AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger started on the front row in the 2nd position at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday night
• Allmendinger wheeled his way to a fifth-place finishing position
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 13th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up on the front row for the second consecutive points race on Sunday evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway and made it clear early on that he was going to be a force with which to be reckoned.
Early in the 600-mile event, Allmendinger communicated to Crew Chief Mike Shiplett that the car was a little tight. The first pit stop of the night came at Lap 44 and quick pit work and a fast car enabled Allmendinger to take the lead at Lap 48 and hold onto it for the next four laps. The U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion remained on the tight side, so Shiplett called for air pressure and chassis adjustments during a stop under caution at Lap 71. There were several different tire strategies occurring throughout the field for most of the night and after settling in behind those teams who took just two tires, Allmendinger lined up for the restart in seventh.
As the 1.5-mile track became shaded, the No. 43 entry became tighter. Despite that, Allmendinger was able to hold on to a position inside the top 10 for much of the event. At the halfway point, the California native held down the fourth spot.
A caution flag at Lap 233 set off another round of pit stops. Several cars chose to stay on the track and after taking on only right side tires, the U.S. Air Force Ford lined up for the Lap 238 restart in the 12th position.
Mired back in traffic, Allmendinger found that his car was much too tight, but he held on to a position inside the top 10. A caution flag flew just after the No. 43 team had performed a four-tire stop at Lap 280, but before the entire field had stopped. Like many competitors, the No. 43 team chose to take the wave around to get back on the lead lap and lined up in the 18th spot for the restart at Lap 287.
Allmendinger was running 10th with just under 100 laps remaining in the marathon event. By staying out during a Lap 303 caution period, Allmendinger made his way into the fourth position for the Lap 311 green flag. The team was forced to give up track position and pit for four tires, fuel and a slight chassis adjustment to keep up with the changing track, and at Lap 323, held down 17th.
Allmendinger remained patient in traffic and slowly but surely began to make his way back toward the front of the field, all the while working to save fuel so the team could make it to the end of the race without having to make a late pit stop. When the engine of the No. 48 car expired with four laps remaining in the event and brought out the caution flag, Shiplett called his driver into his pit stall for right side tires and a splash of fuel. Several competitors opted to take their chances and when the green flag flew for a green-white-checkered-flag finish, one by one, those cars that stayed out began to run out of fuel. Managing to avoid hitting any of the cars slowing on track, Allmendinger drove to the finish line for a fifth-place finish. It was the team’s first Top-five effort of the season.
After posting his first Top-five and third Top-10 finish of the 2011 campaign, Allmendinger gained three positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He now sits in 13th place heading into Kansas Speedway next weekend.
For his part in the Top-five finish, Mike Shiplett was awarded the DIRECTV crew chief of the race award.
Allmendinger’s Thoughts: Our fuel mileage wasn’t that good, so that whole last run we were saving. It was funny because the fuel numbers kept changing because we were 10 laps short, then we were two laps short, and then we were gonna run out coming to the checkered. At that point, I was happy when it stayed green and made it on fuel, and then on that last restart we came in and were just hanging out that point. You just hope you don’t get into guys that run out of fuel. I had a great restart and split the middle. The 31 just completely ran out and the 99 got into him. I checked up and it was pretty insane. You were just hoping two or three more laps would be run at that point, but a top five is way better than we’ve been on a mile-and-a-half all year. The U.S Air Force Ford was quick all day. Track position was so key. We showed once we got up there and ran second or third that nobody could run with us, except the 9 and the 99, so we’ll take it.”
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
Monday, May 30, 2011
Charlotte Post-Race Quotes
AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion
Finished 5th
“Our fuel mileage wasn’t that good, so that whole last run we were saving. It was funny because the fuel numbers kept changing because we were 10 laps short, then we were two laps short, and then we were gonna run out coming to the checkered. At that point, I was happy when it stayed green and made it on fuel, and then on that last restart we came in and were just hanging out that point. You just hope you don’t get into guys that run out of fuel. I had a great restart and split the middle. The 31 just completely ran out and the 99 got into him. I checked up and it was pretty insane.”
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? “You were just hoping two or three more laps would be run at that point, but a top five is way better than we’ve been on a mile-and-a-half all year. The U.S Air Force Ford was quick all day. Track position was so key. We showed once we got up there and ran second or third that nobody could run with us, except the 9 and the 99, so we’ll take it.”
***
MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 DeWalt Ford Fusion
Finished 6th
“I’m just really proud of my DeWalt team tonight. We had a really fast car. We really ran at the front and led some laps, so it was an awesome experience to be a part of, but it just didn’t go our way. We had a loose wheel and got off sequence, but we fought and fought and got ourselves back up into a good top-10 finish.”
WAS IT A LONG NIGHT? “It was a long night. That’s the longest race I’ve ever been a part of, I can tell you that, without switching drivers around. It’s just a big thrill to finish one. This is my third try and I hadn’t finished one, so I’m proud of my team and proud of our record.”
A GOOD NIGHT FOR RPM? “Awesome. AJ and I are getting on great. We’re racing well together. It’s our best finish as a team this year and I think it’s a sign of things to come.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Finished 5th
“Our fuel mileage wasn’t that good, so that whole last run we were saving. It was funny because the fuel numbers kept changing because we were 10 laps short, then we were two laps short, and then we were gonna run out coming to the checkered. At that point, I was happy when it stayed green and made it on fuel, and then on that last restart we came in and were just hanging out that point. You just hope you don’t get into guys that run out of fuel. I had a great restart and split the middle. The 31 just completely ran out and the 99 got into him. I checked up and it was pretty insane.”
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? “You were just hoping two or three more laps would be run at that point, but a top five is way better than we’ve been on a mile-and-a-half all year. The U.S Air Force Ford was quick all day. Track position was so key. We showed once we got up there and ran second or third that nobody could run with us, except the 9 and the 99, so we’ll take it.”
***
MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 DeWalt Ford Fusion
Finished 6th
“I’m just really proud of my DeWalt team tonight. We had a really fast car. We really ran at the front and led some laps, so it was an awesome experience to be a part of, but it just didn’t go our way. We had a loose wheel and got off sequence, but we fought and fought and got ourselves back up into a good top-10 finish.”
WAS IT A LONG NIGHT? “It was a long night. That’s the longest race I’ve ever been a part of, I can tell you that, without switching drivers around. It’s just a big thrill to finish one. This is my third try and I hadn’t finished one, so I’m proud of my team and proud of our record.”
A GOOD NIGHT FOR RPM? “Awesome. AJ and I are getting on great. We’re racing well together. It’s our best finish as a team this year and I think it’s a sign of things to come.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Friday, May 27, 2011
Charlotte Qualifying Quotes & Press Conference Transcript
AJ ALLMENDINGER - No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion
Qualified 2nd
"The U.S. Air Force Ford is really quick. I'm proud of Mike Shiplett and all the guys and I think we've got a good race car. The mile and a half program hasn't been our best. We've been struggling with it a little bit and haven't been as good as our teammate, Marcos, and a lot of the Fords, so I thought last week in the All-Star Race we got better. We still weren't as good as we wanted to be, but we learned some things. We came back here with a different plan to work on setup and, so far, at least in qualifying trim, it was pretty good. That will at least get us in the top five or top six, which, for 600 miles it doesn't really matter at that point. You just want to start up front and now we've got to work on Saturday to make the car better and then stay there on Sunday."
***
MARCOS AMBROSE - No. 9 DeWalt Ford Fusion
Qualified 24th
"We're just gonna pay the price. We're not gonna qualify well. We just didn't get it right this afternoon when the track was hot and it is what it is. It's a long race, but every spot counts."
***
AJ ALLMENDINGER AND CARL EDWARDS PRESS CONFERENCE:
AJ ALLMENDINGER - No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion
"I'm really happy with the race team and everybody over at Richard Petty Motorsports and Ford in general. Our mile-and-a-half program for myself on the 43 side of it, that's probably been our Achilles heel just over the last year struggling a little bit to get the right package. I felt like the All-Star Race last week was a good building block for us. We weren't quite as good as we wanted to be and went here today with a little bit of a new package and been pretty quick all day in qualifying trim. For me, I got everything I could out of that lap. There wasn't much more that I could have gotten, so I was proud of the lap, proud of everybody on the team and hopefully Saturday we get here and build on a good setup and have a good race on Sunday."
CARL EDWARDS - No. 99 Scotts EZ Seed Ford Fusion
"The car is very good. Bob and I were a little frustrated with our lap and then we realized that's OK to qualify third considering where we were a year ago. I think AJ said it well. We've been working hard at all of this stuff and the cars are fast. I think at least one of those Fords is gonna be a threat to win on Sunday, so I hope it's our Ford. It looks like we've got a great start."
ALLMENDINGER INTERJECTS:
"If you win, will you spin out through the grass again?" CARL SAYS: "No. I don't want to have to deal with Jack."
ALLMENDINGER CONTINUED
YOU WERE INTENTLY WATCHING THE END OF QUALIFYING. DID YOU THINK THE 21 HAD SOMETHING TO KNOCK YOU GUYS DOWN?
"That 21 car has obviously been fast all year with Trevor and now with Ricky in it. He was 12th in practice and with everything that happened in qualifying, it's been 20-25 minutes since we were out there and the track is cooling down a lot, so he had a shot at it. I've been in that position before, where you know you have a good car but you still have to make the race, but he had a chance at it."
EDWARDS CONTINUED
"I was getting ready to walk in and I met AJ outside and he said, 'You're gonna go in there? Ricky still has to go.' So I figured I would walk all the way down here and then he would knock me out of the top three and I'd have to walk back to the motorhome, so I was kind of curious to see if was gonna embarrass me or not. He almost got it, too. I think if he had another shot at it, he could be on the pole."
ALLMENDINGER CONTINUED
CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW MUCH OF WHAT YOU DO IS INSTINCT WITH THE TRACK COOLING DOWN AND YOU TAKE IT IN THE TURN DEEP?
"That's the difference is I don't trust myself at all, so that's the problem when I sail it down in there (joking). You sit there and you watch all the lap times and in practice you think you're going as fast as you can and you're looking at everybody run and they're running six or seven-tenths quicker than they run in practice, so it's tough. You've got to go down there and hope it sticks. I think last year I ran a .20 in Showdown qualifying, so at that point I kind of knew what that was supposed to feel like and what I had to run. It's fun going out there and knowing if you hit it right, you have a chance to be on the pole. I spent a couple years knowing that I didn't have a chance to be on the pole, so it's a lot more fun like this."
CARL EDWARDS CONTINUED
HOW STRANGE IS IT TO HAVE THE UP AND DOWN SWINGS YOU'VE HAD THE LAST FEW YEARS?
"I don't know exactly what you're asking, but I agree with you, it is kind of weird. I don't like it. I like this part. I don't like the 72 races without winning, but it is kind of interesting because myself, along with you guys and everybody else, you look for reasons for that and it's tough to find them. It's like I got married and then everybody said, 'He hasn't won a race because he got married.' Now I'm running really well and they go, 'He's running so well because he got married.' So it's hard to determine what is a factor in that, and I think that's something we've been talking a lot about at Roush Fenway - understanding why we've turned this around, understanding what is better so we can keep doing that. For a driver, all you can do is just keep doing the best you can and hope that it works out."
ALLMENDINGER INTERJECTS:
"I think it's just you keep popping out kids, so you've got more mouths to feed, so you've got to go out there and win."
CARL EDWARDS CONTINUED
IS IT A CASE WHERE YOU'RE AT THE MERCY OF THE CAR?
"I think so. I think AJ might agree that there are a lot of the tracks that because of how close the competition is, the aero dependency of the cars, NASCAR's rules, which have done a good job of keeping everybody close - if your car is just a little bit off, there's not much you can do sometimes. You can't just try harder and make the thing go faster, so you really do rely on the team as much as I've ever seen it. I've only been doing this for seven years now, but it seems that the car is more important now than ever."
HOW MUCH GRIEF DID YOU GET FOR WRECKING THAT CAR?
"I'm sure it will never cease. As long as there are people like AJ around you're gonna be frustrated."
AJ INTERJECTS:
"I've got nothing else to talk about. I didn't even make the All-Star Race, so I've got to give him crap about something. He wins every race now, so."
EDWARDS CONTINUES:
"That was pretty stupid, but I guess in my defense I had no clue that would happen. I just thought it would be a nice slide, but there's not been a lot of grief. I think the win kept Jack from getting too upset, so that's good. I noticed there were a lot of people at our autograph session today had parts of a car, and I think they paid a lot of money for them, so I don't know that it was a total loss there for Jack. I think it might have worked out. I actually had to buy one of the parts back because I really wanted it, and they were nice enough to sell it back to me."
ALLMENDINGER CONTINUED
WHAT ARE YOUR CHANCES FOR SUNDAY?
"I look at it as we're still building a race team here. We show up every race weekend with a plan to try and win. If we didn't do that, we shouldn't be here, but sometimes I look at it as maybe I'm a pessimist or I look at it as a realist. These haven't been our best race tracks, but we're gonna keep working on it. Fortunately enough, Carl keeps winning most of them so we've got good notes to work off of. I'd love to go out there and win the 600, but, for me, if we go out there and run inside the top 10 all day and have a solid top-10 finish, for us, that's a big step in the right direction. I know that our race team has the capability to go there and be a chase-contending team. Dover hurt us a lot. That was a great race track for us and with what happened there hurt us in points, but we have the capability of doing it, we've still got to be better. If we can have a great run here at Charlotte and build momentum and go to Kansas and have another great run, then everything is gonna be good. I know where our race team is and I know where we need to get better at."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT KANSAS NEXT WEEK AND REPRESENTING THE 43?
"It's cool. Being at the shop today during the fan day and seeing the car up close and personal, you're definitely not gonna miss it on the race track. It's really cool looking. It looks exactly like the King's car used to look. I feel fortunate everyday to wake up and, A, just be in the Sprint Cup Series. I worked so hard to try to stay in it and now to be in such a famous race car and to one weekend represent the Air Force on Memorial Day Weekend and have them put their faith in me, and then the next week to have STP come back and be on the race car and, more importantly, for the old school fans of Richard Petty to see that car on the race track - last year when we did the throwback when the King was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, you see the fans get real excited about it. I just love being a part of this and being able to go out there and represent the King and everybody at the team the best way possible. Every weekend I feel fortunate."
Credit - Ford Racing
Qualified 2nd
"The U.S. Air Force Ford is really quick. I'm proud of Mike Shiplett and all the guys and I think we've got a good race car. The mile and a half program hasn't been our best. We've been struggling with it a little bit and haven't been as good as our teammate, Marcos, and a lot of the Fords, so I thought last week in the All-Star Race we got better. We still weren't as good as we wanted to be, but we learned some things. We came back here with a different plan to work on setup and, so far, at least in qualifying trim, it was pretty good. That will at least get us in the top five or top six, which, for 600 miles it doesn't really matter at that point. You just want to start up front and now we've got to work on Saturday to make the car better and then stay there on Sunday."
***
MARCOS AMBROSE - No. 9 DeWalt Ford Fusion
Qualified 24th
"We're just gonna pay the price. We're not gonna qualify well. We just didn't get it right this afternoon when the track was hot and it is what it is. It's a long race, but every spot counts."
***
AJ ALLMENDINGER AND CARL EDWARDS PRESS CONFERENCE:
AJ ALLMENDINGER - No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion
"I'm really happy with the race team and everybody over at Richard Petty Motorsports and Ford in general. Our mile-and-a-half program for myself on the 43 side of it, that's probably been our Achilles heel just over the last year struggling a little bit to get the right package. I felt like the All-Star Race last week was a good building block for us. We weren't quite as good as we wanted to be and went here today with a little bit of a new package and been pretty quick all day in qualifying trim. For me, I got everything I could out of that lap. There wasn't much more that I could have gotten, so I was proud of the lap, proud of everybody on the team and hopefully Saturday we get here and build on a good setup and have a good race on Sunday."
CARL EDWARDS - No. 99 Scotts EZ Seed Ford Fusion
"The car is very good. Bob and I were a little frustrated with our lap and then we realized that's OK to qualify third considering where we were a year ago. I think AJ said it well. We've been working hard at all of this stuff and the cars are fast. I think at least one of those Fords is gonna be a threat to win on Sunday, so I hope it's our Ford. It looks like we've got a great start."
ALLMENDINGER INTERJECTS:
"If you win, will you spin out through the grass again?" CARL SAYS: "No. I don't want to have to deal with Jack."
ALLMENDINGER CONTINUED
YOU WERE INTENTLY WATCHING THE END OF QUALIFYING. DID YOU THINK THE 21 HAD SOMETHING TO KNOCK YOU GUYS DOWN?
"That 21 car has obviously been fast all year with Trevor and now with Ricky in it. He was 12th in practice and with everything that happened in qualifying, it's been 20-25 minutes since we were out there and the track is cooling down a lot, so he had a shot at it. I've been in that position before, where you know you have a good car but you still have to make the race, but he had a chance at it."
EDWARDS CONTINUED
"I was getting ready to walk in and I met AJ outside and he said, 'You're gonna go in there? Ricky still has to go.' So I figured I would walk all the way down here and then he would knock me out of the top three and I'd have to walk back to the motorhome, so I was kind of curious to see if was gonna embarrass me or not. He almost got it, too. I think if he had another shot at it, he could be on the pole."
ALLMENDINGER CONTINUED
CAN YOU SPEAK TO HOW MUCH OF WHAT YOU DO IS INSTINCT WITH THE TRACK COOLING DOWN AND YOU TAKE IT IN THE TURN DEEP?
"That's the difference is I don't trust myself at all, so that's the problem when I sail it down in there (joking). You sit there and you watch all the lap times and in practice you think you're going as fast as you can and you're looking at everybody run and they're running six or seven-tenths quicker than they run in practice, so it's tough. You've got to go down there and hope it sticks. I think last year I ran a .20 in Showdown qualifying, so at that point I kind of knew what that was supposed to feel like and what I had to run. It's fun going out there and knowing if you hit it right, you have a chance to be on the pole. I spent a couple years knowing that I didn't have a chance to be on the pole, so it's a lot more fun like this."
CARL EDWARDS CONTINUED
HOW STRANGE IS IT TO HAVE THE UP AND DOWN SWINGS YOU'VE HAD THE LAST FEW YEARS?
"I don't know exactly what you're asking, but I agree with you, it is kind of weird. I don't like it. I like this part. I don't like the 72 races without winning, but it is kind of interesting because myself, along with you guys and everybody else, you look for reasons for that and it's tough to find them. It's like I got married and then everybody said, 'He hasn't won a race because he got married.' Now I'm running really well and they go, 'He's running so well because he got married.' So it's hard to determine what is a factor in that, and I think that's something we've been talking a lot about at Roush Fenway - understanding why we've turned this around, understanding what is better so we can keep doing that. For a driver, all you can do is just keep doing the best you can and hope that it works out."
ALLMENDINGER INTERJECTS:
"I think it's just you keep popping out kids, so you've got more mouths to feed, so you've got to go out there and win."
CARL EDWARDS CONTINUED
IS IT A CASE WHERE YOU'RE AT THE MERCY OF THE CAR?
"I think so. I think AJ might agree that there are a lot of the tracks that because of how close the competition is, the aero dependency of the cars, NASCAR's rules, which have done a good job of keeping everybody close - if your car is just a little bit off, there's not much you can do sometimes. You can't just try harder and make the thing go faster, so you really do rely on the team as much as I've ever seen it. I've only been doing this for seven years now, but it seems that the car is more important now than ever."
HOW MUCH GRIEF DID YOU GET FOR WRECKING THAT CAR?
"I'm sure it will never cease. As long as there are people like AJ around you're gonna be frustrated."
AJ INTERJECTS:
"I've got nothing else to talk about. I didn't even make the All-Star Race, so I've got to give him crap about something. He wins every race now, so."
EDWARDS CONTINUES:
"That was pretty stupid, but I guess in my defense I had no clue that would happen. I just thought it would be a nice slide, but there's not been a lot of grief. I think the win kept Jack from getting too upset, so that's good. I noticed there were a lot of people at our autograph session today had parts of a car, and I think they paid a lot of money for them, so I don't know that it was a total loss there for Jack. I think it might have worked out. I actually had to buy one of the parts back because I really wanted it, and they were nice enough to sell it back to me."
ALLMENDINGER CONTINUED
WHAT ARE YOUR CHANCES FOR SUNDAY?
"I look at it as we're still building a race team here. We show up every race weekend with a plan to try and win. If we didn't do that, we shouldn't be here, but sometimes I look at it as maybe I'm a pessimist or I look at it as a realist. These haven't been our best race tracks, but we're gonna keep working on it. Fortunately enough, Carl keeps winning most of them so we've got good notes to work off of. I'd love to go out there and win the 600, but, for me, if we go out there and run inside the top 10 all day and have a solid top-10 finish, for us, that's a big step in the right direction. I know that our race team has the capability to go there and be a chase-contending team. Dover hurt us a lot. That was a great race track for us and with what happened there hurt us in points, but we have the capability of doing it, we've still got to be better. If we can have a great run here at Charlotte and build momentum and go to Kansas and have another great run, then everything is gonna be good. I know where our race team is and I know where we need to get better at."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT KANSAS NEXT WEEK AND REPRESENTING THE 43?
"It's cool. Being at the shop today during the fan day and seeing the car up close and personal, you're definitely not gonna miss it on the race track. It's really cool looking. It looks exactly like the King's car used to look. I feel fortunate everyday to wake up and, A, just be in the Sprint Cup Series. I worked so hard to try to stay in it and now to be in such a famous race car and to one weekend represent the Air Force on Memorial Day Weekend and have them put their faith in me, and then the next week to have STP come back and be on the race car and, more importantly, for the old school fans of Richard Petty to see that car on the race track - last year when we did the throwback when the King was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, you see the fans get real excited about it. I just love being a part of this and being able to go out there and represent the King and everybody at the team the best way possible. Every weekend I feel fortunate."
Credit - Ford Racing
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Charlotte Race Preview
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best start (third) at the 1.5-mile track came in last year’s fall event
AJ Allmendinger on Charlotte: “With the Coca-Cola 600 being run on Memorial Day weekend it’s a special race to pay tribute to all of our armed forces. We’ve got the U.S. Air Force on board with us this weekend and they have been a really great partner. The No. 43 Ford Fusion looks great in Air Force colors and we’re proud to be associated with them.
“Obviously running 600 miles is a lot different than last weekend’s 40-lap sprint, but based on the way we ran last weekend in the Showdown, I think it’s safe to say that we are beginning to make strides in our 1.5-mile program. Shiplett and the crew worked really hard to give me a good car in the Showdown last weekend and I really think we learned a lot of things about the car that we can apply to this weekend’s race. I’m really looking forward to running this U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion and getting a great finish for our team and our troops.”
Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on the Coca-Cola 600: “It’s the longest race of the year, it’s grueling for the driver and it’s equally grueling for the pit crew. Thursday we practice during the day and then we qualify at night, so we have to work on getting the balance right for nighttime qualifying. Saturday we practice during the day and have to get the balance right for Sunday’s night race, so this one always keeps us on our toes.
“Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway is always special because it’s so close to home. This is a race that is really important to our partners and with this being Air Force’s first race it’s an extra incentive for us to run well on this Memorial Day weekend. It’s also one of the only times during the year the crew guys’ friends and families can see them in action, so running well at Charlotte is important from a competition standpoint but it has a certain pride factor involved with it too.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 752 for this weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This U.S. Air Force Ford has been run previously this season at Texas Motor Speedway.
Notes: Allmendinger has eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Allmendinger’s best starting position at Charlotte (third) came in 2010. During last year’s fall event, Allmendinger led five laps at the 1.5-mile superspeedway. He enters this weekend in 16th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger has run a total of 2,390 laps equaling 3,585 miles in Sprint Cup Series points races at Charlotte.
Allmendinger will have a different look this weekend as the U.S. Air Force makes its first appearance of the year as the primary partner of the No. 43 Ford Fusion.
The No. 43 team spent Tuesday, May 24 testing at Virginia International Raceway in preparation for the upcoming road course events.
The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Drivers will run a grueling 400 laps/600 miles at the 1.5-mile superspeedway in a race that starts during daylight hours and runs into the night.
Come join in on the fun! Richard Petty Motorsports will hold its second annual Fan Appreciation Day on Thursday, May 26 from 7-11:30 a.m. at the Richard Petty Motorsports shop in Concord, N.C. Get there early because the first 200 fans in line who donate a 24-pack of pencils to Classroom Central will receive a commemorative ticket allowing them access to the shop and an autograph session with Allmendinger, Marcos Ambrose and Richard Petty.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best start (third) at the 1.5-mile track came in last year’s fall event
AJ Allmendinger on Charlotte: “With the Coca-Cola 600 being run on Memorial Day weekend it’s a special race to pay tribute to all of our armed forces. We’ve got the U.S. Air Force on board with us this weekend and they have been a really great partner. The No. 43 Ford Fusion looks great in Air Force colors and we’re proud to be associated with them.
“Obviously running 600 miles is a lot different than last weekend’s 40-lap sprint, but based on the way we ran last weekend in the Showdown, I think it’s safe to say that we are beginning to make strides in our 1.5-mile program. Shiplett and the crew worked really hard to give me a good car in the Showdown last weekend and I really think we learned a lot of things about the car that we can apply to this weekend’s race. I’m really looking forward to running this U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion and getting a great finish for our team and our troops.”
Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on the Coca-Cola 600: “It’s the longest race of the year, it’s grueling for the driver and it’s equally grueling for the pit crew. Thursday we practice during the day and then we qualify at night, so we have to work on getting the balance right for nighttime qualifying. Saturday we practice during the day and have to get the balance right for Sunday’s night race, so this one always keeps us on our toes.
“Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway is always special because it’s so close to home. This is a race that is really important to our partners and with this being Air Force’s first race it’s an extra incentive for us to run well on this Memorial Day weekend. It’s also one of the only times during the year the crew guys’ friends and families can see them in action, so running well at Charlotte is important from a competition standpoint but it has a certain pride factor involved with it too.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 752 for this weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This U.S. Air Force Ford has been run previously this season at Texas Motor Speedway.
Notes: Allmendinger has eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Allmendinger’s best starting position at Charlotte (third) came in 2010. During last year’s fall event, Allmendinger led five laps at the 1.5-mile superspeedway. He enters this weekend in 16th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger has run a total of 2,390 laps equaling 3,585 miles in Sprint Cup Series points races at Charlotte.
Allmendinger will have a different look this weekend as the U.S. Air Force makes its first appearance of the year as the primary partner of the No. 43 Ford Fusion.
The No. 43 team spent Tuesday, May 24 testing at Virginia International Raceway in preparation for the upcoming road course events.
The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Drivers will run a grueling 400 laps/600 miles at the 1.5-mile superspeedway in a race that starts during daylight hours and runs into the night.
Come join in on the fun! Richard Petty Motorsports will hold its second annual Fan Appreciation Day on Thursday, May 26 from 7-11:30 a.m. at the Richard Petty Motorsports shop in Concord, N.C. Get there early because the first 200 fans in line who donate a 24-pack of pencils to Classroom Central will receive a commemorative ticket allowing them access to the shop and an autograph session with Allmendinger, Marcos Ambrose and Richard Petty.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
Sunday, May 22, 2011
All Star Post-Race Quotes
MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 DeWalt Ford Fusion
Finished 3rd
“It was great that Edsel Ford stood on my box. I’ve got Ford blood in my body, but that stings finishing third and chance for a million bucks to win the big race. We’ll take a lesson out of this and be better the next time. We were the fastest car at the end, so we learned a lot. We were just unlucky. We seemed to have the wrong starting lane each time and I just had to keep fighting back through spots. We got there, but not fast enough. It was a real shame for us.”
***
AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 4th
“It was a good effort by the Best Buy team. We’re a lot better on the mile and a half tracks than we used to be, but we just got pinned on the restart and ran out of time.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Finished 3rd
“It was great that Edsel Ford stood on my box. I’ve got Ford blood in my body, but that stings finishing third and chance for a million bucks to win the big race. We’ll take a lesson out of this and be better the next time. We were the fastest car at the end, so we learned a lot. We were just unlucky. We seemed to have the wrong starting lane each time and I just had to keep fighting back through spots. We got there, but not fast enough. It was a real shame for us.”
***
AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 4th
“It was a good effort by the Best Buy team. We’re a lot better on the mile and a half tracks than we used to be, but we just got pinned on the restart and ran out of time.”
Credit - Ford Racing
All Star Qualifying Quotes
AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 2nd
“There was a lot of grip on the race track and you could see everybody that was going out there was picking up speed. The mile and a half race tracks for me, especially in qualifying, I’m usually hit or miss, so I went out there and just tried to get everything I could out of it and not overstep the boundaries. I knew I had some good guys coming behind me with Paul and David, so I was pleased with it. To be on the front row of the showdown with it being such a short race is a good thing. For us, we just have to keep working on our mile and a half program. It’s been our biggest struggle this year on the 43 side of it, so it’s kind of the same thing Paul said, if we can go out there and get some notes and, hopefully, race our way into the All-Star Race, but, more importantly, just get some good notes and try to make our Ford run better for the 600 and on.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Qualified 2nd
“There was a lot of grip on the race track and you could see everybody that was going out there was picking up speed. The mile and a half race tracks for me, especially in qualifying, I’m usually hit or miss, so I went out there and just tried to get everything I could out of it and not overstep the boundaries. I knew I had some good guys coming behind me with Paul and David, so I was pleased with it. To be on the front row of the showdown with it being such a short race is a good thing. For us, we just have to keep working on our mile and a half program. It’s been our biggest struggle this year on the 43 side of it, so it’s kind of the same thing Paul said, if we can go out there and get some notes and, hopefully, race our way into the All-Star Race, but, more importantly, just get some good notes and try to make our Ford run better for the 600 and on.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Thursday, May 19, 2011
All-Star Sprint Showdown Preview
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made four starts in the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger has an average finish of 7.8 in the Showdown
• Allmendinger’s best finish (first) came in the 2008 Sprint Showdown
AJ Allmendinger on the Sprint Showdown: “I really enjoy racing at Charlotte. It’s like everyone’s home track because we get to come back to Charlotte for two weeks. All-Star Race weekend is unique because there is so much excitement in the atmosphere. It’s just electric. We aren’t in the All-Star race yet, but I’ve won the Showdown before and I’m looking forward to racing my Best Buy Ford into the main event again this year. I want to have good momentum going into the Coca-Cola 600 next weekend.”
Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on the Sprint Showdown: “The Showdown consist of two 20-lap segments and one thing that is different than most of the other races we run this year is that the cars are impounded by NASCAR after qualifying. So once we have our car good in race trim, it’s hard to tighten the car up with the adjustments we are allowed to make for qualifying. Qualifying is going to be pretty interesting for this race. If we qualify really well, we’ll probably be on the tight side during the race, so we are going to have to find the right balance between qualifying and race trim. There is a mandatory caution that will come out after the first 20 laps, but we can make it to the end without pitting. It’ll just depend on how the car is running. After the No. 43 Best Buy wins the Showdown, we’ll go have some fun in the All-Star race.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 742 for this weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at California Speedway.
Notes: The Sprint Showdown and NASCAR Sprint All-Star races are non-points events. Allmendinger will make his fifth start this weekend in the Showdown and has and average finish of 7.8 in the 60-mile event. Allmendinger has made 69 passes under green flag conditions and finished eighth in last year’s Showdown.
Come join in on the fun! Richard Petty Motorsports will hold its second annual Fan Appreciation Day on Thursday, May 26 from 7-11:30 a.m. at the Richard Petty Motorsports shop in Concord, N.C. Get there early because the first 200 fans in line who donate a 24-pack of pencils to Classroom Central will receive a commemorative ticket allowing them access to the shop and an autograph session with Allmendinger, Ambrose and Richard Petty. Other activities include a Q-and-A session with the RPM drivers and Richard Petty hosted by Miss Sprint Cup, raffles, give-a-ways and a dunk tank with crew chiefs Todd Parrott and Mike Shiplett.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made four starts in the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger has an average finish of 7.8 in the Showdown
• Allmendinger’s best finish (first) came in the 2008 Sprint Showdown
AJ Allmendinger on the Sprint Showdown: “I really enjoy racing at Charlotte. It’s like everyone’s home track because we get to come back to Charlotte for two weeks. All-Star Race weekend is unique because there is so much excitement in the atmosphere. It’s just electric. We aren’t in the All-Star race yet, but I’ve won the Showdown before and I’m looking forward to racing my Best Buy Ford into the main event again this year. I want to have good momentum going into the Coca-Cola 600 next weekend.”
Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on the Sprint Showdown: “The Showdown consist of two 20-lap segments and one thing that is different than most of the other races we run this year is that the cars are impounded by NASCAR after qualifying. So once we have our car good in race trim, it’s hard to tighten the car up with the adjustments we are allowed to make for qualifying. Qualifying is going to be pretty interesting for this race. If we qualify really well, we’ll probably be on the tight side during the race, so we are going to have to find the right balance between qualifying and race trim. There is a mandatory caution that will come out after the first 20 laps, but we can make it to the end without pitting. It’ll just depend on how the car is running. After the No. 43 Best Buy wins the Showdown, we’ll go have some fun in the All-Star race.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 742 for this weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at California Speedway.
Notes: The Sprint Showdown and NASCAR Sprint All-Star races are non-points events. Allmendinger will make his fifth start this weekend in the Showdown and has and average finish of 7.8 in the 60-mile event. Allmendinger has made 69 passes under green flag conditions and finished eighth in last year’s Showdown.
Come join in on the fun! Richard Petty Motorsports will hold its second annual Fan Appreciation Day on Thursday, May 26 from 7-11:30 a.m. at the Richard Petty Motorsports shop in Concord, N.C. Get there early because the first 200 fans in line who donate a 24-pack of pencils to Classroom Central will receive a commemorative ticket allowing them access to the shop and an autograph session with Allmendinger, Ambrose and Richard Petty. Other activities include a Q-and-A session with the RPM drivers and Richard Petty hosted by Miss Sprint Cup, raffles, give-a-ways and a dunk tank with crew chiefs Todd Parrott and Mike Shiplett.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
Monday, May 16, 2011
Dover Race Recap
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 BEST BUY Ford Fusion
■AJ Allmendinger started in the 2nd position at Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon
■Allmendinger has engine issues just before halfway and was credited with a 37th-place finish
■Unofficially, Allmendinger holds down 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: Rain forced the cancellation of qualifying on Saturday so the starting lineup for Dover’s 400-mile race was determined based on the average speed of each driver in both of Friday’s practice sessions. AJ was quick in practice and lined up on the outside of the front row to start Sunday’s event at his favorite track.
Allmendinger remained in the second spot through the first 30 laps, despite fighting a tight handling condition. A competition caution period on Lap 41 enabled crew chief Mike Shiplett to call his driver into the pits for routine service, including four fresh tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Allmendinger took the green for the restart in the fourth position.
Allmendinger let his team know that the handling of the Best Buy Ford was better after the pit stop, but still asked Shiplett for more help with the front end of the car. The California native drove back up to the second position, but fell to fourth as the car became tight once again. The second pit stop of the day brought another track bar change, as well as air pressure adjustments to the Richard Petty Motorsports Ford.
Allmendinger remained inside the top four through the first 150 laps and was on target for a successful day. Unfortunately, the No. 43 car began to slow on Lap 153 and Allmendinger was forced to make a pit stop during a caution period several laps later so the team could check under the hood. Diagnosing engine issues, Allmendinger headed to the garage area. Despite efforts to remedy the problems, the team was unable to get things repaired and Allmendinger’s race ended early. The No. 43 was credited with a 37th-place finish. Allmendinger fell several spots in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings and now holds down 16th position.
Allmendinger’s Thoughts: “It was weird because it all happened at once and there was no sign of it. I was getting under the No. 6 car to lap them and we were running the leaders down. The track had gotten really slick. It was fun and you had to work really hard on finding the right line. It showed what drivers had to do. We were going to run them down and all of a sudden off of two it went. Doug Yates and all the guys at the engine shop do a great job. We had a ton of horsepower and this rarely happens. I really wanted this for us and Ford and Best Buy and everybody, the King especially.”
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
No. 43 BEST BUY Ford Fusion
■AJ Allmendinger started in the 2nd position at Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon
■Allmendinger has engine issues just before halfway and was credited with a 37th-place finish
■Unofficially, Allmendinger holds down 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: Rain forced the cancellation of qualifying on Saturday so the starting lineup for Dover’s 400-mile race was determined based on the average speed of each driver in both of Friday’s practice sessions. AJ was quick in practice and lined up on the outside of the front row to start Sunday’s event at his favorite track.
Allmendinger remained in the second spot through the first 30 laps, despite fighting a tight handling condition. A competition caution period on Lap 41 enabled crew chief Mike Shiplett to call his driver into the pits for routine service, including four fresh tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Allmendinger took the green for the restart in the fourth position.
Allmendinger let his team know that the handling of the Best Buy Ford was better after the pit stop, but still asked Shiplett for more help with the front end of the car. The California native drove back up to the second position, but fell to fourth as the car became tight once again. The second pit stop of the day brought another track bar change, as well as air pressure adjustments to the Richard Petty Motorsports Ford.
Allmendinger remained inside the top four through the first 150 laps and was on target for a successful day. Unfortunately, the No. 43 car began to slow on Lap 153 and Allmendinger was forced to make a pit stop during a caution period several laps later so the team could check under the hood. Diagnosing engine issues, Allmendinger headed to the garage area. Despite efforts to remedy the problems, the team was unable to get things repaired and Allmendinger’s race ended early. The No. 43 was credited with a 37th-place finish. Allmendinger fell several spots in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings and now holds down 16th position.
Allmendinger’s Thoughts: “It was weird because it all happened at once and there was no sign of it. I was getting under the No. 6 car to lap them and we were running the leaders down. The track had gotten really slick. It was fun and you had to work really hard on finding the right line. It showed what drivers had to do. We were going to run them down and all of a sudden off of two it went. Doug Yates and all the guys at the engine shop do a great job. We had a ton of horsepower and this rarely happens. I really wanted this for us and Ford and Best Buy and everybody, the King especially.”
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Dover - AJ Qualifying Interview
Rain forced the cancellation of Saturday qualifying at Dover International Speedway, meaning that combined practice times determine the starting order for Sunday’s race. AJ Allmendinger was second fastest in the practice sessions and starts on the outside of row one next to pole setter Jimmie Johnson. Allmendinger and Johnson met with the media as part of the top-three qualifiers press conference.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE WILL USE THE PRACTICE SPEEDS TO DETERMINE QUALIFYING, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT? "I don’t understand how it matters to Jimmie, the system is the same for you. You are either fastest, or they used to do it on points so you would always start on pole. Not really sure how that is any different for you. For me, I used to be down in the 20’s in points so this actually worked out well. It was good. I feel like we came here and did the Goodyear tire test and this is my favorite track and the one I am best at. We unloaded good yesterday and worked on it a little bit. You really have to figure out when the right time to do a Q run is. We went out there and felt like we put up a really good lap. We were right there with Jimmie and unfortunately he had to cheat and do one extra run to beat my lap. I would like to have gotten qualifying in, but I think with the new system all we want is to control our own destiny instead of having something determined by stuff that was in the past like points. As long as you can control your own destiny you can’t complain. Starting second I am happy with. I feel like the Best Buy Ford is really good in race trim. Hopefully Jimmie and I will duel it out again."
YOU TWO RACED EACH OTHER PRETTY HARD AT DARLINGTON. WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY HERE? "So Jimmie just gave the political answer huh? My theory is that Jimmie leads more laps than I do, in life, so I don’t start up front a lot and if I can lead a lap or one or two or three it looks good on my stats. So are you going to just let me have the start or what?"
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A TOP-FIVE OR WINNING CAR? "Doing the tire test here I felt really good leaving the test. I was really happy with what we did at the test and Mike Shiplett and I sat down and went over a lot of stuff. I felt like we built something good coming here. Honestly, we started out a lot tighter than I expected. Our first run on the race track we were really tight. That was something at the test we didn’t fight a lot. It took us a few runs to get to where we wanted to and both practices, as Jimmie talked about, you have to switch back and forth from qualifying to race trim and do all that stuff. I felt like our car in qualifying trim right away was quick but it took us both practices to get the car to where I felt it was really fast. The whole time I felt like we were good but at that point Jimmie was really quick on race runs and we weren’t quite there. I felt like we kept building on it and got it close. Obviously with all the rain and how it will wash rubber off the track it will be a little different. I feel like at the end of the second practice was the best the car had been in race runs. I guess that is what you want, to end at your best. I don’t know if it is a race winning car because I have never won a race, so I don’t know what a race winning car is right now. I think it is fast. It is a potential race winning car, I just don’t know exactly what that is. We will keep working on it. Jimmie, you have like what, 197 wins or something? What is a race winning car?"
Credit - Ford Racing
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE WILL USE THE PRACTICE SPEEDS TO DETERMINE QUALIFYING, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT? "I don’t understand how it matters to Jimmie, the system is the same for you. You are either fastest, or they used to do it on points so you would always start on pole. Not really sure how that is any different for you. For me, I used to be down in the 20’s in points so this actually worked out well. It was good. I feel like we came here and did the Goodyear tire test and this is my favorite track and the one I am best at. We unloaded good yesterday and worked on it a little bit. You really have to figure out when the right time to do a Q run is. We went out there and felt like we put up a really good lap. We were right there with Jimmie and unfortunately he had to cheat and do one extra run to beat my lap. I would like to have gotten qualifying in, but I think with the new system all we want is to control our own destiny instead of having something determined by stuff that was in the past like points. As long as you can control your own destiny you can’t complain. Starting second I am happy with. I feel like the Best Buy Ford is really good in race trim. Hopefully Jimmie and I will duel it out again."
YOU TWO RACED EACH OTHER PRETTY HARD AT DARLINGTON. WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY HERE? "So Jimmie just gave the political answer huh? My theory is that Jimmie leads more laps than I do, in life, so I don’t start up front a lot and if I can lead a lap or one or two or three it looks good on my stats. So are you going to just let me have the start or what?"
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A TOP-FIVE OR WINNING CAR? "Doing the tire test here I felt really good leaving the test. I was really happy with what we did at the test and Mike Shiplett and I sat down and went over a lot of stuff. I felt like we built something good coming here. Honestly, we started out a lot tighter than I expected. Our first run on the race track we were really tight. That was something at the test we didn’t fight a lot. It took us a few runs to get to where we wanted to and both practices, as Jimmie talked about, you have to switch back and forth from qualifying to race trim and do all that stuff. I felt like our car in qualifying trim right away was quick but it took us both practices to get the car to where I felt it was really fast. The whole time I felt like we were good but at that point Jimmie was really quick on race runs and we weren’t quite there. I felt like we kept building on it and got it close. Obviously with all the rain and how it will wash rubber off the track it will be a little different. I feel like at the end of the second practice was the best the car had been in race runs. I guess that is what you want, to end at your best. I don’t know if it is a race winning car because I have never won a race, so I don’t know what a race winning car is right now. I think it is fast. It is a potential race winning car, I just don’t know exactly what that is. We will keep working on it. Jimmie, you have like what, 197 wins or something? What is a race winning car?"
Credit - Ford Racing
Dover - AJ Friday Media Visit
AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion met with members of the media as part of the top-12 driver availability at Dover International Speedway Friday afternoon.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS TRACK THAT SUITS YOUR STYLE BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN GOOD HERE OVER THE YEARS? “I don’t know. I think it is a fun race track to drive and I think there are a lot of things you can do on this race track to get around it and run pretty fast. The way I look at it there are different driving options of how you drive this race track to be fast. I have always had a fairly good car here, especially the last couple of years which makes it easier. To me, I just show up to this race track and I am excited to be here. I like this race track. I think when you are able to do that you can come here and have a good attitude about it and be pretty fast.”
WITH THE FORECAST OF RAIN FROM TONIGHT ON, HOW MUCH WILL THAT PLAY A FACTOR FOR YOU GUYS? “Well you are kind of a downer aren’t you? Way to get me excited. You know, it is weather. If it is going to rain then it will and if not then we will go run these two practices and focus on what we always focus on, making the car good in race trim and work on qualifying trim when we are ready. Once it rains, it rains and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. My first year I was here many times when it would rain and I wasn’t high enough in points to race. I have been on the bad end of it. Now I know that whenever it does stop raining, I will be racing. That is all that matters.”
