Bristol II Race Recap

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion

· AJ Allmendinger started Saturday's event at Bristol Motor Speedway from the 10th spot
· Allmendinger finished the night in the 31st position
· The driver holds down 22nd place in the point standings as the series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up his No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion in the 10th position for the start of Saturday night's event at Bristol Motor Speedway, his fifth top-10 qualifying effort of the season and third in four weeks. Almost immediately after the drop of the green flag, he radioed to crew chief Mike Shiplett that the car was extremely loose.

Allmendinger remained in the top 15 as the first caution flag of the evening flew at Lap 57. Shiplett called his driver into the pits for four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment and the crew sent him back out to the track for the Lap 62 restart in the 16th spot after several teams opted for only two fresh tires.

Allmendinger continued to struggle with his race car and sustained damage to the rear of the car just past the halfway point. Extra time in the pits was needed to repair the damage and Allmendinger went one lap down during the process. At the halfway point of the race, the No. 43 machine stood in the 29th position. Shiplett and his Valvoline crew never gave up and worked hard to get the handling of the car more to Allmendinger's liking throughout the remainder of the race, but could never quite get it to where it needed to be.

When the checkered flag flew after a long night at Bristol Motor Speedway, Allmendinger held down 31st place. The driver remains in the 22nd place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway in two weeks.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Bristol II Race Results

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

Bristol II Post-Qualifying Quotes

AJ ALLMENDINGER - No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion
Qualified 10th
"Actually, when I got out of the car I thought we were gonna be worse than that from where we're sitting now. The car is fast, but it was just a rough day. I guess it's a rough and good day. When you spin out twice at Bristol and only have slight right-rear damage, I guess it could be a lot worse. The track is just really tricky right now. I don't know if it's the tires or what. It's one of those Catch-22s, the thing is a handful to drive but really fast, and then we make it better to drive and we're really slow. It's just a frustrating day, but the guys did a good job to make up for it and keep digging. I think the guys had a better day than the driver."

***

KASEY KAHNE - No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion
Qualified 11th
"The track and the grip changes a little bit with the sun and the shade, but the track is actually pretty good. There was a little more grip there then there was in practice and we made some gains, so it was decent for our Budweiser Ford. Hopefully, it will run better tomorrow."

***

PAUL MENARD - No. 98 Menards Ford Fusion
Qualified 12th
"It was good. We had a lot more grip than we had earlier. It would have been better but I got tight off four and when I throttled up it snapped loose on me. Still, it was a lot better than we were in practice for sure."

Credit - Ford Racing

Bristol II Qualifying Results

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

Bristol II Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion

· AJ Allmendinger has made six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at BMS
· Allmendinger finished 17th on the .533-mile track in March
· AJ Allmendinger made his NSCS debut in the spring race at BMS in 2007

AJ Allmendinger on Bristol Motor Speedway: "Bristol is really a unique track. You've got to be ready for anything at Bristol and that's what keeps the drivers, crew members and fans all on the edge of their seats the whole time. There's no down time during that one—it's all out racing for 500 laps and you're not just racing the other 42 cars, you're racing the track as well. You have to be focused and ready to take evasive action the entire time. I love to get out there and know that every move I make on the track is important. Track position is so vital too. I'll depend on my Valvoline crew to get me in and out of the pits quickly. Any lost time on pit road means I've got to find a way to make it up on the track and that can prove to be pretty difficult sometimes. Luckily, I've got a great pit crew."

Crew Chief Mike Shiplett's Thoughts on Bristol: "Bristol is a great track for the fans and I always look forward to getting there. At a place like that, you can almost throw aerodynamics out the window. The focus is purely on handling and what we can do to get this No. 43 Valvoline Ford driving good for AJ. It's a challenging track and it always feels good to walk out of there with a good finish. It means the crew has done what they needed to do, the driver was on top of his game and you probably had a bit of luck on your side. We're hoping we're successful in all three of those areas this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway."

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis No. 265 for this weekend's event at Bristol Motor Speedway. This car was run on one other occasion this season when the team utilized it for the spring event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Allmendinger finished sixth in that event.

Notes: Hauler driver Jeff Icenhour, along with his Richard Petty Motorsports transport driver comrades Bill Peters (98), Paul Icenhour (19) and Chris Sweeney (9), are scheduled to take part in the annual Bristol Motor Speedway hauler parade on Thursday evening. The 10-mile parade starts at 9 p.m. ET at the Bristol Mall, following completion of downtown Bristol's Food City Race Night. More than 60 haulers then will make their way from the mall down Volunteer Parkway to BMS.

The Valvoline colors will be showcased on the No. 43 Ford Fusion this weekend in Bristol. Valvoline has been featured on the car on several occasions this season. Valvoline, a division of Ashland Inc., serves more than 100 countries worldwide and is a leading marketer, distributor and producer of quality branded automotive and industrial products and services. For more information about Valvoline and its products, please visit www.valvoline.com.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Michigan II Race Recap

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion

• AJ Allmendinger started Sunday's event at Michigan International Speedway from the 16th spot
• Allmendinger finished the event in 17th place
• The driver holds down 22nd position in the driver point standings as the series returns to Bristol Motor Speedway

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up his No. 43 Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion in the 16th position for the start of Sunday's event at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Mich., and let his team know in the early laps that his car was tight in the middle of the corners and loose off.

The first pit stop of the day came under green flag conditions on Lap 36 and crew chief Mike Shiplett called for four fresh tires, with air pressure adjustments and fuel. Allmendinger lined up for the restart in the 15th position and almost immediately radioed to Shiplett that his Insignia HDTV Ford was much too loose. A brief yellow flag for rain enabled Shiplett to make a wedge adjustment in an effort to tighten up the car.

Allmendinger remained in the top 20 for most of the race despite struggling with the handling of the car and the track's changing conditions.Shiplett continued to make changes to the Ford Fusion at every opportunity, but Allmendinger's machine stayed on the loose side. After a four-tire stop when the first 12 cars stayed on the track, the No. 43 car lined up for the lap-172 restart in the 22nd position.

The Los Gatos, Calif.-native fought hard in the closing laps and despite slight contact with the No. 77 that resulted in a tire rub for several laps, crossed the finish line in 18th place.

Allmendinger remains in the 22nd place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings heading to next week's Saturday night race at Bristol (Tenn.) Speedway.

Allmendinger on the Michigan International Speedway Event: "I was hoping we would have a much better day than that. We struggled with the handling of the car for most of the race and I struggled a bit finding the best line on the track at times too. Our Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion was really loose for most of the race. We had a couple of runs where we were just out of control. Mike and the guys worked hard to make it better, but we could never get it exactly where we needed it to be. Michigan has never been a place I've run really well at but hopefully we've learned some things that we can take away for next year."

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Michigan II Race Results

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

Michigan II Post-Qualifying Quotes

KASEY KAHNE, No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion
Qualified 1st
"It was a good lap. It felt really good. I blew through turns one and two and felt really good. I got to turn three and I wasn't too sure. I pushed the nose and little. I felt like one and two was where we got the pole because we were really good there. I didn't really think it was a pole lap though. I was dominant until I got to three but then I felt that I wasn't too great in turn three. I figured it would be a pretty decent lap but not pole, but then it turned out it was. I think it just shows how good our Budweiser Ford was in one and two because that is where we got all the time."

***

PAUL MENARD, No. 98 Menards Ford Fusion
Qualified 10th
"That will probably be a top-15 or something like that. The pole is going to be quite a bit faster than that. I kind of butchered one and two and we struggled in three and four in practice but we improved on that. I just messed up one and two which cost us."

***

AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 16th
"That lap sucked. We just can't figure out qualifying trim right now. That lap just wasn't very good. There is not much I can say about it. I don't even think it will be a top-20. The car was good in the race trim though so I think we have that figured out. It is weird because we really struggled with the seams on the race track in three and four. We would kind of get hooked on a seam and weren't able to get off of it."

