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