CAN YOU DESCRIBE DROPPING OFF THE STRAIGHTAWAY, DOWN INTO THE CORNER AND GETTING BACK INTO THE GAS? “It is pretty insane, especially to go into turn one. It feels like the bottom drops out from under you. It seems like it disappears when you take off and once it lands it is like a punch to the guy. When it compresses, it compresses so hard. It feels like you honestly drop 50 feet in the air and land. The biggest thing is around this place to have a good balance when it does land that the car isn’t moving around at all and isn’t tight or loose. You want it to land nice and smooth and have the confidence to get it turned and get back to throttle, especially in qualifying. In the race you lay the corner back so much that the bottom, when it lands, is not as critical. In qualifying you are so fast that once you land you have to be back in the throttle. That is what makes it so much fun. I remember the first time I came here was in trucks in 2007 before Cup practice. We were standing on pit road and my crew chief told me not to look at any of the trucks coming off turn four and I said, “Why, I need to learn.’ Me, being done said I was going to look and Hornaday came off turn four the first time and it looked like the tires weren’t even touching the ground and he was sideways and I was like, ‘I am not doing that. I am leaving.’ It is an insane race track but it is all those characteristics that make it so much fun.”
Credit - Ford Racing
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS TRACK THAT SUITS YOUR STYLE BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN GOOD HERE OVER THE YEARS? “I don’t know. I think it is a fun race track to drive and I think there are a lot of things you can do on this race track to get around it and run pretty fast. The way I look at it there are different driving options of how you drive this race track to be fast. I have always had a fairly good car here, especially the last couple of years which makes it easier. To me, I just show up to this race track and I am excited to be here. I like this race track. I think when you are able to do that you can come here and have a good attitude about it and be pretty fast.”
WITH THE FORECAST OF RAIN FROM TONIGHT ON, HOW MUCH WILL THAT PLAY A FACTOR FOR YOU GUYS? “Well you are kind of a downer aren’t you? Way to get me excited. You know, it is weather. If it is going to rain then it will and if not then we will go run these two practices and focus on what we always focus on, making the car good in race trim and work on qualifying trim when we are ready. Once it rains, it rains and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. My first year I was here many times when it would rain and I wasn’t high enough in points to race. I have been on the bad end of it. Now I know that whenever it does stop raining, I will be racing. That is all that matters.”
CAN YOU DESCRIBE DROPPING OFF THE STRAIGHTAWAY, DOWN INTO THE CORNER AND GETTING BACK INTO THE GAS? “It is pretty insane, especially to go into turn one. It feels like the bottom drops out from under you. It seems like it disappears when you take off and once it lands it is like a punch to the guy. When it compresses, it compresses so hard. It feels like you honestly drop 50 feet in the air and land. The biggest thing is around this place to have a good balance when it does land that the car isn’t moving around at all and isn’t tight or loose. You want it to land nice and smooth and have the confidence to get it turned and get back to throttle, especially in qualifying. In the race you lay the corner back so much that the bottom, when it lands, is not as critical. In qualifying you are so fast that once you land you have to be back in the throttle. That is what makes it so much fun. I remember the first time I came here was in trucks in 2007 before Cup practice. We were standing on pit road and my crew chief told me not to look at any of the trucks coming off turn four and I said, “Why, I need to learn.’ Me, being done said I was going to look and Hornaday came off turn four the first time and it looked like the tires weren’t even touching the ground and he was sideways and I was like, ‘I am not doing that. I am leaving.’ It is an insane race track but it is all those characteristics that make it so much fun.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Friday, May 13, 2011
Dover Race Preview
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Dover (Del.) International Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 11th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish at the Monster Mile (seventh) came in 2009
AJ Allmendinger on Dover: “I love going to Dover, it’s my favorite track on the circuit. It has high banks, it’s really fast and I’ve had a lot of success there over the years. It’s always been my favorite track since I started racing in the Cup Series in 2007, plus Dover has one of the greatest trophies of the season, so it’s one I really want to take home.
“Last year it was a place where I ran really well. I led 143 laps and I had a car that was capable of winning the race until a flat tire took me out of contention on Lap 200. That was the first race where I really felt like I could easily take the lead and I could run with the big boys. We ended up finishing 10th because of the flat tire, but it was still a great race because it was a sign that this team could run with anyone. It was really cool to take the lead and just drive away. I knew I had a great car last year and that gives me confidence going to Dover this weekend. I know I can make it happen and hopefully take home the win in my Best Buy Ford Fusion. I see these guys this year that are winning for the first time and I’m happy for them, but I want to be that guy so badly. Dover is a great track and I hope it happens for us this weekend.”
Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on Dover: “I love going to Dover. Miles the Monster is one of the coolest trophies they give out all year. At last year’s spring race in Dover, we had a really good car, but one bad pit stop and a pit road speeding penalty took that away from us.
“The cars seems to get loose on entry during the race, so we will have to work on the right front wheel rate of the Best Buy Ford a lot during practice. Making good pit stops will be important. We don’t want to get a lap down, because it’s really hard to make it up at these short tracks.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 710 for this weekend’s event at Dover International Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Bristol.
Notes: Allmendinger has eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Dover International Speedway. Allmendinger’s best starting position at the one-mile track (second) came in 2010. During last year’s fall event Allmendinger led 143 of the 400 laps run and brought home a Top-10 finish. Allmendinger enters Dover in 11th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.
Before making his way to Dover, Allmendinger will take a trip to Kentucky Speedway this week. Allmendinger will spend Wednesday with media at the track, which will host its first Sprint Cup Series event in July.
Allmendinger and teammate Marcos Ambrose will participate in the Dover Air Force Base Social on Friday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The event will offer live music, free food and entertainment for the Air Force base community. In addition, AJ and Marcos will be signing autographs for the troops and their families.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Dover (Del.) International Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 11th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish at the Monster Mile (seventh) came in 2009
AJ Allmendinger on Dover: “I love going to Dover, it’s my favorite track on the circuit. It has high banks, it’s really fast and I’ve had a lot of success there over the years. It’s always been my favorite track since I started racing in the Cup Series in 2007, plus Dover has one of the greatest trophies of the season, so it’s one I really want to take home.
“Last year it was a place where I ran really well. I led 143 laps and I had a car that was capable of winning the race until a flat tire took me out of contention on Lap 200. That was the first race where I really felt like I could easily take the lead and I could run with the big boys. We ended up finishing 10th because of the flat tire, but it was still a great race because it was a sign that this team could run with anyone. It was really cool to take the lead and just drive away. I knew I had a great car last year and that gives me confidence going to Dover this weekend. I know I can make it happen and hopefully take home the win in my Best Buy Ford Fusion. I see these guys this year that are winning for the first time and I’m happy for them, but I want to be that guy so badly. Dover is a great track and I hope it happens for us this weekend.”
Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on Dover: “I love going to Dover. Miles the Monster is one of the coolest trophies they give out all year. At last year’s spring race in Dover, we had a really good car, but one bad pit stop and a pit road speeding penalty took that away from us.
“The cars seems to get loose on entry during the race, so we will have to work on the right front wheel rate of the Best Buy Ford a lot during practice. Making good pit stops will be important. We don’t want to get a lap down, because it’s really hard to make it up at these short tracks.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 710 for this weekend’s event at Dover International Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Bristol.
Notes: Allmendinger has eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Dover International Speedway. Allmendinger’s best starting position at the one-mile track (second) came in 2010. During last year’s fall event Allmendinger led 143 of the 400 laps run and brought home a Top-10 finish. Allmendinger enters Dover in 11th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.
Before making his way to Dover, Allmendinger will take a trip to Kentucky Speedway this week. Allmendinger will spend Wednesday with media at the track, which will host its first Sprint Cup Series event in July.
Allmendinger and teammate Marcos Ambrose will participate in the Dover Air Force Base Social on Friday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The event will offer live music, free food and entertainment for the Air Force base community. In addition, AJ and Marcos will be signing autographs for the troops and their families.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
AJ Allmendinger Media Visit at Kentucky Speedway
AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion, attended a media day function at Kentucky Speedway on Wednesday, where he gave his impressions of the facility and how it’s changed since his last visit.
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY TODAY? “It’s cool. It’s been about three years since I’ve been here and just driving in and seeing the parking and what’s going on in the infield with all the updates is impressive. The grandstands, the new offices outside – just from what I remember three years ago to now is absolutely amazing, so I look forward to getting to this place in July when it’s all done and ready to go.”
PIT ROAD IS CLOSER TO THE FANS. WHAT WILL THAT MEAN AS FAR AS THEIR EXPERIENCE? “I think just being able to be close to the race cars in general is a good thing. On pit road, to see the work that actually goes on is great because TV doesn’t really do it justice. To be able to be close enough to see it in person and see what the pit crew does because they’re true athletes and, honestly a little crazy, especially to jump in front of me when I’m driving down pit road, so it’s gonna be really cool. It’s what NASCAR is all about. It’s fan-friendly, it’s exciting, and anything to get fans closer to the action and excited about is what we want.”
HOW HONORED ARE YOU TO DRIVE THE 43? “It’s amazing. For me, I feel very fortunate to wake up every day and be able to get in a race car, especially an Indy car guy. I came from open-wheel, so to think I’m in such a famous number, and, honestly, to have a true legend walk into your hauler every weekend to come and talk to you, whether he’s yelling at you or not, is amazing. I love the history of all sports, and the history of NASCAR especially, and to know I have the man that’s walking into the hauler, and I get to hear stories from him and Dale Inman that fans would die to hear. I get to hear them on a weekly basis, so that’s something that I feel very fortunate about.”
