No. 43 Team Looks to Continue String of Top-10 Finishes at Track
CONCORD, N.C. (September 3, 2013) – For the third week in a row the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) will compete under the lights. The night race at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway is always a contender for one of the most exciting night races of the season and Michael Annett and the No. 43 Flying J Travel Plaza Ford team are hoping they can make it their best run of the year.
Annett has eight starts at the .75-mile track with one top-five and two top-10 finishes. His best finish of fifth came in the fall of last year and his average finish at the Virginia track is 18.1.
In Richard Petty Motorsports’ two short years in the NNS, they have earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes in three starts. The team hopes to continue that streak this weekend.
Fans can ask Annett their questions at the Ford Display on Friday, September 6th from 12:30 – 12:45 p.m. ET. Also, he will be signing autographs during the NNS Autograph session, located at the Amphitheater behind the frontstretch grandstands on Friday from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET.
Comments from the No. 43 Flying J Travel Plaza Ford Mustang driver Michael Annett:
“I didn’t get a chance to race at Richmond in April, so I’m really looking forward to racing there this weekend. Our short track program has been pretty good this year and we feel that we can have another strong car this weekend. We have a streak of top-10 finishes at this track and we really want to continue that this weekend. That’s an immediate goal.
“Looking at the past month, we still haven’t been able to put together the finishes that we deserve. Some of it has been bad racing luck and other times we’re just working hard on our cars. The highlights since coming back for me have been the short tracks. We are still strong here and I feel that we can have a good run this weekend.”
Comments from Crew Chief Philippe Lopez on Richmond:
“We need to make sure the car has good forward bite all night long; cars tend get getting looser there as the race goes on. We have to be careful about how we practice during the day versus running at night. We have good notes and we’ve run well there in the past so I think we have a good idea of what to do. Any time we go to a short track I expect a top-10, if not better.”
Chassis History:
Lopez and the Flying J Travel Plaza team have prepared chassis number 743 for Richmond. This chassis was previously run at both Iowa races, Richmond and Phoenix earlier this year.
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.
