Bristol Race Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made seven starts at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger enters Bristol in ninth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger will make his 120th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend

Allmendinger on Bristol Motor Speedway: “Bristol is one of my favorite places to go. I love that place, but it hasn’t been kind to us lately. It’s a fast little half-mile track and it always has a big crowd full of excitement. I feel like we’ve got a really good short track program and I feel like Bristol is going to be a lot better for us this year. To be ninth in the points after the first three races is a great feeling. Now if we can go to Bristol and have another Top-10 finish, that will be another step in the right direction.”

Spotter Tony Hirschman on Spotting at Bristol: “Bristol is one of the hardest tracks to spot at, especially since they reconfigured it with progressive banking. Everyone used to fight for the bottom of the track and now the car can run on the bottom, middle or top grooves of the track with success. A big part of my job at Bristol is to let AJ know who is running where and to try and keep him up-to-date on where the fastest cars are running. I also have to watch out for trouble ahead. Bristol is so fast and everything happens so quick, you can be a straightaway behind the start of an accident and still get swept up in it. I just have to be on my toes every second of every lap. It feels like I never really get a break, so it's one of the more mentally taxing races that I spot. If I can help get AJ through the race with the Best Buy Ford intact and he comes home with a good finish, it's especially satisfying. There is such a fine line when racing at Bristol, the driver has to race aggressively because that's the nature of the track, but yet still take care of the car for all 500 laps so he still has something to race at the end. That's the main thing that I try to remind AJ of all day long.”

Hirschman on Working with Allmendinger: “This is the third year I've worked with AJ. We started working together in 2009 and I really enjoy working with him. One thing I can always say is that he gives 100 percent every single lap. He's not out there to just ride and make laps, he’s out there to pick up positions and win races. AJ and I have a great working relationship, it's been rewarding to watch him mature as a driver over the last three seasons. I look forward to continued progression as a team and getting our first win together. We've improved every year in the points and we’re all looking at the big picture. We want to be in contention for the Chase, and I think that is a realistic goal for all of us on the No. 43 Best Buy team.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 710 for this weekend’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway. This will be the first time this Best Buy Ford has been run in 2011.

Notes: Allmendinger has seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at BMS and has completed 3,247 of 3,507 laps at the .533- mile concrete oval. Allmendinger enters Bristol in ninth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.

Voting is under way to determine the 2011 NASCAR Wheaties Fuel Most Popular Driver. Vote for your favorite RPM driver at www.WheatiesFuelMostPopularDriver.com. The 10-week playoff format will return, with the top 10 vote-getters competing for top accolades at the season’s end. Fans can vote once a day for their favorite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.

Fun Fact: Bristol Motor Speedway is known for its unique driver introductions. Each driver will be introduced to the crowd with a song of his choice playing in the background. Allmendinger has chosen the song “Turn Around” by Flo Rida for his introduction.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR