Subs for Injured Annett in the No. 43 Flying J Ford
CONCORD, N.C. (February 27, 2013) – Aric Almirola will make his return to NASCAR Nationwide Series competition for the first time since competing full-time in 2011 when he finished fourth in the point standings. Almirola will substitute for Michael Annett, who was injured in a crash at Daytona International Speedway, in the No. 43 Flying J Ford at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway.
The Dollar General 200 will mark Almirola’s sixth Nationwide start at the one-mile track. The Tampa, Fla., native previously earned a pole award (2011) and a sixth-place finish (2010) at the Phoenix, Ariz., track.
Comments from Flying J Ford Fusion Driver Aric Almirola:
“This is never a situation that you want to have. The most important thing is for Michael to get better and get back in the No. 43 Flying J Ford. I’m happy to step in for him this weekend as he recovers. This will make a busy weekend for me, but I am excited for the added track time. I really like Phoenix and have found some success in both Cup and Nationwide there.
“This will be the first race for Flying J to have primary placement on the car, so I hope we can bring home a top-five finish for them and for Michael. The 43 team is still competing for the Owner’s Championship, so I’d love to help make them and Michael proud.”
Comments from Crew Chief Philippe Lopez on Phoenix:
“It’s an unfortunate situation to have Michael hurt, especially with the high hopes we had for this season. But, this is just a bump in the road. We will focus on the Owners Championship this season and getting Michael back in the car.
“We finished in the top-10 both races last season and have a brand new car we are running this weekend. I think our car will be competitive, and Aric will do a good job wheeling it. Our short track program was really good last year; we didn’t finish outside the top-15, so that should continue this season.”
Chassis History:
The No. 43 team has prepared chassis No. 743 for Phoenix. This is a new chassis the team built in the off-season.
About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.
NEXT RACE:
Dollar General 200
Phoenix International Raceway
Saturday, March 2, 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Radio: MRN/SiriusXM 90
Qualifying:
Saturday, March 2, 1:05 p.m. ET
TV: SPEED
FOLLOW RPM:
QUICK LINKS
RichardPettyMotorsports.com
AricAlmirola.com
PilotFlyingJ.com
