Richmond II Race Recap

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion

■AJ Allmendinger started Saturday’s event at Richmond International Raceway from the third position
■Allmendinger brought home an eighth-place finish
■The driver holds down the 22nd place in the point standings with 10 races remaining in the season

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger took off from the third position in Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway. The No. 43 Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion was fast from the drop of the green flag. In the opening laps of the scheduled 400-lap event, the driver was door-to-door around the .75-mile track battling for the second position.

The California native was one of the fastest cars on track and held track position in the top-five throughout the race’s first 100 laps. The driver relayed to crew chief Mike Shiplett that his Ford Fusion was beginning to tighten up as the night progressed to the halfway point.

The Richard Petty Motorsports crew took advantage of the first two caution periods to make slight air pressure adjustments to help the handling of the Ford machine and keep the driver in the top five. With the event nearing the Lap 300 mark, Allmendinger reported that he needed more grip. The crew was able to deliver fast pit stops all night and made only minimal adjustments to the car throughout the event. Allmendinger kept his Insignia HDTV Ford Fusion in the top 10 for the remainder of evening.

When the checkered flag dropped, the driver was running in the eighth position. The top-10 finish is Allmendinger’s best finish in eight starts at the Richmond-area track and the team’s fifth top-10 run of the season. The No. 43 team was also the top finishing Ford Racing team.

Allmendinger on the Richmond Event: “My guys worked really hard tonight. I definitely feel like I've learned how to drive around this track a little better. This-top 10 finish is my best finish here. This Insignia HDTV team never gives up. There are 10 races left in the season and to me that means 10 more chances to make it to Victory Lane."

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR