytona event: “Tonight was such a tough night. I want to thank my guys for sticking with it and never giving up. I want to run strong every week and just hate it for everyone involved that we didn’t have better results here tonight. The past six races we’ve been able to post top-15 finishes and I really wanted to give the PVA and everyone that supports our team and RPM another top finish tonight. We’ll put this behind us and get right back at it next week in Chicago.”

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Monday, July 5, 2010

Daytona II Post-Race Quotes

KASEY KAHNE – No. 9 Budweiser Armed Forces Ford Fusion
Finished 2nd
“Every time I looked up there was a crash going on it seemed like the last 30 laps there. We had a great run going with our Budweiser Armed Forces Ford Fusion. It would have been nice to get it into Victory Lane. It was still a good run for our Armed Forces car and the team did a good job. It’s another top five. I want to thank all of the men and women out there fighting for this country on Fourth of July weekend. It’s a great weekend and we’re happy as can be that we get to race and we love all of them.”

***

PAUL MENARD – No. 98 Quaker State/Menards Ford Fusion
Finished 18th
“Tonight ended up being a pretty wild night. The fans definitely got a good show. I’m proud of Slugger and the guys. They worked continuously to get our Ford Fusion handling better. I think we could have had a good finish, but it’s always a matter of being in the right place at the right time in these restrictor plate races and tonight just wasn’t our night. The guys worked hard for this top-20 finish and it certainly could have been a lot worse.”

***

ELLIOTT SADLER – No. 19 Air Force Ford Fusion
Finished 22nd

“This was definitely a disappointing day for this No. 19 Air Force team. We had an amazing Ford Fusion there in the early stages of this race. I just hate how the night ended. We were able to run up front and then fight back from some earlier damage. My guys worked so hard all weekend long and I’m really proud of them.”

***

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 PVA Mission: ABLE Ford Fusion
Finished 36th

“Tonight was such a tough night. I want to thank my guys for sticking with it and never giving up. I want to run strong every week and just hate it for everyone involved that we didn’t have better results here tonight. The past six races we’ve been able to post top-15 finishes and I really wanted to give the PVA and everyone that supports our team and RPM another top finish tonight. We’ll put this behind us and get right back at it next week in Chicago.”

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Daytona II Results

Coke Zero 400 Finishing Order
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
5. Jeff Burton
6. Carl Edwards
7. Kurt Busch
8. Reed Sorenson
9. Mike Bliss
10. Scott Speed
11. David Reutimann
12. Robby Gordon
13. Steve Park
14. Kevin Conway
15. Matt Kenseth
16. Bobby Labonte
17. Clint Bowyer
18. Paul Menard
19. JJ Yeley
20. Greg Biffle
21. Sam Hornish, Jr.
22. Elliott Sadler
23. Robert Richardson
24. Denny Hamlin
25. Tony Stewart
26. Ryan Newman
27. Juan Pablo Montoya
28. Mark Martin
29. Joey Logano
30. Brad Keselowski
31. Jimmie Johnson
32. Marcos Ambrose
33. Regan Smith
34. Travis Kvapil
35. Martin Truex, Jr.
36. AJ Allmendinger
37. David Stremme
38. David Ragan
39. Jamie McMurray
40. Kyle Busch
41. Joe Nemechek
42. Max Papis
43. Dave Blaney