Throughout the year, Almirola and the Richard Petty Motorsports team have hosted a military family at the track to show their appreciation for their sacrifices. A win this weekend would be extra special for the guests of Eckrich and the race team. It is the last time that Eckrich will be the sponsor the No. 43 car this season and have the opportunity to bring a military family to Victory Lane.
Almirola comes into Chicagoland with one previous start. He started on the outside pole and finished 17th last year.
Comments from Eckrich Ford Fusion Driver Aric Almirola:
“We tested here a few weeks ago and had two really good days. Todd and the guys really learned a lot, and hopefully, that will pay off when we get to the track this weekend. We were pretty fast here last year and started on the front row. We should be even better this time back, and hopefully, we can contend for the win.
“We’re going to be aware of the guys in the ‘Chase,’ but at the same time, we’re here to win too. I think we can pay that spoiler role just as much as anyone. We are disappointed that we didn’t make the ‘Chase’ this year, but we still feel confident that we can get a win before the end of the year. We have put a lot of time into this race, so hopefully it will pay off.
“It will be our last race with Eckrich this season, and we will have a very special military family joining us. Our entire team really enjoys having military families with us during the weekend. It’s great to honor them, and it’s our way of saying ‘thanks’ for all their sacrifices. We’d want nothing more than to celebrate with them in Victory Lane on Sunday.
“Since this is our last Eckrich race this season, we have really something special planned this week for our military family. It’s going to be our best event yet, and we’re all really looking forward to it.”
Comments from Eckrich Ford Fusion Crew Chief Todd Parrott:
“We felt pretty good when we left our test session there. We stacked up well against the other guys that were at the test, and we have some good notes. Aric has one race here, but he was fast last year and we feel he should be fast again. Aric really likes this track and drives it really well. We’ll give him a good car, and we feel confident that we can have a good race on Sunday.”
Chassis History:
The No. 43 team has prepared chassis No. 864 for Chicagoland. This is a new chassis that the team tested in Chicago in August.
About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, 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. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.
