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Rolex 24 at Daytona Preview

2012-01-25T21:17:00.001-07:00

Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Set for 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona

Daytona Beach, FL - Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian will look to kick off the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series championship this weekend at Daytona International Speedway with a strong result in the much anticipated 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Making its ninth appearance in the 24-hour endurance classic, the team has fielded a multi-car campaign in every Rolex 24 event since 2006 and is well-prepared for the historic 50th running of the race. Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian will again field two Daytona Prototype entries this year and boasts one of its strongest driver line-ups to date.

The team welcomes back NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger and IndyCar racer Justin Wilson as the pair joins GRAND-AM series regulars Ozz Negri and John Pew in the No. 60 LiveOn.com Daytona Prototype.

The No. 6 Ford-Riley will be shared by an international driver line-up which includes NASCAR driver and Rolex 24 veteran Michael McDowell (United States) and three young drivers who will make their Rolex 24 debut: Jorge Goncalvez (Venezuela), Felipe Nasr (Brazil), and Gustavo Yacaman (Colombia).

The team’s best finish in the event came in 2006 when Allmendinger, Wilson, Negri and Mark Patterson co-drove the No. 60 machine to a second place finish.

Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian knows what it takes to survive the Rolex 24 having fielded a three-car effort last year. In an impressive performance from the team, all three cars never went to the garage and all three machines were still running at the end of the 24 hours with the No. 23 Ford-Riley finishing on the lead lap just off the podium in fourth after a strong late-race charge for third.

Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian has been working countless hours as the team prepares for the twice around the clock event in hopes that the efforts pay off with a solid showing from both cars and that 2012 will be their year to earn the Rolex 24 title.

“The team has been working incredibly hard over the last few weeks,” said Shank. “We’re as ready as we can be and we’re eager to get going. I’m very proud of the effort this whole team has put in, and I’m very excited about our chances this year. We’ve got an exciting line up of guys, and we know that this race will be as much about performance as it will be about patience. ”

The event opens with practice on Thursday followed by Daytona Prototype qualifying at 3:45 PM (ET). The green flag will drop on the 24-hour race at 3:30 PM (ET) on Saturday with SPEED carrying full flag-to-flag coverage. The opening seven and a half hours as well as the closing seven hours of the event will be televised on the SPEED channel while speedtv.com will have live streaming during the overnight hours.

MSR with Curb/Agajanian Rolex 24 DRIVER QUOTEBOARD:
Ozz Negri, No. 60 Liveon.com Ford-Riley: “I think we accomplished what we needed to at the test and me and (engineer) Dale (Wise) working together for the second year I think we’ll be good. He knows what I want and he knows what to do with the car and Shank is always spinning 100mph, which is good to have a guy like him because he’s really motivated all the time and pumping us up and guiding us right to what we need and what he wants and we have to deliver what he wants. John improved a lot, and I think he’s going to get another jump again this year. I’m really excited.”

John Pew, No. 60 Liveon.com Ford-Riley: “I feel really lucky to be on this team. To have Ozz (Negri) as a partner and now with AJ (Allmendinger) and Justin (Wilson) - it really gels right. I’m excited about it and kind of humbled about it too. It’s going well. It’s not a hard car to drive and I think we’re making progress on the car and I think we’ve got a good racecar. You have to get ready physically and mentally. I did some karting and biking over the last couple of weeks and now I’m just rested and ready to go.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 60 Liveon.com Ford-Riley: “We learned some stuff at the test so overall I’m pretty pleased. We know the Chevys are going to be fast. I think the SunTrust car might be the car to beat as of right now. You never know when you come back. Going into the race all you hope for is a car that is close enough to win and then you just pray everything goes right. So we’re definitely going to have the speed now we just have to do the right things and hope for some more.”

Justin Wilson, No. 60 Liveon.com Ford-Riley: “I’m looking forward to the race. The key is working out some of the changes we made and making sure we really understand and know what we’re doing. The conditions change so much. The temperature changes - obviously the middle of the night is much colder than the middle of the day so it’s just getting a good handle on that so we can attack in every condition and situation and I think we’ve made some good changes on the car that allows us to do that.”

Credit - Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian Press Release

Penske Racing Press Conference Transcript

2011-12-21T21:30:00.003-07:00

An Interview With:

AJ ALLMENDINGER

TIM CINDRIC

MERRILL CAIN: Good afternoon everyone and thank you for joining us on this special Penske Racing media teleconference. I'm Merrill Cain with Penske Racing, and we were excited to make the announcement earlier today that AJ Allmendinger has joined Penske Racing and he will take over as driver of the No. 22 Shell‑Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2012. It’s certainly an exciting announcement for AJ and for Penske Racing, and we're happy to be joined today by AJ as well as Penske Racing President, Tim Cindric. Thanks for joining us today.

