Gwaltney Team will Work to Continue Momentum into The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
After qualifying for this weekend’s race at Richmond International Raceway (RIR), the final race before The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Aric Almirola and the No. 43 team will officially make The Chase. Last weekend, the team turned their momentum around with a Top-10 finish and look to continue building momentum leading into The Chase this weekend at RIR as Almirola pilots the No. 43 Gwaltney Ford in the 400-mile event.
Almirola has five Sprint Cup Series starts and a best finish of eighth which he tallied with Richard Petty Motorsports in the spring event in 2013. He also has five Nationwide Series starts with a best finish of seventh. Earlier this year, the team scored a 17th-place finish after battling handling problems. During the race, the car was better for long runs, so the team looks to help the beginning of the run and compete for a good finish this weekend.
Gwaltney, a provider of bacon, hot dogs, bologna, lunchmeat, and sausage is bringing family fun to RIR with two trackside footprints during race weekend. One – located in the midway fan zone – will include sampling, a prize wheel, and a bacon-eating contest judged by “The King” Richard Petty and Almirola. In a second family-friendly area located outside of Turn 3, Gwaltney will provide race fans with picnic tables and a full-size Ferris Wheel to ride and enjoy. Attendees can collect a Gwaltney button from the midway fan zone display and wear it for free admission onto the Ferris Wheel.
After #top10 finish last week, @aric_almirola & #43 @SmithfieldFoods team aim to continue momentum at @RIR and into #TheChase. #NASCAR
After a Top-10 finish last week, @Aric Almirola and No. 43 @Gwaltney Foods team aim to continue momentum at @Richmond International Raceway and into The Chase for the @NASCAR @Sprint Cup.
“I think if you have a guy running third or fourth near the end that is anywhere even close to the leader and hasn’t won a race I’m pretty sure he is going to wreck the next three guys ahead of him to win the race and make The Chase. It’s just such a big deal to teams and their sponsors to make The Chase. And if you don’t make The Chase, you don’t have a shot at running for the Championship. I think all of that will make this weekend’s race at Richmond crazier than it’s ever been.
“Richmond is another race track where tires fall off and you can move around there even though it’s a short track. You can really pass. Cars start getting really tight and start losing forward drive, and if you can make your car roll the center and drive up off the corner with rear grip, you can pass a lot of cars there. It is a fun race track and I’ve always enjoyed racing there. It should be a really fun night for us because we don’t have any pressure being locked into The Chase already.”
No. 43 Gwaltney Ford
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, STP, Strike Ten Entertainment and Fresh From Florida, and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners STANLEY, DEWALT, Mac Tools and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.
