AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 2nd
HOW WAS YOUR LAP? “It was pretty good. I felt like I got into one just a little bit deep and locked the right-front just a little bit, but felt like I carried good momentum through there. I was just a little tentative getting in the bus stop, sitting there in line when we sat there I could see the track was really dirty getting in there, so I was a little bit conservative getting in and tried to make it all up through the bus stop and got a little bit loose, so I lost a little bit of time there. I don’t know if that was enough time lost to Kyle, but I felt like overall the car was really good. It’s been solid ever since we unloaded. Greg Erwin and everybody on the Best Buy Ford just brought a good car and I feel like these last couple weeks, although the results may not show it, have been really good. We’ve been working well together and I think we’re making a lot of progress, so to go out there with what we’ve been building on is really good. To have a good lap today was really good.”
IS IT NICE TO GET THIS KIND OF RESULT? “Yeah. I’ve always liked Watkins Glen a little bit more than Sonoma. I feel like I’ve struggled at Sonoma. Watkins Glen is a race track that you’ve really got to be aggressive on and you can really kind of just hang the car out, and I feel I’ve always been pretty good here, so I look at this track – coming to it – if we can build some momentum and get a good finish tomorrow, we’re right there in points. Obviously, if we get a win that puts us with a chance for the Chase, but I’m not looking at that as make or break. I feel like if we can just keep getting better as the year goes on and have a good, strong finish to the end of the season that that’s gonna be what I’m gonna look at for our season and really build off of that, so this is a great place to start. We’ve always been fast here.”
WHAT IS ERWIN BRINGING TO THE TEAM? “It was built by Mike Shiplett. He really got our guys working well together and we were bringing good stuff to the race track and it was something that we were just lacking a little bit, so with the change Greg brings a lot of experience. Obviously, he’s a crew chief that has won a lot of race, been in the Chase and been in championship contention. I think that experience level has really been helping me in times where I maybe get a little bit lost because I forget that I’ve been in here for five years, but when it comes to everything that I’ve been through in this sport, I look at that I’ve really only had two really competitive seasons, so I’m still learning a lot. There are times where we kind of get lost and I think Greg can kind of keep the team on track and figure out whether we need a big change or a small change or race strategy – things like that – and just help make me a better race car driver. Inside the race car driver and out of the race car driver trying to figure out what we need with these race cars, so, like I said, the results don’t show it but Indy we were really fast all day. Pocono I felt like we were pretty good on Friday and on Sunday we lost a little bit, but it was still a solid weekend. Since we’ve unloaded, I feel like Marcos is the guy to beat, but we’re right there with everybody else and we have something for everybody else, so he’s just brought a lot of experience and that’s just in three weeks, so I think as the season goes on, hopefully we just keep building on that.”
***
MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Qualified 3rd
HOW WAS YOUR LAP? “I felt a little unfortunate really. We had a probably had the hardest part of the practice and I underdrove it just a little bit, but we’re proud of our efforts. It would have been great to be on the front row with AJ, but we’ll start third for the race. We’ve got a great package. I feel really confident and we’ll just see how the day unfolds. It’s gonna be interesting to see how it goes on fuel strategy and brake wear and all those factors that come into play on a road course. Hopefully we make the right judgment calls in getting the car ready for the race.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Dinger Fan Story #6
In June I was fortunate to be part of the NASCAR experience at the SaveMart 350 in Sonoma, and I must say the highlight of the weekend was meeting A.J. Allemdinger for the first time. My business partner Gene and I sponsored a weekend for some die-hard A.J. fans and most definitely converted a few more throughout the weekend. Gene, who happens to be A.J.'s uncle, brother to his dad Greg, had done the impossible and converted me, a long time Jimmie Johnson fan, and I'm joining the Dinger bandwagon.
My experience from the weekend was most memorable and being able to have some of our Dinger Hill group meet him and win some cool prizes from the Best Buy team was awesome. His taking time out of what I'm sure is a busy schedule and meet with us made such an impression on all of us. I can sum that little get together up in two words "Dinger Fan-tastic". He was very down to earth and took time to answer a lot of questions from the group and signed autographs for everyone without hesitation, very classy guy.
We showed our appreciation by throwing on our A.J. gear and took our Dinger Hill gang to the crowds. We started behind the main grandstands and ruled the crowd during the NASCAR on SPEED segment, totally stopping the show with chants of "A.J. A.J." and "Dinger's bringing Sexy back to Nor Cal". We carried a sign, about 4'x5', made by Jensen and Milla Freeze, through the crowds, doing our A.J. chants and came up on the Sprint site and again stopped the whole ordeal, while the sprint girls took notice and snapped pics of the sign with their cell phones lol. It was pretty amazing. I believe I tweeted a pic of the sign during the NASCAR on SPEED segment. Then we headed to our spot on turn 7 where we parked our Kubodas and watched our favorite driver A.J. Allmendinger. At one point during the race we took our "Dinger's bringing Sexy back" sign to the turn 7 grand stands and had the whole crowd on their feet chanting "A.J.! A.J.! A.J.!!" It was awesome to see people in Gordon, Johnson and Bush gear chanting for Allmendinger, we definitely had the crowd.
What started out as a group of about 25 on Dinger Hill, which is the Cougar Mountain camping area, quickly turned into about 50 die-hard Dinger fans. Gene and a lot of this group have been doing this for about 4 years and it's going to become an annual event for he and I to sponsor for years to come. Next year we would love to have A.J. come to Dinger Hill and enjoy a game of horseshoes with us haha. Uncle Gene is pretty good!
It was one of the most memorable NASCAR weekends I've been part of! Thanks again to A.J. for the time he gave us, to Molly and Tara for their hospitality and to the Best Buy Team for the great prizes, even though Gene nor I won anything lol, the experience was awesome and our crew will never forget it.
Jimm
@bamasaints
My experience from the weekend was most memorable and being able to have some of our Dinger Hill group meet him and win some cool prizes from the Best Buy team was awesome. His taking time out of what I'm sure is a busy schedule and meet with us made such an impression on all of us. I can sum that little get together up in two words "Dinger Fan-tastic". He was very down to earth and took time to answer a lot of questions from the group and signed autographs for everyone without hesitation, very classy guy.
We showed our appreciation by throwing on our A.J. gear and took our Dinger Hill gang to the crowds. We started behind the main grandstands and ruled the crowd during the NASCAR on SPEED segment, totally stopping the show with chants of "A.J. A.J." and "Dinger's bringing Sexy back to Nor Cal". We carried a sign, about 4'x5', made by Jensen and Milla Freeze, through the crowds, doing our A.J. chants and came up on the Sprint site and again stopped the whole ordeal, while the sprint girls took notice and snapped pics of the sign with their cell phones lol. It was pretty amazing. I believe I tweeted a pic of the sign during the NASCAR on SPEED segment. Then we headed to our spot on turn 7 where we parked our Kubodas and watched our favorite driver A.J. Allmendinger. At one point during the race we took our "Dinger's bringing Sexy back" sign to the turn 7 grand stands and had the whole crowd on their feet chanting "A.J.! A.J.! A.J.!!" It was awesome to see people in Gordon, Johnson and Bush gear chanting for Allmendinger, we definitely had the crowd.
What started out as a group of about 25 on Dinger Hill, which is the Cougar Mountain camping area, quickly turned into about 50 die-hard Dinger fans. Gene and a lot of this group have been doing this for about 4 years and it's going to become an annual event for he and I to sponsor for years to come. Next year we would love to have A.J. come to Dinger Hill and enjoy a game of horseshoes with us haha. Uncle Gene is pretty good!
It was one of the most memorable NASCAR weekends I've been part of! Thanks again to A.J. for the time he gave us, to Molly and Tara for their hospitality and to the Best Buy Team for the great prizes, even though Gene nor I won anything lol, the experience was awesome and our crew will never forget it.
Jimm
@bamasaints
Watkins Glen Race Preview
AJ ALLMENDINGER No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made three starts at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
• Allmendinger enters the race in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (fourth) at the 2.45-mile road course came in last year’s race
AJ Allmendinger on Watkins Glen: “I’m coming off of two race tracks that I’m not a big fan of racing at, so I’m excited to be going to The Glen. I’ve had pretty good finishes there in the past, so I’m looking forward to going this weekend and having a legitimate shot at my first Cup Series win in my Best Buy Ford Fusion. Greg Erwin and I are starting to gel more and more each week and Watkins Glen is a great track for us to work on momentum with this new team dynamic.”
Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Keys to Getting Around Watkins Glen: “The key to Watkins Glen historically has been being able to carry a lot of speed through the esses. We need to have a car that drives as close as we can make it equally left and right. Fuel mileage will be important at The Glen and generally two-stop strategies work well there.
“It will be interesting to see how the tire is going to react at Watkins Glen this weekend. We’ve been very solid and consistent with the Fords there in the past. This year Goodyear threw us a different tire at Sonoma (the only other road course on the Cup Series schedule) and everyone struggled with it. I’m hoping Goodyear has taken what was learned at Sonoma and the new tire at Watkins Glen will be closer to what it has been in the past. Our new Ford engine this year is also going to be key. We had the old Ford engine there last year, so this time around we should have a lot more power on the field.
There will also be a new style of chassis for the Fords this year, so that should help the performance of the car as well. I know AJ is excited to go to The Glen after coming off of two weeks of tough racetracks. He wants to go to Watkins Glen and show everybody what he’s got. It should be a good weekend for the Best Buy team and the whole RPM organization.”
Erwin on the Biggest Challenge at The Glen: “The biggest challenge historically has been fighting turn and getting the car to cut in the corners. The second biggest concern is yellow flag pit stops, because pit road can get really congested and we want to be able to get the Best Buy machine off of pit road with the fenders all in one piece. The next challenge will be getting through Turn 1 because that corner sends a lot of guys off of the racetrack and tends to end a lot of days pretty quick.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 760 for this weekend’s event at Watkins Glen International. This Best Buy Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at Infineon (Sonoma, Calif.) Raceway.
Notes: Allmendinger’s best starting and finishing position at Watkins Glen (fourth) came in last year’s 90-lap event. Allmendinger enters this weekend in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger has completed 100 percent of laps attempted (270) at the 2.45-mile track and has an average finishing position of 9.3.
Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 and No. 9 teams will visit Victory Junction Gang Camp, Aug. 9, for NASCARnival Night, an evening full of fun and games with the campers. Allmendinger, along with his pit crew, will enjoy dinner, dancing and pit stop demonstrations as part of the event.
• Allmendinger has made three starts at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
• Allmendinger enters the race in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (fourth) at the 2.45-mile road course came in last year’s race
AJ Allmendinger on Watkins Glen: “I’m coming off of two race tracks that I’m not a big fan of racing at, so I’m excited to be going to The Glen. I’ve had pretty good finishes there in the past, so I’m looking forward to going this weekend and having a legitimate shot at my first Cup Series win in my Best Buy Ford Fusion. Greg Erwin and I are starting to gel more and more each week and Watkins Glen is a great track for us to work on momentum with this new team dynamic.”
Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Keys to Getting Around Watkins Glen: “The key to Watkins Glen historically has been being able to carry a lot of speed through the esses. We need to have a car that drives as close as we can make it equally left and right. Fuel mileage will be important at The Glen and generally two-stop strategies work well there.
“It will be interesting to see how the tire is going to react at Watkins Glen this weekend. We’ve been very solid and consistent with the Fords there in the past. This year Goodyear threw us a different tire at Sonoma (the only other road course on the Cup Series schedule) and everyone struggled with it. I’m hoping Goodyear has taken what was learned at Sonoma and the new tire at Watkins Glen will be closer to what it has been in the past. Our new Ford engine this year is also going to be key. We had the old Ford engine there last year, so this time around we should have a lot more power on the field.
There will also be a new style of chassis for the Fords this year, so that should help the performance of the car as well. I know AJ is excited to go to The Glen after coming off of two weeks of tough racetracks. He wants to go to Watkins Glen and show everybody what he’s got. It should be a good weekend for the Best Buy team and the whole RPM organization.”
Erwin on the Biggest Challenge at The Glen: “The biggest challenge historically has been fighting turn and getting the car to cut in the corners. The second biggest concern is yellow flag pit stops, because pit road can get really congested and we want to be able to get the Best Buy machine off of pit road with the fenders all in one piece. The next challenge will be getting through Turn 1 because that corner sends a lot of guys off of the racetrack and tends to end a lot of days pretty quick.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 760 for this weekend’s event at Watkins Glen International. This Best Buy Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at Infineon (Sonoma, Calif.) Raceway.
Notes: Allmendinger’s best starting and finishing position at Watkins Glen (fourth) came in last year’s 90-lap event. Allmendinger enters this weekend in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger has completed 100 percent of laps attempted (270) at the 2.45-mile track and has an average finishing position of 9.3.
Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 and No. 9 teams will visit Victory Junction Gang Camp, Aug. 9, for NASCARnival Night, an evening full of fun and games with the campers. Allmendinger, along with his pit crew, will enjoy dinner, dancing and pit stop demonstrations as part of the event.
NASCARnival at Victory Junction
The Richard Petty Motorsports teams visited Victory Junction Tuesday night for their annual NASCARnival celebration. Here are some videos from the event.
Pit stops aren't as easy when you're wearing boas.
The Bullseye Dance!
Team photo time
Pit stops aren't as easy when you're wearing boas.
The Bullseye Dance!
Team photo time
Monday, August 8, 2011
Pocono II Race Recap
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger started from the 29th spot at Pocono Raceway
• Allmendinger wheeled his way to a 19th-place finishing position at the 2.5-mile tri-oval
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway in the 29th position. Once the green flag flew, he quickly assessed that he needed some help with the handling of the car in Turn 1. When the first caution flag waved on Lap 13, crew chief Greg Erwin called his driver into the pits for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.
After the restart, Allmendinger held down 21st place and communicated to the crew that his Best Buy Ford was a little better. The team chose to stay out during the next caution period, which came at Lap 20. Allmendinger struggled with the handling of the car for a while and the weather conditions, which alternated between sunny and cloudy for much of the race, didn’t help. A pit stop at Lap 41 enabled Erwin to make a track bar adjustment to the car while bolting on four new tires and fueling up the car. At the Lap 50 mark, the Best Buy Ford held down a spot just inside the top 25.
Allmendinger remained in the top 25 while fighting a tight handling racecar. The team continued to make changes to the car during pit stops and at the halfway point of the race, stood in 20th position. A rain shower on Lap 123 forced NASCAR officials to park the cars while they dried the track, resulting in a lengthy delay. When the track was dry and the cars hit the pavement once again, Allmendinger continued to fight a tight race car. As the run wore on, the handling of the Best Buy Ford improved, and Erwin continued to tweak the handling of the car during the remaining stops to make it better. Allmendinger remained in the top 25 for the next 65 laps until he broke into the top 20 with nine laps to go. When the checkered flag flew after a long day at Pocono Raceway, Allmendinger held down the19th spot.
Allmendinger stands in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into the final road course event of the season next weekend.
Credit - Ford Racing
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger started from the 29th spot at Pocono Raceway
• Allmendinger wheeled his way to a 19th-place finishing position at the 2.5-mile tri-oval
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway in the 29th position. Once the green flag flew, he quickly assessed that he needed some help with the handling of the car in Turn 1. When the first caution flag waved on Lap 13, crew chief Greg Erwin called his driver into the pits for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.
After the restart, Allmendinger held down 21st place and communicated to the crew that his Best Buy Ford was a little better. The team chose to stay out during the next caution period, which came at Lap 20. Allmendinger struggled with the handling of the car for a while and the weather conditions, which alternated between sunny and cloudy for much of the race, didn’t help. A pit stop at Lap 41 enabled Erwin to make a track bar adjustment to the car while bolting on four new tires and fueling up the car. At the Lap 50 mark, the Best Buy Ford held down a spot just inside the top 25.
Allmendinger remained in the top 25 while fighting a tight handling racecar. The team continued to make changes to the car during pit stops and at the halfway point of the race, stood in 20th position. A rain shower on Lap 123 forced NASCAR officials to park the cars while they dried the track, resulting in a lengthy delay. When the track was dry and the cars hit the pavement once again, Allmendinger continued to fight a tight race car. As the run wore on, the handling of the Best Buy Ford improved, and Erwin continued to tweak the handling of the car during the remaining stops to make it better. Allmendinger remained in the top 25 for the next 65 laps until he broke into the top 20 with nine laps to go. When the checkered flag flew after a long day at Pocono Raceway, Allmendinger held down the19th spot.
Allmendinger stands in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into the final road course event of the season next weekend.
Credit - Ford Racing
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Pocono II Post-Race Quotes
AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 19th
RED FLAG COMMENTS:“The Best Buy Ford has been a little bit tight all day. I feel like we’ve been making gains on it. In the long run, we’re actually pretty good. If you just pick our car up and place it inside the top 10, top five, on older tires we could run there, but we’re just struggling on restarts being too tight. A lot of people have that problem with being aero-tight.”
***
MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 DeWalt Ford Fusion
Finished 20th
POST-RACE COMMENTS: “It was just a long day today, but we just fought and gouged all day. I’m really proud of my guys. I feel like I got the most out of myself and the guys really tried hard. It’s not the day we wanted, but we’re still proud of ourselves.”
DID THE BREAK HELP YOU GET THE CAR BETTER? “No. We just fought and gouged all day and then we got track position, but we’ll get ‘em next week.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Finished 19th
RED FLAG COMMENTS:“The Best Buy Ford has been a little bit tight all day. I feel like we’ve been making gains on it. In the long run, we’re actually pretty good. If you just pick our car up and place it inside the top 10, top five, on older tires we could run there, but we’re just struggling on restarts being too tight. A lot of people have that problem with being aero-tight.”
***
MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 DeWalt Ford Fusion
Finished 20th
POST-RACE COMMENTS: “It was just a long day today, but we just fought and gouged all day. I’m really proud of my guys. I feel like I got the most out of myself and the guys really tried hard. It’s not the day we wanted, but we’re still proud of ourselves.”
DID THE BREAK HELP YOU GET THE CAR BETTER? “No. We just fought and gouged all day and then we got track position, but we’ll get ‘em next week.”
Credit - Ford Racing
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Pocono II Race Preview
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Pocono Raceway, located in Long Pond, Pa.
• Allmendinger enters the race in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) at the 2.5-mile track came in last year’s June race
AJ Allmendinger on Pocono: “Pocono is a strange track to race on. When we go back the second time it always seems like the track is a lot slicker than earlier in the year. Every year that I’ve been there, for whatever reason, in the eight weeks that it sits, it just gets so much slicker. Since the track conditions change so much, the setup is a little bit different this week than when we go there in June. For us we weren’t great there the first race, but we definitely figured out some things we can build off of and try to work out this weekend. With us shifting at Pocono now for the second time this season, it’s a lot different to drive on than it has been in past years. Those are some notes we can use this weekend from the June race.
“We learned a lot last week working with Greg Erwin for the first time and I think the next couple of weeks are going to be a transition period for the whole Best Buy team. We still have an outside shot of going out there and making the Chase, but more importantly, there are race tracks we can go to a second time and put ourselves up against what we have done earlier in the year. We just have to keep trying to get our Best Buy Ford better and better.”
Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Pocono: “Pocono is probably the most difficult track for the driver and crew chief to be able to assemble good solid complete laps around the race track because it is so uniquely different on all three corners. One of the biggest problems we’ll fight in Pocono is the roughness of the race track entering Turn 1 at the end of the longest straightaway. That’s really what sets the car up for a good lap or not. Depending on how the Best Buy Ford gets through those bumps will depend on how good our lap is because if we lose speed it’s really difficult to get that speed back. The tunnel turn has some resemblance to Indy, but is a lot rougher. We may use some of our Indy notes if we are struggling getting through the tunnel turn. The patch in Turn 3 has a lot more grip now and a lot of drivers are going up there to get some speed. Turn 3 is a big, long, flat, sweeping corner and it is hard to get the car to drive off that corner while still having the front end turn well. It is a little bit of a tighter exit than the other two turns. Pocono is definitely one of the harder race tracks combined with the fact that we are going back for the second time being allowed to shift again. We saw a lot of wear and tear on our transmissions there earlier in the year. Shifting gives AJ another tool to try and get around Pocono, but he has to take care of it.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend’s event at Pocono. This Best Buy Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at Phoenix International Raceway, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and was utilized in the June race at Pocono Raceway.
Notes: Allmendinger has eight starts and two Top-15 finishes at Pocono. He enters the race this weekend in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) came in last year’s June race. He has completed 1,506 of 1,510 laps attempted at the 2.5-mile tri-oval.
This week marks the start of DIRECTV’s Head2Head Knockout competition. The No. 43 team has been pitted up against the No. 4 team during this week’s race. The high-stakes competition will take place over the course of four races and DIRECTV, the exclusive provider of the NASCAR HotPass™ broadcast, will donate a total of $400,000 to driver charities during the event as drivers compete head-to-head each week with the winner moving on to the next bracket.
In addition, a participating fan who fills out a perfect bracket can win $1 million. Aside from a perfect bracket winner, the fan who accumulates the most points will win a brand new truck from the manufacturer of the winning driver. Fans can get more information by visiting www.directv.com/nascar and can enter their brackets until Aug. 7 at 12:30 p.m. EDT.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Pocono Raceway, located in Long Pond, Pa.
• Allmendinger enters the race in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) at the 2.5-mile track came in last year’s June race
AJ Allmendinger on Pocono: “Pocono is a strange track to race on. When we go back the second time it always seems like the track is a lot slicker than earlier in the year. Every year that I’ve been there, for whatever reason, in the eight weeks that it sits, it just gets so much slicker. Since the track conditions change so much, the setup is a little bit different this week than when we go there in June. For us we weren’t great there the first race, but we definitely figured out some things we can build off of and try to work out this weekend. With us shifting at Pocono now for the second time this season, it’s a lot different to drive on than it has been in past years. Those are some notes we can use this weekend from the June race.
“We learned a lot last week working with Greg Erwin for the first time and I think the next couple of weeks are going to be a transition period for the whole Best Buy team. We still have an outside shot of going out there and making the Chase, but more importantly, there are race tracks we can go to a second time and put ourselves up against what we have done earlier in the year. We just have to keep trying to get our Best Buy Ford better and better.”
Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Pocono: “Pocono is probably the most difficult track for the driver and crew chief to be able to assemble good solid complete laps around the race track because it is so uniquely different on all three corners. One of the biggest problems we’ll fight in Pocono is the roughness of the race track entering Turn 1 at the end of the longest straightaway. That’s really what sets the car up for a good lap or not. Depending on how the Best Buy Ford gets through those bumps will depend on how good our lap is because if we lose speed it’s really difficult to get that speed back. The tunnel turn has some resemblance to Indy, but is a lot rougher. We may use some of our Indy notes if we are struggling getting through the tunnel turn. The patch in Turn 3 has a lot more grip now and a lot of drivers are going up there to get some speed. Turn 3 is a big, long, flat, sweeping corner and it is hard to get the car to drive off that corner while still having the front end turn well. It is a little bit of a tighter exit than the other two turns. Pocono is definitely one of the harder race tracks combined with the fact that we are going back for the second time being allowed to shift again. We saw a lot of wear and tear on our transmissions there earlier in the year. Shifting gives AJ another tool to try and get around Pocono, but he has to take care of it.”
Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend’s event at Pocono. This Best Buy Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at Phoenix International Raceway, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and was utilized in the June race at Pocono Raceway.
Notes: Allmendinger has eight starts and two Top-15 finishes at Pocono. He enters the race this weekend in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) came in last year’s June race. He has completed 1,506 of 1,510 laps attempted at the 2.5-mile tri-oval.
This week marks the start of DIRECTV’s Head2Head Knockout competition. The No. 43 team has been pitted up against the No. 4 team during this week’s race. The high-stakes competition will take place over the course of four races and DIRECTV, the exclusive provider of the NASCAR HotPass™ broadcast, will donate a total of $400,000 to driver charities during the event as drivers compete head-to-head each week with the winner moving on to the next bracket.
In addition, a participating fan who fills out a perfect bracket can win $1 million. Aside from a perfect bracket winner, the fan who accumulates the most points will win a brand new truck from the manufacturer of the winning driver. Fans can get more information by visiting www.directv.com/nascar and can enter their brackets until Aug. 7 at 12:30 p.m. EDT.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
TRIMFIT JOINS RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS PARTNER LINEUP
TRIMFIT JOINS RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS PARTNER LINEUPPatented New Weight Loss Water Will Have Presence on No. 43 Ford
CONCORD, N.C. (August 2, 2011) – Roger J. Catarino, President and CEO of First Fruits Beverage Company, LLC, and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) officials have announced a partnership centered around the new patented weight loss water beverage TrimFit. The associate sponsorship will showcase the brand on uniforms as well as on the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford.
“We’re happy to have TrimFit on board,” stated team Co-Owner Richard Petty. “TrimFit is an innovative and exciting new beverage and we’re looking forward to introducing it to the legions of faithful NASCAR fans. This is a great opportunity to introduce a new product to our sport and we’re looking forward to working together with the folks from TrimFit to showcase their great, new product.”
TrimFit will have a presence with both of the RPM NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams for the remainder of the 2011 season. In addition to a logo on the sleeve of the firesuit of Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion, the company will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 43 Ford machine.
Roger Catarino added, “RPM represents the highest quality image in integrity and reputation and we are delighted to be partnering with them and to have Richard “The King” Petty as our spokesperson. He and his team provide the perfect vehicle for our product to be introduced to the consumer and receive instant credibility because of his unprecedented accomplishments and reputation. TrimFit is a patented weight loss water and has created a new beverage category for functional beverages. Check www.TrimFitWater.com to find a TrimFit retailer closest to you”
About TrimFit:
Lose Weight, Lower Body Fat, Reduce Your Waistline, and Stay Hydrated with TrimFit ™ All Natural Weight Loss Water! While results may vary, TrimFit, with a balanced diet and exercise program can help you achieve and maintain healthy weight levels and a toned body shape. TrimFit’s patented ingredient, Trisynex®, targets reduction of body fat helping you achieve a healthy lifestyle by balancing the key hormones Leptin and Adiponectin. Ten years of university research and development, including an eight-week clinical study, substantiate that TrimFit works. Each eight-ounce serving is all natural, has 0 grams of sugar, five calories, and provides hydration. TrimFit comes in three great tasting flavors – Pink Lemonade, Mixed Berry, and Lemon Lime.
TrimFit is produced exclusively by First Fruits Beverage Company in Marion, VA. The state-of-the-art facility is organic certified, kosher approved, and is dedicated to “green” initiatives. For more information about TrimFit, please visit our website at www.TrimFitWater.com.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
CONCORD, N.C. (August 2, 2011) – Roger J. Catarino, President and CEO of First Fruits Beverage Company, LLC, and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) officials have announced a partnership centered around the new patented weight loss water beverage TrimFit. The associate sponsorship will showcase the brand on uniforms as well as on the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford.
“We’re happy to have TrimFit on board,” stated team Co-Owner Richard Petty. “TrimFit is an innovative and exciting new beverage and we’re looking forward to introducing it to the legions of faithful NASCAR fans. This is a great opportunity to introduce a new product to our sport and we’re looking forward to working together with the folks from TrimFit to showcase their great, new product.”
TrimFit will have a presence with both of the RPM NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams for the remainder of the 2011 season. In addition to a logo on the sleeve of the firesuit of Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion, the company will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 43 Ford machine.
Roger Catarino added, “RPM represents the highest quality image in integrity and reputation and we are delighted to be partnering with them and to have Richard “The King” Petty as our spokesperson. He and his team provide the perfect vehicle for our product to be introduced to the consumer and receive instant credibility because of his unprecedented accomplishments and reputation. TrimFit is a patented weight loss water and has created a new beverage category for functional beverages. Check www.TrimFitWater.com to find a TrimFit retailer closest to you”
About TrimFit:
Lose Weight, Lower Body Fat, Reduce Your Waistline, and Stay Hydrated with TrimFit ™ All Natural Weight Loss Water! While results may vary, TrimFit, with a balanced diet and exercise program can help you achieve and maintain healthy weight levels and a toned body shape. TrimFit’s patented ingredient, Trisynex®, targets reduction of body fat helping you achieve a healthy lifestyle by balancing the key hormones Leptin and Adiponectin. Ten years of university research and development, including an eight-week clinical study, substantiate that TrimFit works. Each eight-ounce serving is all natural, has 0 grams of sugar, five calories, and provides hydration. TrimFit comes in three great tasting flavors – Pink Lemonade, Mixed Berry, and Lemon Lime.
TrimFit is produced exclusively by First Fruits Beverage Company in Marion, VA. The state-of-the-art facility is organic certified, kosher approved, and is dedicated to “green” initiatives. For more information about TrimFit, please visit our website at www.TrimFitWater.com.
Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR
Monday, August 1, 2011
Indianapolis Race Recap
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
* AJ Allmendinger started in the sixth position Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
* Allmendinger finished the 400-mile event at the 2.5-mile quad-oval in the 22nd position
* Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up in the sixth spot for the start of the 400-mile race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Quickly making his way toward the front of the field, Allmendinger was running in the third position on Lap 3.
A routine green flag pit stop on Lap 25 allowed Allmendinger to communicate to Crew Chief, Greg Erwin, who made his debut at the track with the team this weekend, that he was happy with how the Best Buy Ford was running overall, but the car was just a tick loose on entry and exit in the corners and tight through the center. Erwin called for a trackbar adjustment, four tires and fuel during the first pit stop of the day.
The change made to the Best Buy machine on the previous pit stop seemed to help the car’s handling during the early stages of the race, but as the laps wore on, Allmendinger began struggling more and more with how the car was driving. By Lap 105, Allmendinger was still running inside the top 10, but had fallen back to the ninth position.
With just under 60 Laps to go, Allmendinger again began to fight with the handling of the Best Buy Ford and couldn’t seem to get it to turn through the center of the corners. Erwin and the Richard Petty Motorsports crew made various chassis adjustments to the car during the remaining pit stops and when the checkered flag flew at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Allmendinger held down 22nd place.
Sunday’s finish resulted in Allmendinger falling one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He now holds down 17th place heading to Pocono Raceway next weekend.
Credit - Ford Racing
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
* AJ Allmendinger started in the sixth position Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
* Allmendinger finished the 400-mile event at the 2.5-mile quad-oval in the 22nd position
* Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up in the sixth spot for the start of the 400-mile race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Quickly making his way toward the front of the field, Allmendinger was running in the third position on Lap 3.
A routine green flag pit stop on Lap 25 allowed Allmendinger to communicate to Crew Chief, Greg Erwin, who made his debut at the track with the team this weekend, that he was happy with how the Best Buy Ford was running overall, but the car was just a tick loose on entry and exit in the corners and tight through the center. Erwin called for a trackbar adjustment, four tires and fuel during the first pit stop of the day.
The change made to the Best Buy machine on the previous pit stop seemed to help the car’s handling during the early stages of the race, but as the laps wore on, Allmendinger began struggling more and more with how the car was driving. By Lap 105, Allmendinger was still running inside the top 10, but had fallen back to the ninth position.
With just under 60 Laps to go, Allmendinger again began to fight with the handling of the Best Buy Ford and couldn’t seem to get it to turn through the center of the corners. Erwin and the Richard Petty Motorsports crew made various chassis adjustments to the car during the remaining pit stops and when the checkered flag flew at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Allmendinger held down 22nd place.
Sunday’s finish resulted in Allmendinger falling one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He now holds down 17th place heading to Pocono Raceway next weekend.
Credit - Ford Racing
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