We'll start out with just a general comment from both AJ and Tim. AJ, we'll start with you. Congratulations and welcome to Penske Racing.

AJ ALLMENDINGER: It's my pleasure. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you.

MERRILL CAIN: Coming off the best of your five seasons in the Cup Series where you finished 15th in the championship, driving the 43 car this year, this move to the No. 22 Shell‑Pennzoil Dodge presents a great career opportunity for you. Can you talk about joining the Penske team and how you plan to approach the 2012 season?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Yeah, I think for me with my background and where I've come from, Roger Penske and just Penske Corporation as a race team, as a business, the way he goes about just taking care of his guys, everything that goes along with that, it's been the pinnacle. I've always wanted to drive for Mr. Penske, so it's something that when the opportunity arose, I was ‑‑ I jumped right at it. It's something that I have always dreamed of, and I just feel like the way he runs his organization, the way he takes care of his people is first‑class and top‑notch. So that's something that I wanted to be a part of.

As you said, the last five years I feel like I've made good progression throughout each year, and this is hopefully going to allow me to take the next step of my career and really contend for race wins and try to make the Chase. That's the ultimate goal, and really contend for a championship. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity with Shell‑Pennzoil and AAA and all the sponsors that go along with it. To give me this chance has just been amazing. It's been quick. It's happened real fast, but I'm ready to go.

So going into next year, obviously we've got a short amount of time with how late this is all happening. I met (crew chief) Todd Gordon and everybody and just trying to make sure that I get to the shop as much as possible here over the next six weeks and get in the car and get ready for it. I'm ready to go.

MERRILL CAIN: Tim, I know the team is very excited to bring AJ on board for next year, and we know it's been a bit of a whirlwind over the past couple of weeks as the team has gone through this process. Can you just discuss how the opportunity with AJ developed and what you expect to see from the No. 22 team in 2012?

TIM CINDRIC: Well, obviously since Homestead, there's been a lot of things going on within the organization, To go through and have a different crew chief and a different driver going into next year when it really wasn't the plan starting the year. I think number one I appreciate the patience of everyone to get to this day because for Penske Racing and Roger, we certainly wanted to be sure that we felt like we made the right decision, and sometimes you need more time to try and understand what the landscape looks like.

That's really what we've been doing the past month or so is just trying to understand what the landscape was. We tried to do our due diligence and really understand where we were headed and what the different alternatives were, and you never like to see a situation like what occurred there with the 43 program. And the Petty organization is top‑notch and they've been first‑class and working through some of their difficulties. Obviously it's become some positives for our organization, but you never want to see it turn out that way. At the same time with the support of Shell-Pennzoil and Dodge and AAA and the rest of our partners as well as our employees, the patience that everybody has had to come to today is very much appreciated, and hopefully it pays off in 2012.

MERRILL CAIN: Now let's open it up and we'll take some questions.

Q. AJ talk about this a little bit. Since you've come to NASCAR you've never had the stability that this opportunity offers you. With Red Bull there was no plans, with RPM obviously the financial issues. How big of a relief is this for you personally?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Well, I mean, one of the biggest things that I've wanted in a race team is stability. Just going through the process and the things that we've had to go through to get to this point and the things that I've been up against basically my whole five years in the Sprint Cup Series, leads me to this point – to find an organization that has stability, and obviously the whole Penske organization has a ton of stability and great sponsors. Walking through the shop, just the way everything is laid out and presented is absolutely amazing and something I'd never seen before.

To get this opportunity is ‑‑ I know where I'm at and the level of my career – and it's do or die. This is the next step to try to be one of those top Sprint Cup drivers, and that's what I want to do. I feel like this is going to be the best place to do it, and just the way this organization is laid out is absolutely amazing.

I'm excited. Walking through the shop for the first time and looking at some of the cars and meeting some of the people, just how positive everybody is at this race team is something that is – it just makes me feel good showing up to it.

And to have Mr. Penske, just his accolades and who he is as a person, to want me to drive his race cars just gives me more confidence than I've ever had. I'm really looking forward to kind of going through this process and getting to Daytona.

Q. AJ, can you talk about going from the moment where you were celebrating the holidays with Richard Petty Motorsports to now, some of the things you went through to get here? And Tim Cindric, can you talk about how much you think you have to make up or how far off this team is signing up a new crew chief and a driver, how quickly you think you have to pull it all together or what you think you might have or not leading into the start of the season?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Yeah, it's been a difficult process. I never expected when we left Homestead that everything that has happened to get to this point would happen. It was a tough decision. It wasn't something that for me it was easily made. I love the race team, my guys over at Richard Petty Motorsports, and just felt like we've built such good chemistry over the last four to five months of the season, to get to this point was a tough challenge.

But at the same point, looking at an organization and where I'm going and the people that surround it also made the decision a little bit easier because I knew that this was a great place to be.

I feel like it was just so quick that it happened, I'm still trying to get my head wrapped around it. But for me, I feel like there's no better place to be than here. As tough as the decision was to make, I'm happy to be here. Richard and everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports has been so kind and they've done so much for my career, and to this point helping to even get me over here was something that they were first‑class the whole time.

It's been a challenge in the last couple of days, but it's been really good, and I'm ready. I'm excited and I'm ready to go.

TIM CINDRIC: From the team's perspective, certainly any time your driver and your crew chief are different for the next year, you have a lot to put together in a very short amount of time, especially when it's almost the holidays. But I think the fortunate thing we have as an organization is the group that he's walking into and that he and Todd are going to work with have been within the organization five or six years together, the majority of them. So there's a very solid foundation there that's been here and that knows how we operate.

I think that AJ is really going to lean on Brad (Keselowski) to try and understand what it takes to move into this organization and be successful, and I think Brad is committed as a teammate to help him get up to speed as soon as possible because he's certainly shown that he's committed to making that happen. There's really no better place to do that than Daytona where you've got to work together from the beginning.

I think that, yeah, there's challenges there for sure, but I think there's a solid foundation and a lot of continuity that he's walking into.

Q. My question is for Tim: Why did you choose AJ over some of the other drivers that were available? What's the appeal that AJ Allmendinger brings to your race team?

TIM CINDRIC: That's a good question. There were a lot of quality drivers there, and in fairness, it's real hard to sit there and say, how do you take, with Kurt's accolades and a past champion, and compare what was there at this point in the season or this point in the year. That certainly is a challenge. And we had to look at – I guess the word potential is what continues to come up. I think that we considered virtually everybody that was out there and made sure that we did our due diligence to try and understand if there was anything in the landscape that we didn't know or that wasn't obvious.

AJ, he was someone that we had talked to over the years. Obviously he's been in the garage area and we know him. But he really wasn't somebody that we considered until really almost the 11th hour. I guess there was noise about the fact that they might not be able to make things work (at RPM). And when we sat down and looked at the guys that were available and AJ – the on‑track performance, if you look at it, there's nobody there that has a better progression through his career. When you look at the slope of the curve there with the way his statistics are, certainly no one has that type of, I guess, slope if you want to call it that.

And obviously we had to sit down and see if he was a good fit for our organization. You can only do so much of that over the phone and in meetings in a short period of time. But really you have to go with your gut and you have to go with what you think will create the right chemistry internally.

Brad spent some time talking to him to try and understand how they would work as far as teammates, and obviously all that is yet to be seen. But those are things that weighed into that decision.

Q. AJ, as far as working with Brad, how much do you know Brad, and do you guys have a friendship in the garage area?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: I'll be honest, I don't know Brad that well yet. We've always been cordial and talked to each other at driver intros and kind of around the garage or in the bus lot just a little bit here and there, so I've never had a problem with him. But the biggest thing for me is I look at Brad and he's a true racer. He's come up from a racing family. He's worked hard to get to this point. And something that I saw, which was pretty amazing, was the middle of the year where he was at to the end of the year and how much him and this organization stepped up their game and really worked well together and made their race cars better.

That's kind of where I look at where I am right now. I need to make that next step, and Brad – and it is difficult in the middle of the year – did that, and became a championship contender really quick.

That’s the stuff that I'm going to lean on him and learn from and figure out what he did and the ways he went about getting to that point. And as Tim said, he leads this organization right now, so I've got to come in here and learn from him. He's an easy guy to get along with it seems, just like I feel like I am, and I think the pairing is going to be really good. I look forward to working with him, and the biggest thing was, as Tim said, I spoke to him a little bit about what he wanted as a teammate and things that he looks at this organization that are strong, where they need to be stronger and just how hard he works to get to that point.

I'm the same way. I'm going to be here every day that I can and work just as hard as he is to try to get myself to the next level and get the organization to the next level. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. AJ, you hit on this a little bit at the very beginning talking about kind of having the stability with this team, but what does this do for you in terms of perhaps the confidence you have that a Roger Penske has hired you and the fact that this is such a strong organization that perhaps for the first time in your NASCAR career you can just go out there and let's see if you're ready to win? I'm assuming you probably feel like you probably are. Can you talk about that?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Yeah, to have Mr. Penske personally want you to drive his race car is a thing that for me gives me a lot of confidence. It's the same thing as when Richard Petty asked me to come drive his car. It gives you a lot of confidence when you have somebody with that background and with the accolades and everything that they've went through in their lives to make their organizations where they're at. It gives me a lot of confidence.

But at the same point I know there's a lot of pressure there. I'm not blind to the pressure with Shell‑Pennzoil and with the organization and what they're used to, having their ideas about winning. I know there's a lot of pressure there to go out there and perform, but for me if I didn't feel like I could do that I'd just be wasting everybody's time and then I wouldn't be here. I feel like I'm at that level to take that next step and be a winner and be a championship contender, and obviously this organization showed that this year that they can do that.

For me it's something that – there’s a lot of confidence, but I know the pressure is there, and I'm ready to take it on. This is going to be my best chance I've ever had in the Sprint Cup Series to go out there and perform, and I'm ready to do that.

Q. You guys have made a couple references to how quick this all happened. Can you detail

exactly how quick it did happen as far as when was the first time you talked or made contact or anything like that?

TIM CINDRIC: I'd have to go back and try and understand the past 48 hours to give you a detailed minute by minute. From A.J.'s perspective, it's certainly been a situation in which he knew that a lot of things were really centered around whether or not his existing team could put a program together. You know, as far as putting a deal together, that's all transpired in the last 24 hours at the most. The rest of it was just the same noise that you guys have heard and him really trying to find out what their direction was within the 43 program. All that happened in a very short period of time.

Q. And then I understand this is a one‑year deal. What are the expectations as far as whether the relationship would continue? Does AJ need to make the Chase or need to win races or anything like that that you feel you need to see from him to keep going in 2013?

TIM CINDRIC: I'm not sure where you heard it was a one‑year deal or who said that. But from our perspective, any of these programs as we look at them – this is a performance business. Within every organization I think you set up gates and different areas that you have to get through from a performance perspective. As AJ said, there's a lot of things that really weigh into that decision, and for us we want nothing more than to go forward on a long‑term basis and have the two guys we have drive for us for a long time.

We're not going to get into exactly what all those gates are, but his program is certainly set up for the long‑term, and if we realize our potential, I think he'll be our driver for more than one year. We just need to continue to build on the successes we had before and ensure that we can give he and Brad the kind of equipment that they need to run up front, and I think the rest of it will take care of itself.

Q. AJ, what I want to find out from you is you may not have even thought of this yet, but what it's going to be like pulling into Indianapolis Motor Speedway and you're the driver of a Penske Dodge?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Yeah, I mean, it's ‑‑ I'll be honest, pulling into any racetrack driving a Penske Dodge, I'm going to be pretty excited about it. Obviously Indy has got a rich history of Mr. Penske winning a lot of races there. That's going to be pretty special when we get to that point, but I've got plenty of races before that to be smiling every time I pull into the racetrack.

I'm ready to get to Daytona right now. We've got a lot of hard work over the next six weeks to go out there, and obviously with the test coming up here in a couple weeks, it's so quick. So we've got a lot of things to work on and figure out and build on before we get to Daytona.

But I'm going to be smiling showing up to the racetrack every weekend. This is what I love to do, and if I wasn't smiling, I shouldn't be driving race cars. It's going to be pretty special, and to have Mr. Penske just around the racetrack talking to me, just being able to be around him, like I said, for me it's more of an honor to drive for him. I love the history of racing in general, and obviously Mr. Penske has a rich history in racing. It's going to be just fun being at the racetrack, being a part of his organization, and being around him more than anything. That's something I really look forward to.

Q. And since this is so late in the going, there's a lot you need to do between you and the start of the season. Can you maybe tell fans what's on your plate in terms of behind‑the‑scenes stuff that goes on?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Well, I just came to the shop for the first time, and first things first is not get lost in the shop. The thing is huge. I'm going to need a map to figure out even where to pull into the place. That's going to be the first thing. Then make sure that I have my seats set in the race car. That's always a big thing for a race car driver.