Credit - Ford Racing

Michigan II Qualifying Results

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

Michigan II Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion

· AJ Allmendinger has made six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway
· Allmendinger scored his best finish (11th) on the 2.0-mile track in June
· The driver is currently 22nd in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

AJ Allmendinger on Michigan International Speedway: "We love racing in Ford's backyard. It gives us the chance to be able to thank them for everything they do for us and it means a lot to us to be able to do that for all of our partners. It would be pretty great to win my first race with everyone from Ford looking on.

"Until last weekend at Watkins Glen International, we felt like we hadn't run as well as we would have liked the past couple of weeks. We were pretty happy with our performance for a while and then we ran into a stretch of races where we just weren't as competitive as we needed to be. Mike Shiplett, the Insignia crew and I are working hard to figure out what we need to do differently and we're happy to be headed back to a track where we ran well earlier this year. We want to be one of the strongest Ford teams and we won't be happy until we get there. After that finish last weekend, we've got some momentum on our side. Hopefully we can continue that success this weekend on the oval in Michigan."

Crew Chief Mike Shiplett's Thoughts on Michigan International Speedway: "Michigan is a fast and wide track. It has multiple grooves and that helps if your car isn't handling the way you would like. At Michigan, the driver is able to move around a bit until he figures out what works best. We had some success at this track back in June and I think the opportunity to go back a second time around and to be able to utilize our notes and the notes of all of our teammates will really help us step up to the next level at this track this weekend. We struggled with a loose race car in the middle stages of the race, so we'll obviously concentrate on making sure that doesn't happen again, because we lost a lot of ground for a while. We hit on some things late in the race that helped, but we need to make sure the car stays consistent throughout the en-tire race and that AJ is happy with the way our Insignia HDTV handles throughout."

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 Michigan International Speedway. This car has been run on quite a few occasions this season. Most recently the No. 43 team utilized this car for the event at Chicagoland Speedway. It also saw action at the first Pocono (Pa.) Raceway event, Dover (Del.) International Raceway and at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Allmendinger finished inside the top 15 in three of those four events.

Notes: AJ Allmendinger posted the team's best finish of the season last weekend at Watkins Glen International. He also earned his best career result at Michigan International Speedway back in June when he crossed the finish line in 11th.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Watkins Glen Race Review

AJ ALLMENDINGER • No. 43 Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion

•AJ Allmendinger started Sunday’s event at Watkins Glen International in the fourth position
•Allmendinger finished the event in fourth place
•The driver holds down 22nd position in the driver point standings as the series returns to Michigan

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up his No. 43 Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion in the fourth position for the start of Sunday’s event at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y. and wasted no time making his way to the front. Allmendinger moved into third by the second lap of the race and then into the second spot when he made the move to pass the No. 1 car for second place on Lap nine.

Allmendinger let his Insignia HDTV crew know that his Ford Fusion was pretty good overall, but he needed a bit of help with rear grip. Crew chief Mike Shiplett called for four fresh tires and fuel during the first pit stop of the day, which came at Lap 28 of the 90-lap event. A slight problem with the rear tires resulted in several lost spots in the pits but Allmendinger returned to the track in the fourth position.

Allmendinger remained in the fourth spot at the halfway point of the race and communicated to the crew that forward bite was the biggest issue they were fighting. A Lap 59 pit stop enabled Shiplett to address that issue with four fresh tires and fuel and Shiplett let his driver know that barring unforeseen circumstances, that would be the last pit stop of the day.

Allmendinger maintained his position inside the top five for the remainder of the race and took the checkered flag in the fourth spot. The fourth-place effort was the best finish ever by a Best Buy sponsored car. It was the season’s best finish thus far and the fourth top-10 finish for the No. 43 team this year. Allmendinger remains in the 22nd position in the points standings heading back to Michigan International Speedway.

