Will Debut Fresh From Florida Colors in the Sprint Cup Series
The No. 43 team wants to win every week, but this week, they have an additional incentive. Crew Chief Trent Owens grew up just a few miles from Darlington Raceway and says a win at the track “Too Tough To Tame” would rank up with a Daytona 500 win. Aric Almirola will look to continue Owens’ success at the track. With consecutive top-10 finishes in the last five seasons as crew chief, Almirola would like to add a Sprint Cup Series top-10 to the list.
Almirola has five starts at the 1.36-mile track in all three NASCAR series and just two in the Sprint Cup Series. He tallied his best finish of ninth in the 2010 truck series race.
This weekend, the Fresh From Florida campaign will makes its debut on the famed No. 43. The campaign, led by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is focused on building awareness and sales of fresh seafood, produce and other Florida products.
#43 team looks for win at CC @wtrentowens hometrack @TooToughToTame & @FreshFromFL @Sprint Cup debut. #NASCAR
@Aric Almirola and the No. 43 team looks for win at Crew Chief Trent Owens home track @Darlington Raceway and in the @Fresh From Florida campaign’s debut on in the @Sprint Cup Series.
“Darlington is not my best track, so I’m hoping Trent (Owens) can bring his success with him. It’s his home track, so we really want to run well there. They call Darlington the track ‘Too Tough To Tame,’ and it really lives up to that name. This season, we have really shown strength in our short track program, and I think we will continue that here. We really need to focus on racing the racetrack. I say it every week, but it is especially true here. We get so close to the wall that at any minute it could jump out at you. It’s important to stay focused on your race and not let the cars around you change your focus or strategy.
“It’s always fun to represent new sponsors in the sport. Our sponsor this week is particularly fitting since I too am Fresh From Florida. Growing up in Tampa, I was spoiled with all the good seafood and produce that was grown locally. We had fresh, good food right in our home state. Traveling all the places we do, I have come to appreciate Florida produce. Hopefully, we can take them to victory lane in their first Cup race.”
“The Cup series is the top level of our sport. To be able to go to your hometown, where you graduated high school, and actually perform in front of family and friends is huge. I lived 7 or 8 miles from the track, and my family still lives there. Having my family and friends there to see the race means the most. Our schedule is so busy and so grueling that being able to see everyone and perform in front of them means a lot. It’s important to run well there because I’ll catch a lot of grief if I don’t, but certainly a win at Darlington will be pretty high up on my list.”
No. 43 Fresh From Florida Ford
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, STP, Strike Ten Entertainment and Fresh From Florida, and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners STANLEY, DEWALT, Mac Tools and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.