Ultimately there's a lot, and there's a lot of stuff that we're not going to get done before the start of the season. I'm going to have to learn everybody's name and get fitted in the race cars, but the most important thing for me right now is just get comfortable in the cars when we go test them, to really learn Todd, and with him being new to the Cup Series and us working together and not having a lot of time, especially with the holiday season. Then just trying to get my core group of guys that I'm going to be working with and try to get to know them and just become friends with them. Because I think the biggest thing I look at, I'm a guy that wants to be friends with all my crew guys, the guys around me, the race team. I feel like if we can become close like that it's only going to make the race team stronger.

I think those are the initial things going into the test and going into Daytona we need to work on. But it's going to be a long process. We're not going to be where we want to be going into Daytona because it's such a short process we've got to go through to get there. But it's going to be fun, though. That's what I really look at. It's going to be a lot of fun, and that's what I'm excited about.

Q. AJ, did you have any time to talk to Todd Gordon yet, and have you guys kind of shared philosophies of racing?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: I mean, just very little. It's been a crazy day so far. He seems like an easy‑going guy. Obviously he's got a lot of talent. He did a great job in the Nationwide Series this past year.

I know that when it comes to talent level, he's going to be a great guy to work with. But yeah, I mean, we've just had small talks. I'm going to be in the shop tomorrow before everybody takes off and try to spend a full day with him and start going over things. The way I look at it is, both race cars here this past year have ran really well, so I'm not coming in with any preconceived idea what I want in the race car. I'm there to listen, kind of get my ideas of what I feel and what I like, but just try to fit into the system, and that's what I'm going to try to do.

The biggest thing is just learning Todd and trying to build a relationship with him as quickly as possible. We started that process a little bit today. We'll do a lot more of that tomorrow, and then as the season starts, with the new year, I'll be in here a lot, and that will be the process.

Q. For Tim, will Todd and AJ and the 22 car have the opportunity to test before the season starts, or is Daytona just kind of jumping into the deep end?

TIM CINDRIC: Daytona for sure. Obviously there's an open test coming up there in January that you guys all know is on the calendar. But beyond that, really I think tomorrow is the first day for the two of them to sit down and try and figure out where they want to go. It's really an open book for them to decide where to spend our time and our resource to get him prepared for whatever he feels like his weaknesses are going into the first race.

Q. And did AJ's open-wheel background have any influence on your final decision?

TIM CINDRIC: I guess the influence it had is he's a proven winner. Although not in the Cup Series, it takes a certain process, it takes a certain edge, it takes a certain level of confidence to have the accolades that he had all the way from the beginning of his open-wheel career through to the point where he went stock car racing.

Each one of these guys that we talked to or we looked at, we considered all their different situations, and really it was amazing his process from getting out of the open-wheel cars or the Champ Car into a truck and right into the Sprint Cup program and just bypassing Nationwide. All across the board I think he said he had about 50 laps of time in a stock car when he had to go run the Daytona 500.

When you take all those things into consideration, for us, we know that he's somebody that knows how to win, and I guess that's the biggest thing that that whole open-wheel background had.

Q. Tim, feel free to name names if you'd like, or if you don't that's okay. How long was your short list of candidates?

TIM CINDRIC: I think you guys had them all picked. We considered everybody. There were a lot of calls and a lot of people that deserved a chance, put it that way. But we really had to look at who was the right one for the situation that we have. I'm a big believer in chemistry and trying to find the right chemistry, and I think that's what Brad has found with Paul. We need to continue to try and figure out how to make that work internally.

Certainly the ones that ‑‑ if you look at the top three that everybody talked about, before AJ came onto the scene, it was David, it was Brian and it was the guys that I think were, I guess, ones ‑‑ when I say three, I've got AJ in my mind. But those guys, Reutimann, Vickers, Ragan and AJ, those guys are the ones that you look at the statistics and you look at who's running week in and week out, they were the obvious ones that we needed to consider. But there were others, as well, and some were in more complicated situations and others were up‑and‑comers that certainly will get a chance in the Cup Series.

But I think that as far as the list, it was quite long, and we sat down internally and just looked to make sure we weren't missing anything.

Q. AJ, you mentioned how you didn't leave Homestead expecting to leave Richard Petty Motorsports. When was the moment you realized you weren't going to be back with them? Was it the Best Buy deal falling through or was there another point where you began to realize your next year was not going to be with them?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Well, I think it's been really quick. As Tim said, it's really only been a few days that it's happened, and obviously the Best Buy deal at RPM was something that it might have been the final straw at that point. But honestly, it really kind of – when the rumors all started last week about Kurt, that kind of threw like a red flag up in my mind about what was happening. But just like anything, they're rumors, and it really wasn't until the last few days that this has all kind of come to a head and really had a chance of happening.

