Team Eyes Top-10 Finish
A track where the No. 43 Smithfield Ford team found success in the past, Aric Almirola and his team look to turn the season around at Richmond International Raceway. Last weekend, they battled the short track at Bristol and on-track contact relegated the team to a 22nd-place finish. This weekend, they look to finish up front and move back up in the Championship Point Standings. They are currently 19th.
Almirola has 10 Monster Energy starts at the Virginia short track. He scored his best finish of fourth when he contended for the lead and a spot in the Chase in 2015. With a best start of 11th, he scored three Top-10 finishes at the track.
Prior to the Monster Energy Series race, Almirola and Richard Petty will judge the Smithfield Grill Master Challenge. The 2017 competition will feature three fans as competitors who will be chosen at random. They will be given 90 minutes to prepare their own signature dish featuring Smithfield products. Almirola and Petty will judge the plates based on originality and creativity; oral presentation and visual appearance. The chef of the winning plate will receive a “King” prize pack.
When: Sunday, April 30, 11:15 a.m.
Where: Smithfield Display in the Fanzone
Fans can see both Almirola and Petty at the Monster Energy stage in the Fanzone.
When: Sunday, April 30, 10:55 a.m.
Where: Monster Energy Display in the Fanzone
Almirola will make a stop at the Ford Performance Display for a Q&A.
When: Sunday, April 30, 10:35 a.m.
Where: Ford Performance Display in the Fanzone
“Our team has been working really hard, but the results haven’t reflected the work we put into our cars. We’ve made small gains each week and keep working to improve our cars one step at a time. We’ve had some good runs at Richmond and it’s Smithfield’s backyard, so hopefully, we can turn our season around this weekend. We’re going to keep our heads up and focused on improvement, and we will get there.”
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 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.