Allmendinger on the Watkins Glen Event: “I am proud of everybody with the Insignia Best Buy Ford. The car was really strong all day. We didn’t have anything for the 42, he was on another planet. It was a solid day. It was a good day in the pits. We need to build on this. It is really cool to sign a multi-year deal and have a great weekend. I am proud of everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports and at Ford. It was a great week last week getting a win and this week a lot of us were strong. I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Watkins Glen Post-Race Quotes

AJ ALLMENDINGER - No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 4th
"I am proud of everybody with the Insignia Best Buy Ford. The car was really strong all day. We didn't have anything for the 42, he was on another planet. It felt like if we got around the 2 on the restart and the 47 was fading at the end, I am not sure what was happening there, I felt like maybe we had something for them. It was a solid day. It was a good day in the pits. We need to build on this. It is really cool to sign a multi-year deal and have a great weekend.

YOU WERE BATTLING A LOT WITH CARL TODAY, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? "He is tough. He is great on these road courses and doesn't make a lot of mistakes. If I hit a perfect lap I could stretch him and then I may just give a little bit and he would close so much. It was tough because we were all sliding around there at the end. I am proud of everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports and at Ford. It was a great week last week getting a win and this week a lot of us were strong. I am looking forward to the rest of the season.

Credit - Ford Racing

Watkins Glen Race Results

Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips
At the Glen Finishing Order
1. Juan Pablo Montoya
2. Kurt Busch
3. Marcos Ambrose
4. AJ Allmendinger
5. Carl Edwards
6. Jamie McMurray
7. Tony Stewart
8. Kyle Busch
9. Jeff Burton
10. Jeff Gordon
11. Kevin Harvick
12. Ryan Newman
13. Matt Kenseth
14. Sam Hornish, Jr.
15. Martin Truex, Jr.
16. Paul Menard
17. Kasey Kahne
18. Andy Lally
19. Mark Martin
20. Brad Keselowski
21. Patrick Carpentier
22. Max Papis
23. David Reutimann
24. Greg Biffle
25. David Ragan
26. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
27. David Gilliland
28. Jimmie Johnson
29. Elliott Sadler
30. Travis Kvapil
31. Kevin Conway
32. Clint Bowyer
33. Joey Logano
34. Regan Smith
35. Bobby Labonte
36. Robby Gordon
37. Denny Hamlin
38. Boris Said
39. Joe Nemechek
40. Ron Fellows
41. PJ Jones
42. Michael McDowell
43. Scott Speed

Watkins Glen Post-Qualifying Quotes

AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 4th
"It was good. When you get these one lap deals on a road course you are more concerned with messing it up than you are putting together a perfect lap. I felt like I got everything out of it that I could. To be that close to Juan and the pole at that point is good. I don't know where it will put us when we are done but I'm hoping for a top-10. When you are that close, you always think you might have been able to get a little bit more, but I'm really happy with it."

***

PAUL MENARD, No. 98 Menards Ford Fusion
Qualified 23rd
"I felt we could have been a little faster. We slowed down a tenth from yesterday but a lot of people have slowed down from yesterday. The biggest thing we are fighting right now is a brake issue we are trying to get worked out."

***

ELLIOTT SADLER, No. 19 Stanley Ford Fusion
Qualified 38th
“It wasn't a very good lap. We've been struggling quite a bit this weekend. I've never really been this far off at a road course so we will continue working on it and try to get better. The good thing is that we have 90 or so laps on Sunday to make up some spots."

