No. 43 Smithfield Ford Ready to Take on Circuit’s Next Short Track
The No. 43 Smithfield Ford was fast at Kentucky Speedway this past weekend. A fuel mileage game that saw Aric Almirola run out of gas coming to the white flag thwarted what would have been a Top-Five finish, but it was the team’s strongest intermediate race of the 2016 season. Finding momentum from Kentucky and the previous weekend in Daytona, Almirola will head to New Hampshire looking to continue running with the leaders. Almirola’s participation in the tire test at New Hampshire earlier this year will prove to be advantageous. The takeaways from the test session will be invaluable as the team carries on the charge to turn around the season and make gains in the Championship Point Standings.
Almirola has 11 starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the Sprint Cup Series. He has scored two Top-10 finishes, with one Top-Five finish. He took the checkered flag in the fifth position in the first race of the 2013 season at the one-mile oval.
“I think our No. 43 Smithfield Ford team is re-energized after our race last weekend,” said Almirola. “We didn’t get the finish that we wanted because the race came down to fuel mileage but were moving up through the field all night and running in the Top 10. My Crew Chief Trent Owens and our guys have worked hard to get this season headed in a positive direction, and I think we’re definitely getting it turned around. New Hampshire is a decent track for me; I’ve had strong finishes there in the past. We brought our whole road crew to the tire test here earlier this year, and I think our notes from that will really help us this weekend. I’m looking forward to unloading on Friday to see where we stand. Hopefully, we’ll have a good race.”
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.
