Richmond Race Preview

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 NAUTICA Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 15th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (eighth) at Richmond came in last year’s fall race

Allmendinger on Richmond International Raceway: “Richmond is completely opposite from racing at Talladega two weeks ago. We go from one of the largest tracks back to short-track racing. I had a strong car at Talladega, was able to avoid the big wrecks, and came home with a decent finish. After having an off-weekend last week I’m ready to get back to the race track this weekend at Richmond.

“Racing under the lights is always exciting and the fans are going to see the sparks fly this Saturday night. Richmond is such a cool place to race at and we have a new sponsor on board this weekend with NAUTICA, so I’m really looking forward to putting on a good show for them and the fans.”

Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Keys to Getting Around Richmond: “There will be a lot of action on Saturday night in Richmond. We will have to work on forward bite all night and try to keep the No. 43 NAUTICA Ford Fusion turning in the center of the corner. This is one of the hardest tracks on the brakes because you carry so much speed into the corners. It’s hard to keep the front end low to make the turn and there is little time for the brakes to cool down.”

Shiplett on Pit Stops at Richmond: “Pit road at Richmond is tough. The pit stalls are really small and it’s easy to get into trouble on pit road. We need to qualify up front to get a pit box in Turn 1 and we need to have solid pit stops all night.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 736 for this weekend’s event at Richmond International Raceway. This NAUTICA Ford has been run previously this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Notes: Allmendinger has eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond International Raceway. Allmendinger’s best starting position (third) and finishing position (eighth) came in last year’s fall event at the .75-mile track. He has completed 2,990 of 3,210 laps attempted at the oval, leading one of them.

Allmendinger’s car will have a different look this weekend as NAUTICA, a part of VF Corporation and a leader in branded quality apparel, will serve as primary sponsor of Richard Petty Motorsports’ famed No. 43 Ford Fusion for Saturday evening’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.

Can't get enough of the Dinger? AJ will visit the Ford Display on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. for a 15 minute Q-and-A session.

Allmendinger will make an appearance at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Va., Thursday from 2-4 p.m. in conjunction with the Paralyzed Veterans of America. While at the medical center, Allmendinger will visit with veterans in the Spinal Cord Injury Unit, as well as participate in an autograph and photo session.

Did you vote today? Vote your favorite RPM driver into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 21, via the Sprint Fan Vote. Cast your vote at www.nascar.com/promos/allstar/ or on your Sprint phone. Voting ends at 5 p.m. ET on May 21. Voting is limited to once per hour.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR