No. 43 Smithfield Ford Looking for Strong Finish in Go Bowling 400
Aric Almirola will return to Kansas Speedway piloting the No. 43 Smithfield Ford in the Go Bowling 400. This will be the series’ fifth visit to an intermediate track of the 2016 season. Richard Petty Motorsports has placed an important focus on developing the intermediate track program. With varied results at intermediate tracks so far this year, Almirola is looking for a consistent and strong run to revitalize what has been a rocky season for the team thus far.
This will be Almirola’s ninth start at Kansas Speedway in the Sprint Cup Series. He made his best finish of eighth twice at the intermediate track, in the spring races of 2013 and 2014. Almirola led 69 laps in the 2012 fall race, but his day ended with a crash.
Fans can get in the car with Almirola by listening to his live in-car radio feed on SiriusXM Radio Channel 134 during the Go Bowling 400
“We haven’t been to a race track like Kansas with this new low-downforce package, so I honestly don’t know what it will do to the cars. We’ve been to other intermediate tracks this year, but they have been pretty slick and worn out mile-and-a-half tracks. Las Vegas is probably the most similar to what we’ll have for grip levels at Kansas, but Las Vegas is really bumpy and rough and Kansas is very smooth. So I think Kansas will be much different than what we’ve seen at other tracks so far. I’m really enjoying this package though. There’s definitely room to go further in the future, but it’s given us the ability to pass cars that you know you’re faster than. I’m looking forward to seeing what it will do at Kansas.”
No. 43 Smithfield Ford
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, 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 with drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and the “Fresh From Florida” campaign. Scott will make his debut with the team and drive the Petty Family No. 44 Ford. Albertsons Companies, Shore Lodge, Twisted Tea and GoBowling.com will join Scott as he competes for Rookie of the Year in his first full-time season in the Sprint Cup Series. Richard Petty Motorsports will also field the No. 43 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with driver Jeb Burton, who will compete in his first full-time XFINTY season with partner J. Streicher. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
