Smithfield Supports No. 98 Biagi-DenBeste Racing Ford
CONCORD, N.C. (September 4, 2014) – Aric Almirola will pilot the Biagi-DenBeste No. 98 Ford Mustang in the Nationwide Series races at Chicagoland Speedway September 13 and Dover International Speedway September 27. Smithfield will adorn the No. 98 Ford Mustang for both events. As Almirola and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Sprint Cup Series team competes for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Almirola hopes the extra track time will prove beneficial for the Sprint Cup Series races at both tracks and propel the team through the first round to advance into the Contender round.
Almirola, who scored his first Sprint Cup Series win earlier this year and qualified for his first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, is no stranger to the Nationwide Series with 74 starts in the series and found success at both tracks. In his three starts at Chicagoland Speedway, he scored two fourth-place finishes. He also has three starts at Dover International Speedway where he tallied three top-15 finishes and a best finish of ninth in the Sprint Cup Series, along with a Truck Series win in 2010.
“I’m excited to return to the Nationwide Series at Chicago and Dover,” said Almirola. “Our team is really focused on getting to the Contender round in The Chase, and I think running the Nationwide races for two of the three race in the first round will really help us. To have Smithfield, Medallion Financial, Opus Global and Petty’s Garage step up and let us race those weekends is really special. We’ll be there to learn as much as we can for the Cup races, but I also want to win. Win for the Biagi-DenBeste team and for myself. I’m just grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to compete at Chicago and Dover.”
Biagi-DenBeste Racing debuted in the Nationwide Series in 2001and in 2003 began racing full-time in the series. The team has one win, captured in 2004 by Mike Wallace at Daytona International Speedway. This season the team made nine starts with a best finish of fourth scored by David Ragan.
“We’re happy to have Aric come on board for two races this year,” said Fred Biagi Co-Owner of Biagi-DenBeste Racing. “We’ve run nine races so far this year with various drivers and scored a season-best finish of fourth. We are pleased to add Aric to the list of drivers of the No. 98 this year and hope that with his experience in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series we continue the trend of Top-Five finishes.”
Almirola will make his debut in the No. 98 Smithfield Ford Mustang in the Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast 300 at Chicagoland Speedway September 13 live on ESPN2.
About Biagi-DenBeste Racing:
Biagi-DenBeste Racing is owned by Fred Biagi and Bill DenBeste, with Lori DenBeste serving as president. Though racing is their passion, their careers have been driven by 18 wheels instead of four. Fred Biagi owns Biagi Bros Transportation with his brother Greg in Napa, CA. They started in 1978 as a transportation company but have evolved over the years into full service transportation, warehousing and logistics company offering expert 3PL services to clients across North America. You can find out more about Biagi Bros at www.BiagiBros.com and www.biagifamilywines.com.
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, 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.