DO YOU FEEL FANS RELATE TO YOU BECAUSE OF WHO YOU DRIVE FOR? “Yeah, and I get fans all the time that come up and say, ‘I’m rooting for you. I’ve been with Richard Petty for 30 years, so I’m rooting for you.’ I’ll take all the fans I can get because I think I’m upwards of 20 or 30 fans right now (laughing), so the more we can get each time is a good thing. It’s something to be a part of Richard Petty Motorsports and have all the great sponsors that we do, but, more importantly, to have the King on your side and single-handedly pick you to drive the 43 is something that when he told me that, it meant the world to me. Now, the next step is we’ve just got to get this thing to Victory Lane so everybody can be happy.”
WHAT DO YOU AND YOUR FELLOW DRIVERS THINK ABOUT COMING TO KENTUCKY? “I can’t really speak on behalf of the other guys, but I know for me it’s cool to always get some new excitement in the series, and we have a lot of great race tracks that we go to, but you need a change and to have a new race like this – a race that I think is gonna be really exciting because the track is wide, there are a lot of grooves, and it’s gonna be three and four-wide racing. I watched the Nationwide race this year on TV and the fan base that showed up for that race was amazing, so I can’t even fathom what it’s gonna be like for the Sprint Cup race. It’s just cool to have some new blood and to have Ford be a part of the race track and re-up and be the official pace car. To be able to come here, it would be awesome for all those reasons to maybe win the first one.”
Credit - Ford Racing
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY TODAY? “It’s cool. It’s been about three years since I’ve been here and just driving in and seeing the parking and what’s going on in the infield with all the updates is impressive. The grandstands, the new offices outside – just from what I remember three years ago to now is absolutely amazing, so I look forward to getting to this place in July when it’s all done and ready to go.”
PIT ROAD IS CLOSER TO THE FANS. WHAT WILL THAT MEAN AS FAR AS THEIR EXPERIENCE? “I think just being able to be close to the race cars in general is a good thing. On pit road, to see the work that actually goes on is great because TV doesn’t really do it justice. To be able to be close enough to see it in person and see what the pit crew does because they’re true athletes and, honestly a little crazy, especially to jump in front of me when I’m driving down pit road, so it’s gonna be really cool. It’s what NASCAR is all about. It’s fan-friendly, it’s exciting, and anything to get fans closer to the action and excited about is what we want.”
HOW HONORED ARE YOU TO DRIVE THE 43? “It’s amazing. For me, I feel very fortunate to wake up every day and be able to get in a race car, especially an Indy car guy. I came from open-wheel, so to think I’m in such a famous number, and, honestly, to have a true legend walk into your hauler every weekend to come and talk to you, whether he’s yelling at you or not, is amazing. I love the history of all sports, and the history of NASCAR especially, and to know I have the man that’s walking into the hauler, and I get to hear stories from him and Dale Inman that fans would die to hear. I get to hear them on a weekly basis, so that’s something that I feel very fortunate about.”
DO YOU FEEL FANS RELATE TO YOU BECAUSE OF WHO YOU DRIVE FOR? “Yeah, and I get fans all the time that come up and say, ‘I’m rooting for you. I’ve been with Richard Petty for 30 years, so I’m rooting for you.’ I’ll take all the fans I can get because I think I’m upwards of 20 or 30 fans right now (laughing), so the more we can get each time is a good thing. It’s something to be a part of Richard Petty Motorsports and have all the great sponsors that we do, but, more importantly, to have the King on your side and single-handedly pick you to drive the 43 is something that when he told me that, it meant the world to me. Now, the next step is we’ve just got to get this thing to Victory Lane so everybody can be happy.”
WHAT DO YOU AND YOUR FELLOW DRIVERS THINK ABOUT COMING TO KENTUCKY? “I can’t really speak on behalf of the other guys, but I know for me it’s cool to always get some new excitement in the series, and we have a lot of great race tracks that we go to, but you need a change and to have a new race like this – a race that I think is gonna be really exciting because the track is wide, there are a lot of grooves, and it’s gonna be three and four-wide racing. I watched the Nationwide race this year on TV and the fan base that showed up for that race was amazing, so I can’t even fathom what it’s gonna be like for the Sprint Cup race. It’s just cool to have some new blood and to have Ford be a part of the race track and re-up and be the official pace car. To be able to come here, it would be awesome for all those reasons to maybe win the first one.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Monday, May 9, 2011
Darlington Race Review
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 BEST BUY Ford Fusion
■AJ Allmendinger started in the 7th position at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Saturday night
■Allmendinger finished the event in 20th place
■Unofficially, Allmendinger holds down 11th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for Saturday evening’s event at Darlington Raceway in the seventh position and let crew chief Mike Shiplett know early on that the Best Buy Ford was a bit of a handful. A tight handling condition kept Allmendinger on his toes until the first pit stop of the day, which came on Lap 38. Shiplett called for air pressure and track bar adjustments in addition to four tires and fuel on that first stop. Allmendinger returned to the track for the Lap 42 restart in 25th place.
Allmendinger remained inside the top 25 through the first 100 laps of the race, and continued to relay information about the car’s handling to his team. A tight condition prevailed for much of the night, but Shiplett and his Richard Petty Motorsports crew refused to give up, making air pressure, wedge and track bar adjustments during various stops. At Lap 130, Allmendinger told the team that the car was better, but still got tight toward the end of the run.
The No. 43 went one lap down to the leaders near the halfway point and Allmendinger worked to get himself in the position for the Lucky Dog award for the remainder of the race, but the cautions never fell at the right time for the team. Allmendinger held down 21st place at the 300-lap mark and the driver managed to escape incident during a wild final 20 laps. The race went into overtime and when the checkered flag finally flew, the Best Buy Ford stood in the 20th position.
Allmendinger remains in 11th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into next Sunday’s race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Before making his way to Dover, Allmendinger will take a trip to Kentucky Speedway. Allmendinger will spend Wednesday with media at the track, which will host its first Sprint Cup Series event in July.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
No. 43 BEST BUY Ford Fusion
■AJ Allmendinger started in the 7th position at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Saturday night
■Allmendinger finished the event in 20th place
■Unofficially, Allmendinger holds down 11th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for Saturday evening’s event at Darlington Raceway in the seventh position and let crew chief Mike Shiplett know early on that the Best Buy Ford was a bit of a handful. A tight handling condition kept Allmendinger on his toes until the first pit stop of the day, which came on Lap 38. Shiplett called for air pressure and track bar adjustments in addition to four tires and fuel on that first stop. Allmendinger returned to the track for the Lap 42 restart in 25th place.
Allmendinger remained inside the top 25 through the first 100 laps of the race, and continued to relay information about the car’s handling to his team. A tight condition prevailed for much of the night, but Shiplett and his Richard Petty Motorsports crew refused to give up, making air pressure, wedge and track bar adjustments during various stops. At Lap 130, Allmendinger told the team that the car was better, but still got tight toward the end of the run.
The No. 43 went one lap down to the leaders near the halfway point and Allmendinger worked to get himself in the position for the Lucky Dog award for the remainder of the race, but the cautions never fell at the right time for the team. Allmendinger held down 21st place at the 300-lap mark and the driver managed to escape incident during a wild final 20 laps. The race went into overtime and when the checkered flag finally flew, the Best Buy Ford stood in the 20th position.
Allmendinger remains in 11th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into next Sunday’s race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Before making his way to Dover, Allmendinger will take a trip to Kentucky Speedway. Allmendinger will spend Wednesday with media at the track, which will host its first Sprint Cup Series event in July.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
Friday, May 6, 2011
Darlington Qualifying Quotes
MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Qualified 6th
“I knew what I needed to do on that second lap, but I just wasn’t sure I was gonna be able to do it. I was basically wide-open through turns one and two and the car stuck. I’m just so proud of my Stanley team and everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports. Right now, we’re one and two on the grid. It might not stay that way, but it’s just a really good moment for us and something we can reflect on and be proud of.”
***
AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 7th
“We were killing the splitter and it really just killed the first two runs and then the third run we were way off. The fourth run I have to say thank you to our teammate, Marcos Ambrose. We kind of took a little bit of their setup and at least got four or five laps in to give us a direction and then it rained. It’s been a tough day for the Best Buy Ford, but, just like always, I’ve got the best crew guys. They just keep working their butts off whether we’re struggling or not to try and make it better. I’m just proud of everybody at RPM and Ford for working hard. I’m not sure where that will end up, but it’s a lot better than 34th where we would have started. We’ll just keep working on it. This track has my number, so we’re just gonna keep fighting and have a solid day tomorrow.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Qualified 6th
“I knew what I needed to do on that second lap, but I just wasn’t sure I was gonna be able to do it. I was basically wide-open through turns one and two and the car stuck. I’m just so proud of my Stanley team and everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports. Right now, we’re one and two on the grid. It might not stay that way, but it’s just a really good moment for us and something we can reflect on and be proud of.”