As I said, I mean, two weeks ago – there was no thought in my mind. There was no difference. It's really just been a few‑day process.

Q. Tim, Penske Racing kind of as a whole, in the second half of the season it looked like the team perhaps was performing at an all‑time best in terms of being competitive week to week. Both drivers had a chance to win every week. Was that the feeling on the inside, that you guys were getting very, very close to where you wanted to be?

TIM CINDRIC: I think you hit it exactly on the head. And regardless of what type of racing it is, when you can show up at the racetrack and the guys feel like they have a chance to win that week, and Roger talks about it all the time, he says, as long as I feel like I'm competitive and I can show up at the racetrack thinking one of my cars might win today, that's what drives us.

You're right. Midway through the season, from that point on, Brad and Kurt really built off of each other, and Steve (Addington) and Paul (Wolfe) were putting cars together, and the guys were really clicking as far as showing up at the racetrack and us thinking that we had a chance to qualify up front and we had a chance to win the race. And really that's the definition of, in our minds, when you think you start to have it right, and then it just becomes a question of who executes the best at that point in time.

Q. Tim, is the expectation that AJ will be able to come right in and pick up where the team left off? Or are you expecting a period of transition?

TIM CINDRIC: Well, I think you have to be realistic, and I think we have to hit singles in the beginning before we can worry about hitting the doubles and triples and the home runs. There's no, I guess, preconceived notion that we're going to walk into this thing and just hit the ground running. We're going to have to work toward it. If that happens, great, but I think we have to be realistic in the fact that, as I said before, we're replacing a world‑class driver, and we're trying to figure out how we get to that next level. AJ said it himself; he wants to be somebody that's a Chase contender and a championship contender, but before you can contend for a championship you have to be in the Chase. I think we have to set our goals realistically to make sure we're within striking distance the first dozen races or so and then start to build on the various relationships that will occur at that point in time.

I think we have to take a step at a time. Basically we're going to have to walk here a little bit before we run.

Q. AJ how does this opportunity make you better, and how can you make this team better? Of your experiences in the past five years, what do you take into this and how do you make this organization better and showcase your skills even more?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: I think it gives me a great chance to make myself better. It's a great organization, and the cars were fast middle of the ‑‑ beginning of the year on really and just kept getting better it seemed like. I know for me I'm coming into a race team that's got a lot of momentum, an organization that's got a lot of momentum from a great solid year. So I feel like the race cars are going to be pretty good. It's more about myself and Todd and the race team gelling, and the quicker we can do that, the better we can be early on.

And really when the season starts, you've just got to be solid to start the season. You can't put yourself in a hole. So I think that's going to be a big thing for us is just to try to gel together as quick as possible.

And for myself to try to make the organization better, I think it's just about just fitting in, about coming in with a good attitude and just being a part of the process and trying to help the race team get better by doing that and just trying to fit in. And I think this is an organization that is all about being humble and being loyal and everybody kind of working together to reach the same process, which is to go win races.

I feel like maybe I bring a couple of different ideas in with what I've gone through to get to this point and what I've learned from other race teams and other crew chiefs, things like that. But ultimately I think the best way to make this organization better is to work well with Brad, have two teammates that are really happy working together and just really work together with the team to reach the pinnacle, and that's win races. If we can do that, I don't see why I can't come in and help make the team better.

Q. AJ, I talked to you at the PRI trade show in Orlando on December 3rd and you mentioned in the last couple weeks you didn't have any idea you were about to have a sponsor go and a new job arrive. Your confidence level is right back up there. Could you kind of talk about the roller coaster that you kind of went through in the last 17 days?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: It wasn't really the last 17 days, it was more the last couple of days. That was something that as we spoke there at the PRI show, we were talking about going into 2012 and working to make the 43 a lot better and working with Greg Erwin. It was really the last couple of days that this has kind of occurred. For me it's easy to keep my confidence when Mr. Penske wants you to drive his race cars and come to his organization. I think that makes ‑‑ for me at least it makes myself be able to look in the mirror and wake up in the morning and feel confident knowing that such a guy like Mr. Penske and everything that he's had as race teams and all the great drivers that he's ever had in his lifetime basically, to have him come to me and say, hey, I want you to drive my race car, that gives me all the confidence I need right there. He knows talent when he sees it, and if he thinks I have enough talent to be a part of his organization, that's all I need right there.