Credit - Ford Racing

Watkins Glen Qualifying Results

Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips
At the Glen Race Lineup
1. Carl Edwards
2. Jamie McMurray
3. Juan Pablo Montoya
4. AJ Allmendinger
5. Kurt Busch
6. Tony Stewart
7. Greg Biffle
8. Scott Speed
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Kyle Busch
11. Marcos Ambrose
12. Sam Hornish, Jr.
13. Boris Said
14. Denny Hamlin
15. Robby Gordon
16. Jeff Gordon
17. Patrick Carpentier
18. Joey Logano
19. Ryan Newman
20. Kevin Harvick
21. Ron Fellows
22. Jeff Burton
23. Paul Menard
24. Mark Martin
25. Martin Truex, Jr.
26. Michael McDowell
27. Regan Smith
28. Max Papis
29. Bobby Labonte
30. David Reutimann
31. Matt Kenseth
32. Brad Keselowski
33. Andy Lally
34. Clint Bowyer
35. David Ragan
36. Kasey Kahne
37. Joe Nemechek
38. Elliott Sadler
39. PJ Jones
40. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
41. Travis Kvapil
42. Kevin Conway
43. David Gilliland
DNQ JJ Yeley
DNQ Dave Blaney
DNQ Tony Ave

Watkins Glen Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion

• AJ Allmendinger has made two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen International
• Allmendinger has posted top-15 finishes in both events run at the 2.45-mile road course
• The driver is currently 22nd in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

AJ Allmendinger on Watkins Glen International: “We had a pretty good car in Sonoma and if not for some problems right in the beginning of the race, there’s no telling what we could have done. We came from a long way back to finish in the top 15, so we’re hopeful we’ve got a top five or top-10 run in us this weekend.

“Mike Shiplett and the guys work so hard and we just want to get into victory lane so badly. I like racing at Watkins Glen and have had some success there in the past, so we’re looking for good things from our Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion this weekend. Horsepower is big at this track and I know we’ve got good power under the hood, so we’re in good shape there. The rest of it is in our hands and we’re excited about what we think we can do.”

Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on Watkins Glen International: “There are a couple of less desirable pit stalls on pit road because there’s a big hill, so you want to try to avoid that by getting in a good qualifying run and having as many options available to you as possible when you pick pits. Strategy at Watkins Glen is just like any other road course. It’s just hoping you pit on the right lap, that cautions fall your way and you get good fuel mileage for the end of the race. It’s not as much of a fuel mileage race as Infineon Raceway is, so fuel mileage isn’t as huge a deal, but it’s still pretty important. You’re more focused on power there because you’ve got some long straight-aways to be able to use a lot of power. The big thing there is getting through what we call turn five—the carousel turn— to get a good run going into the last two of corners. You need to get a good run off the last turn so you get into position going into turn one so you can get into position going up into the esses.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team led by crew chief Mike Shiplett has prepared chassis No. 257 for this weekend’s event at Watkins Glen International. The team last utilized this chassis for the event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., where Allmendinger qualified 15th and drove to a 13th-place finish.

Notes: The Paralyzed Veterans of America’s new initiative Mission: ABLE will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 43 Ford this weekend. The PVA is the nation’s leading veteran organization and its national network provides comprehensive support for veterans. Mission: ABLE focuses on programs to ensure veterans are able to receive the benefits they’ve earned, have access the quality of care they need to live a full life, get job training and opportunities for new careers and are able to enjoy competition and camaraderie though sports.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Pocono II Post-Race Quotes

PAUL MENARD – No. 98 CertainTeed/Menards Ford Fusion
Finished 13th
“Track position was big. We fought that all day, so we took two tires at the end and that was probably the best the car had been all day. That decision really had more to do with the rain and track position and was pretty big.”

***

KASEY KAHNE – No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion
Finished 19th
(No quote given)

***

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion
Finished 24th
“Unfortunately, we fought the car being tight today and didn’t get the result we’d hoped for. We finished in the top-10 here in June and I really wanted to improve on that finish. I’m proud of (Mike) Shiplett and the guys. I know they’re all working really hard.”

***

ELLIOTT SADLER – No. 19 Air Force Ford Fusion
Finished 34th
“I’m fine. I’m okay. I’m a little sore, I think, from where the belts grabbed me. It knocked the breath out of me pretty good, but it’s definitely the hardest hit I’ve ever had in a race car. These new cars are built to be safer and if I can get out of that and walk through that, I think it did its job. It’s not the day we wanted to have with the U.S. Air Force Ford. It’s just a tough day.”

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Pocono II Results

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