Safeway, Shore Lodge to Adorn the Hood of No. 44 Ford Fusion
NASCAR makes its annual trip to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the Coke Zero 400, marking the first track to host two races this season. Brian Scott and the No. 44 Safeway team struggled in the first road course of the season last weekend, but the team is ready to bounce back at Daytona, a track that has proved anything can happen.
Scott’s first start at Daytona this season was a strong one, bouncing back from a wreck in the Duels that put him in the 35th starting position but worked his way forward and finished 24th. The wreck also forced the team to switch to a back-up car, after having a No. 44 Ford Fusion that was fastest in one of the practices leading up to the Daytona 500. Scott’s finish of 24th is tied for his fourth-best finish this season.Scott has had solid results in the XFINITY Series at Daytona, with one Top-10 finish and five Top-20 finishes in 12 starts.
Safeway returns to the hood of the No. 44 Ford Fusion, along with a special grand opening of a new store in Altamonte Springs. Scott will attend the grand opening of the Safeway on Friday morning beginning at 10:00 a.m. and will participate in a new type of race. Scott will race his teammate, Aric Almirola, in a grocery shopping race at Safeway, racing to get as many specific groceries in his cart as possible. Two special customers will team up with Scott and Almirola, with the customer of the winning team receiving the items in the shopping cart. “The King” Richard Petty will be official starter and judge. Following the shopping cart race, the three drivers will be on hand to sign autographs for 125 fans. Wristbands will be distributed to those 125 fans at the Safeway store starting at 6:00 a.m. The event is open to the public and to media.
Safeway Grand Opening Appearance & Shopping Cart Race
Where: Safeway, 503 E Altamonte Dr, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
When: Friday, July 1 from 10:00 a.m. – noon. The shopping cart race will begin at 10:00 a.m.
Fans will also be able to ask Scott questions in the Daytona International Speedway Midway at the Ford Display, participating in a question and answer session with fans prior to Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400.
Ford Display Q&A
Where: Ford Display, Daytona International Speedway Midway
When: Saturday, July 2, 4:40 – 4:55 p.m.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to plate racing in Daytona this weekend. We feel like as a team, it’s important to have your car drive really good when you’re in the draft and especially in the middle of a three-wide situation when push comes to shove towards the end of the race. We had really good speed in the Daytona 500 practices before, unfortunately, having to switch to a back-up car after the Duels, but we were able to salvage a decent finish in the race. Daytona is one of those tracks where anything can happen, and we’ll certainly use our notes from February to get the best setup we can and have speed off the truck this weekend under the lights.”
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. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