Q. And as far as your confidence goes, over the past years, you seemed to overcome a lot of learning curves and really kind of move up. How has that affected you?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Well, I mean, I've had to go through a lot to stay in the sport, so when something like this happened over the last few days, it's something that I haven't ever experienced. It's something that for me it's natural. For me every year has come up to where going into the off‑season we've had to work hard to find a ride or keep a ride or figure out what's going to happen. It's just the nature of this sport; sometimes it can be cruel, but in the end, it's the attitude I've always had. You can either do two things with it: You can keep going and work harder to stay in the sport or you can just give up, and I'm a guy that's never going to give up. It's almost ‑‑ the stuff that's happened over the last five years, it doesn't even surprise me anymore.

It was no surprise, and I know I have good people working around me. Something for me, it didn't affect me like it did over the last couple of years. I've kind of gotten used to it, and like I said, the biggest deal was to have Mr. Penske call you and say, hey, I'd like you to be part of this organization. That makes it a lot easier just to not stress over it.

Q. Tim, we haven't really mentioned Shell‑Pennzoil here. What do they want as a sponsor after what they just went through? Did AJ have an interview with them? AJ didn't really talk about them but neither did you, Tim. Did they want something specific for a driver and what are they thoughts and did they interview AJ?

TIM CINDRIC: That's a good question. It's been difficult in the way it's all come about because obviously until he came onto the scene there was a bit different process that was going through. Thorough isn't the right word, but the amazing thing with the Shell‑Pennzoil relationship is that that partnership in one year has ‑‑ I guess there's so much trust that's developed, and obviously we've gone through the highs and we've gone through the lows together, and when it came down to this decision, obviously it had to be made in a pretty quick fashion once AJ became available.

So it was really a matter of phone calls and trust and us sitting down with them really talking about, okay, here's who we've talked to, here's how we've approached it, here's what we recommend, and at the end of the day, they want someone that's going to represent them in the winner's circle and someone that's going to represent them away from the racetrack in the right ways.

We had to sit down and think real hard about how to really think about what that all means, because again, you're not going to replace Kurt Busch on the racetrack with anybody out there right now that has those kind of statistics and those kind of numbers. It's just not going to happen. At that point in time you really have to look at where the potential lies, and that potential has to be engaging on and off the racetrack and that potential has to be somebody that's really proved that they can win to whatever extent that their career has put it.

We've had a chance to talk with some of the representatives there, but not nearly to the extent that you would hope at this point in time when you're coming to this kind of decision. So there's a bit of faith there on both sides that we've done the right things and that it works out the right way, because the last thing any of us want is to be sitting here at the end of next year talking about who the driver of the 22 is going to be. We really needed to look at it and ensure we made the right choice.

I think the thing is that sitting here, we all came to the same conclusion: That there's a lot of talented people out there, a lot of really good guys, but this is the guy we need to go with.

MERRILL CAIN: That'll wrap up today's Penske Racing media teleconference. Thanks everybody and enjoy your holidays.

Credit - Penske Racing PR

Fan Photo Winner

2011-12-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Michael Peddle shows off his prizes for winning the first ever Dinger Fan Photo Contest. Congrats again, Mike.

Homestead Race Recap

2011-11-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started in the 12th position for the 267-lap event at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Allmendinger finished the race in the 15th position at the 1.5-mile track
Unofficially, Allmendinger finished the season in 15th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the start of the final event of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in the 12th position. Rain showers caused a brief delay right after the start of the race, but cleared up quickly. During the delay, Allmendinger let his Best Buy Racing team know that the No. 43 Ford Fusion was loose on the bottom of the track and free off of the corners up top. A pit stop on Lap 15 of the 267-lap event enabled Crew Chief Greg Erwin to call for a track bar adjustment, fuel and four fresh tires before sending Allmendinger back out on the track in the 25th position for the Lap 22 restart.

Allmendinger communicated to his crew that the changes made to the car had helped the handling and at the Lap 57 mark, the Best Buy Ford held down 13th place. At Lap 68, the driver relayed to the crew that the car had become free in the corner and tight in the center. Erwin made a track bar adjustment during the next stop, which came 10 laps later. The crew bolted on fresh right side tires during a Lap 85 stop and almost immediately, Allmendinger let his team know that two tires were not the way to go and that the car was no longer handling to his liking.