***
AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 7th
“We were killing the splitter and it really just killed the first two runs and then the third run we were way off. The fourth run I have to say thank you to our teammate, Marcos Ambrose. We kind of took a little bit of their setup and at least got four or five laps in to give us a direction and then it rained. It’s been a tough day for the Best Buy Ford, but, just like always, I’ve got the best crew guys. They just keep working their butts off whether we’re struggling or not to try and make it better. I’m just proud of everybody at RPM and Ford for working hard. I’m not sure where that will end up, but it’s a lot better than 34th where we would have started. We’ll just keep working on it. This track has my number, so we’re just gonna keep fighting and have a solid day tomorrow.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Darlington Race Preview
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made four starts at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 11th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger will make his 126th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend in Darlington
AJ Allmendinger on Darlington: “Darlington is such a tough track, maybe one of the toughest we race on all season. I don’t think anyone walks out of there with their car unscathed. There is definitely truth to why the track is called “Too Tough To Tame.” But I love it. With Richmond last weekend, it’s cool to have back-to-back Saturday night races too. Darlington, like Richmond, has been a part of the sport for a long time, so the history-side of it is pretty cool too.
“Qualifying is going to be important for the Best Buy Ford this weekend. It’d be great to qualify up front and get ahead from the start of the race. Mike Shiplett and this No. 43 team have worked really hard. We’ve made some progress in the point standings but there is still progress to be made. I’m excited and ready to get at it.”
Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on Darlington: “You still run the same line that you ran at the old Darlington before they repaved it, but the tire wear doesn't come into play like it used to. They only lose about two tenths over a fuel run. The track is really fast, the tires get really hot and you lose overall grip, but the speed is still there. You need a car that turns really good at Darlington. Qualifying is going to be really important because it’s really hard to pass. We’re looking forward to getting the Best Buy Ford Fusion back on track after our seventh place finish last weekend and improving even more this weekend in the point standings.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend’s event at Darlington Raceway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Phoenix and Martinsville.
Notes: Allmendinger has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway. Allmendinger’s best starting position (12th) came in 2010 at the 1.366-mile track. He has completed 1,253 of 1,468 laps attempted. After Allmendinger’s seventh-place finish last weekend in Richmond, he enters Darlington in 11th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.
Allmendinger’s No. 43 Ford Fusion will return to its blue and yellow colors as Best Buy will be the primary partner this weekend at Darlington Raceway.
Allmendinger will be signing autographs at the Richard Petty Motorsports merchandise hauler Saturday, May 7 at 4:00 p.m. The first 75 guest in line at the merchandise hauler will receive a ticket that will allow them to take part in the autograph session.
Come join in on the fun! Petty Fest is this Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Richard Petty Museum in Randleman, N.C. Get there early because admission is just $5, but the first 92 people get in FREE! Activities include music by Rock 92, wine tasting, a silent auction, racing simulators, games, give-a-ways and much more. Richard Petty will also make an appearance at 11:30 a.m., so don’t miss out on your opportunity to meet “The King”.
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
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made four starts at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 11th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger will make his 126th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend in Darlington
AJ Allmendinger on Darlington: “Darlington is such a tough track, maybe one of the toughest we race on all season. I don’t think anyone walks out of there with their car unscathed. There is definitely truth to why the track is called “Too Tough To Tame.” But I love it. With Richmond last weekend, it’s cool to have back-to-back Saturday night races too. Darlington, like Richmond, has been a part of the sport for a long time, so the history-side of it is pretty cool too.
“Qualifying is going to be important for the Best Buy Ford this weekend. It’d be great to qualify up front and get ahead from the start of the race. Mike Shiplett and this No. 43 team have worked really hard. We’ve made some progress in the point standings but there is still progress to be made. I’m excited and ready to get at it.”
Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Thoughts on Darlington: “You still run the same line that you ran at the old Darlington before they repaved it, but the tire wear doesn't come into play like it used to. They only lose about two tenths over a fuel run. The track is really fast, the tires get really hot and you lose overall grip, but the speed is still there. You need a car that turns really good at Darlington. Qualifying is going to be really important because it’s really hard to pass. We’re looking forward to getting the Best Buy Ford Fusion back on track after our seventh place finish last weekend and improving even more this weekend in the point standings.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend’s event at Darlington Raceway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Phoenix and Martinsville.
Notes: Allmendinger has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway. Allmendinger’s best starting position (12th) came in 2010 at the 1.366-mile track. He has completed 1,253 of 1,468 laps attempted. After Allmendinger’s seventh-place finish last weekend in Richmond, he enters Darlington in 11th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.
Allmendinger’s No. 43 Ford Fusion will return to its blue and yellow colors as Best Buy will be the primary partner this weekend at Darlington Raceway.
Allmendinger will be signing autographs at the Richard Petty Motorsports merchandise hauler Saturday, May 7 at 4:00 p.m. The first 75 guest in line at the merchandise hauler will receive a ticket that will allow them to take part in the autograph session.
Come join in on the fun! Petty Fest is this Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Richard Petty Museum in Randleman, N.C. Get there early because admission is just $5, but the first 92 people get in FREE! Activities include music by Rock 92, wine tasting, a silent auction, racing simulators, games, give-a-ways and much more. Richard Petty will also make an appearance at 11:30 a.m., so don’t miss out on your opportunity to meet “The King”.
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
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Get Your Vote On!
May is National Vote for AJ Month!
Ok, not really - but here are some great avatars for Twitter and Facebook so you can show your support and remind others to vote for the driver of the #43 Best Buy Ford.
(Big thanks to Kevin @bahamut443 for the graphics.)
Monday, May 2, 2011
Richmond Race Recap
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 NAUTICA Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger started in the 18th position at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on Saturday night
• Allmendinger wheeled his way to a seventh-place finishing position
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 11th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the 400-lap event at Richmond International Raceway in the 18th position and immediately let crew chief Mike Shiplett know that the NAUTICA Ford was not to his liking. With their Ford Fusion losing grip in the center of the corners and fighting a loose condition, the Richard Petty Motorsports crew went to work to make chassis adjustments to the car during the first pit stop of the day.
It seemed as if the adjustments helped the No. 43 Ford and Allmendinger had made his way to the 11th position by Lap 100 of the 400-lap event. However, by the time the first caution flag of the event waved on Lap 108, the NAUTICA Ford had once again become a handful with limited rear grip, and by Lap 140 it had fallen to the 17th spot.
Shiplett and crew continued to make a myriad of adjustments to help remedy the loose handling condition of the car during the next several pit stops. By the fifth stop of the race on Lap 257, Allmendinger let the crew know his No. 43 machine was handling better but still needed some work to be able to run with the leaders.
A caution flag on Lap 302 enabled the crew to make a final set of adjustments to the NAUTICA machine, as well as take on four fresh tires and fuel. This fresh set of chassis adjustments and tires seemed to make a big difference to the No. 43 car. Lining up in the 13th position when the race went back to green, Allmendinger fought hard and picked up several positions in the final 98 laps of the event to bring home the NAUTICA Ford in seventh place.
Allmendinger made the biggest gain of the week, picking up four positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He now sits in 11th place heading into Darlington Raceway next weekend. Richmond’s seventh-place finish was the best of the season for the team and also marks Allmendinger’s second top-10 finish of the season.
Allmendinger’s Thoughts After: “We were just missing a little, I don’t feel like we are that far off. We had the NAUTICA car turning so good here, the best it has ever turned, but we couldn’t get any forward bite off the corner. We were just a bit off, but Mike did a good job staying calm because I wasn’t very good at that. Sometimes in these races you have to get a little lucky.”
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
No. 43 NAUTICA Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger started in the 18th position at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on Saturday night
• Allmendinger wheeled his way to a seventh-place finishing position
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 11th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the 400-lap event at Richmond International Raceway in the 18th position and immediately let crew chief Mike Shiplett know that the NAUTICA Ford was not to his liking. With their Ford Fusion losing grip in the center of the corners and fighting a loose condition, the Richard Petty Motorsports crew went to work to make chassis adjustments to the car during the first pit stop of the day.
It seemed as if the adjustments helped the No. 43 Ford and Allmendinger had made his way to the 11th position by Lap 100 of the 400-lap event. However, by the time the first caution flag of the event waved on Lap 108, the NAUTICA Ford had once again become a handful with limited rear grip, and by Lap 140 it had fallen to the 17th spot.
Shiplett and crew continued to make a myriad of adjustments to help remedy the loose handling condition of the car during the next several pit stops. By the fifth stop of the race on Lap 257, Allmendinger let the crew know his No. 43 machine was handling better but still needed some work to be able to run with the leaders.
A caution flag on Lap 302 enabled the crew to make a final set of adjustments to the NAUTICA machine, as well as take on four fresh tires and fuel. This fresh set of chassis adjustments and tires seemed to make a big difference to the No. 43 car. Lining up in the 13th position when the race went back to green, Allmendinger fought hard and picked up several positions in the final 98 laps of the event to bring home the NAUTICA Ford in seventh place.
Allmendinger made the biggest gain of the week, picking up four positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He now sits in 11th place heading into Darlington Raceway next weekend. Richmond’s seventh-place finish was the best of the season for the team and also marks Allmendinger’s second top-10 finish of the season.
Allmendinger’s Thoughts After: “We were just missing a little, I don’t feel like we are that far off. We had the NAUTICA car turning so good here, the best it has ever turned, but we couldn’t get any forward bite off the corner. We were just a bit off, but Mike did a good job staying calm because I wasn’t very good at that. Sometimes in these races you have to get a little lucky.”
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
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