Make-A-Wish Recipient Returns as Guests of RPM, Ambrose and DEWALT
CONCORD, N.C. (October 15, 2013) – Everyone needs a little more support when racing at Talladega. This weekend, Marcos Ambrose and the No. 9 DEWALT team will have one of their biggest fans cheering for them.
Jacob Entrekin, a teenager from Georgia living with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy, will once again be a guest of Richard Petty Motorsports, Ambrose and the entire DEWALT team. Ambrose met Entrekin earlier this year at the Charlotte Motor Speedway as a part of Make-A-Wish. Entrekin also met “The King” Richard Petty in Charlotte. This weekend, Entrekin will spend time with the team on Saturday before watching the race courtesy of Talladega Superspeedway from the grandstands on Sunday.
Jacob is hoping to bring Ambrose the support he needs to capture his first oval win. Ambrose brings nine races of experience at Talladega going into this weekend. In those nine starts, he has three top-15 finishes, including his best finish of fourth which he posted in his ‘Cup debut at the 2.66-mile track. Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer has 11 NASCAR starts at the track in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series. He tallied two top-10 finishes, both in 2012 with driver Jeff Burton.
Comments from DEWALT Ford Fusion Driver Marcos Ambrose:
“We’re really glad that we can bring Jacob back to the track again this weekend. He’s going to hang with us on Saturday as we qualify, and he’ll have a great seat on Sunday up high in the grandstands. Jacob lives with a terrible disease and is in a wheelchair, but don’t let him fool you, he’s fast! And he always has a smile too. The team really enjoyed seeing him at Charlotte, and we’re looking forward to seeing him again this weekend.
“Jacob, his brother and parents really put a lot of things in perspective. They fight hard every day, and they are true winners in our book. Richard Petty Motorsports and DEWALT, we’re all about giving back when we can. This is a moment to slow down and spend some time with them before getting back to speed with the weekend.
“Talladega is a lot about being in the right place at the right time to get a good finish. Last race, we did not have that luck, and we still rallied to a top-15. I’m really looking forward to going back to Talladega. If we can get a little luck on our side, I think we can definitely make a run at the win.”
Comments from Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer on Talladega:
“Talladega, really superspeedways, are tough in general. You have to be ready for anything to happen. Going in, I would have never thought a car as damaged as we were could be competitive. The crew did a good job make the repairs needed throughout the race, and Marcos drove the wheels off of the car. It’s really important to have good luck here to miss the ‘big one.’ But if you don’t, it’s equally important to work with what you have because you never know what could happen.”
Chassis History:
The No. 9 team will bring chassis No. 836 this weekend. The team worked on the chassis after posting a 14th-place finish earlier this season at Talladega.
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.
