No. 43 Gwaltney Ford Team Eyes Top-10 Finish
CONCORD, N.C. (September 3, 2013) – Heading into Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Aric Almirola is looking to turn his momentum around and post a top-10 finish in the No. 43 Gwaltney Ford. The team’s finishes the last few weeks are not what they expect, and they are working diligently to get back to posting top-10 results.
Almirola has three starts at the .75-mile track. In April, he posted an eighth-place finish during the team’s top-10 streak. Veteran Crew Chief Todd Parrott has sat atop the box for 33 races at the Virginia track and has scored two wins with Dale Jarrett in 1997 and 1999. Also in those 33 starts, he finished in the top-five nine times and the top-10 11 times.
Comments from Gwaltney Ford Fusion Driver Aric Almirola:
“There is a lot of stuff on the line at Richmond. Unfortunately we are outside of the Chase, but we are still going to try to run as well as we can – maybe even spoil the event and get a win. We have to get back on track. We are capable of finishing up front but have struggled the past few weeks. With the Chase out of the picture, we are going to focus on winning and racing up front and not worry as much about the points.
“The fun thing about Richmond is that the tires fall off really bad. You get slipping and sliding around, and forward drive is really important. That’s the one race track we go to that you wish you didn’t have 900 horsepower. Halfway through a tire run, we literally can spin the tires at the flag stand. That just becomes a huge challenge. It’s a fun racetrack to race at. You really have to focus on your setup there and get it right.”
Comments from Gwaltney Ford Fusion Crew Chief Todd Parrott:
“We got a top-10 the last time we were at Richmond and our first race at the track with the Gen-6 car. We’ve come a long way since then, so I expect that we can run up front this weekend. We didn’t make the Chase, so that will allow us to just focus on getting better and getting a win this season.”
Chassis History:
The No. 43 team has prepared chassis No. 837 for Richmond. The team posted an eighth-place finish at Richmond in this chassis.
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.
