No. 43 Team will Throwback to Richard Petty’s 200th Win in 1984
Put down your Walkman and turn on the tube, Aric Almirola and the No. 43 STP Ford team are amped to throwback to the 80s this weekend for the Bojangles Southern 500. Almirola and team will be looking rad as they suit up in replica attire for Sunday’s Official Throwback. The team will fight the infamous Lady in Black for an awesome finish. A nod to “The King” Richard Petty’s righteous 200th win at Daytona International Speedway, the No. 43 STP Ford will rock the “Petty Blue” and Dayglo Orange scheme from 1984.
Almirola has five starts at Darlington Raceway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He scored his best start of third in 2014 and finish of 11th in 2015. The Lady in Black was harsh to Petty as well. While he scored three wins in his 65 starts, he won one Southern 500 and swept the Darlington races in 1967, his most successful season. Petty will drive his 1967 No. 43 race car to pace the field prior to the start of the Southern 500.
Almirola will judge a lip sync competition at the STP display prior to getting behind the wheel of the No. 43 STP Ford. The first male and first female fan to sign up at the STP display on Sunday will participate in the competition. The winner will receive VIP access to the race.
When: Sunday, September 9, 3:00 p.m.
Where: STP Display in the Darlington Raceway Fan Zone
Fans attending the Bojangles Southern 500 will have a chance to meet “The King” before the green flag drops. Tickets will be distributed at 4 p.m. at the STP display.
When: Sunday, September 9, 4:45 p.m.
Where: STP Display in the Darlington Raceway Fan Zone
“Darlington is definitely a very difficult race track. They call it Too Tough to Tame for a reason. 500 miles takes a lot of focus. The wall can jump out and bite you very easily. We’ll work to get the best handling we can in practice and focus on keeping the car clean all weekend to be there at the finish. It’s really cool to throw back to Richard’s 200th win. That was such an iconic moment for the sport with Richard making history in front of President Reagan. It’s always fun to dress up like Richard did and have a car that replicates such a great moment, but once I get inside that racecar, it will be like every other race. We want to compete up front and make a run at a win. We’ll work on just that this weekend.”
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 one team in competition in the NASCAR premier series with driver Aric Almirola. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and Fresh From Florida. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
