Scored a XFINITY Series Win and Sprint Cup Series Top-15 Finish in Daytona
After a great weekend in Daytona for Aric Almirola, he heads to Kentucky Speedway in the No. 43 Smithfield Ford with renewed confidence. Almirola took the No. 98 Fresh From Florida Ford to Victory Lane in the XFINITY Series and recorded a Top-15 finish in the Sprint Cup Series on Saturday night. It was a morale-boosting weekend that will certainly carry over to this visit to the intermediate track. Having participated in the tire test at Kentucky earlier this year, Almirola likes the track’s new, smooth surface. He anticipates that we’ll see great racing action on Saturday night.
With four Sprint Cup Series starts at Kentucky Speedway, Almirola has a best finish of 12th place in 2015. He also started from the 12th position in that race which is his best starting position in Kentucky.
Almirola will be giving back to the Cincinnati community on Thursday morning at a local food bank. As part of Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes program, Almirola will join with representatives from Smithfield and Kroger to donate 25,000 pounds of protein to the Freestore Foodbank. Fans and media are invited to come and watch the presentation that will take place in front of the store.
When: Thursday, July 7, 10:30 – 11:00 AM
Where: Freestore Foodbank – 1250 Tennessee Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45229
Almirola will be stopping by the Ford Display in the Kentucky Speedway Fan Zone on Saturday afternoon. Make sure to be there with your questions for him to answer!
When: Saturday, July 9, 5:00 – 5:15 PM
Where: Kentucky Speedway Fan Zone
“I think it was good to be part of the test at Kentucky Speedway with the repave. The track is a lot smoother now with much more grip. Kentucky as we know it is gone, and now, it’s resurfaced and reconfigured. So it was good to get some laps on that race track. But, I think that it will have changed quite a bit from when we were there for the test to when we show up this weekend to race. I even think it will change a lot from when we start practicing to when they drop the green flag for the race. The track seems to be faster and have more grip with the more rubber we lay down on the race track. The new surface is slippery and slick. So I think that as we get the track rubbered-in, it will continue to get better. I’m excited to take our No. 43 Smithfield Ford Fusion out there to see how the racing unfolds.”
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.