More rain showers blanketed the area just past the Lap 100 mark, which resulted in NASCAR officials throwing the red flag. After a delay of over an hour, drivers were called back to their cars and the red flag was withdrawn at Lap 111. Allmendinger made a quick pit stop for four tires, fuel, air pressure changes and a track bar adjustment before lining up for the Lap 116 restart in 16th place. Patiently making his way toward the front of the field, the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford moved into the Top 10 near Lap 150. Running as high as eighth place, Allmendinger communicated to Erwin that the car was the best it had been all day.

Strategy came into play when the caution was displayed once again for rain with 54 laps remaining in the event. Running 13th when it began to rain, Erwin opted to leave his driver out on the track when many of the leaders pitted in an effort to pick up track position. That decision moved Allmendinger into third place. A four-tire stop at Lap 229 relegated the team back to 20th place, however, when the green flag flew for the restart on Lap 231. Not long after the restart, Allmendinger relayed to the crew that the Best Buy Ford was extremely tight. Able to pick up several positions in the closing laps, Allmendinger took the checkered flag in the 15th spot.

After posting a career-best season that included one Top-Five and 10 Top-10 finishes, AJ Allmendinger picked up one spot in the final race of the season and finished the 2011 campaign in 15th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Homestead Post-Race Quotes

2011-11-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 15th
“It’s a little bit sad. We accomplished our goal being top 15 in points, but I want so much more though. It’s one of those things that they deserve a little bit more and I wish I’d given it to them. We’ve got some stuff to work on in the winter. We know that. I love working with Greg because he’s helped me so much. I know I still have a ways to go. We’re making steps and we know the areas we need to work on. I wish I could have won for them, but we’ll get them next year.”

***

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Finished 39th
“We had some engine issues. We’ve been so reliable all year. We haven’t had a DNF, so to come down to the last race and maybe not finish is gonna be pretty gut-wrenching, but we’re gonna see if we can get it back out there and maybe just do one more lap. It’s a bad way to finish the season, but we’ve had a great year and really wanted to finish on a high note.”

HAS THIS SEASON BEEN A SUCCESS IN YOUR MIND? “Oh, yeah. You can’t reflect on one race and feel bad about this season. We’ve had a great year and I’m looking forward to 2012 and making it better.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Homestead Qualifying Quotes

2011-11-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 12th
“That was okay. We struggled a little bit today with the Best Buy Ford. We’ve kind of struggled with getting into the corner and I’ve really struggled to run the top. I think the top is the faster way to go, but I can’t get there right now. It was a solid lap. You can always pick it apart and say it was a little bit better, but we’re working hard. This hasn’t been the best day for us, but Greg Erwin and all the guys are working hard. Hopefully, that gets us a decent starting spot because it’s a long race on Sunday.”

***

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Qualified 18th
“I just didn’t know what line to take. I went a bit higher than what I probably should have, but we’ll take it. I’ve just got to thank Ford Racing for putting on this huge show here. It’s great to finish here at the big Ford event. We’ve got Carl with a chance to win, Ford as well, and I’m real excited about it. With Stanley and DeWalt, it’s just been a ripper year. It’s been fantastic to drive with the King and I just want to thank all of my boys and Todd Parrott on the box. It’s been a really strong effort for us.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Homestead Race Preview

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

• AJ Allmendinger has made three starts at Homestead–Miami Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the weekend in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (fifth) at the 1.5-mile track came in last year’s season finale at Homestead.

Allmendinger on Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway: “I’m excited to be going to Homestead. I’ve always run really well at that track. I’ve got three finishes of 11th-place or higher there, and I’m really looking forward to going back this weekend. We had a great run in Phoenix last weekend and I know Greg (Erwin) and the whole Best Buy team have worked really hard to give me a great race car this weekend that will be capable of winning. I can’t think of a better way to end my season than to get my first Cup Series win, and I think I’ve got a real shot at it this weekend.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Homestead-Miami Speedway: “Homestead is a tricky place to get around. It has multiple grooves, which makes it a great place for drivers to get their cars working on the top and bottom of the race track. Having multiple racing grooves makes it an exciting race for the fans to watch. Tire “give up” is high, similar to some of the older racetracks we go to and a good long run can make a big difference. The Ford engine has performed very well at the intermediate tracks this year, and I expect the fans will see a great championship battle this weekend. AJ has a terrific average finish at Homestead and I think his confidence is growing every week. Everybody here at RPM would love to see AJ get his first Cup series win at Homestead this weekend. The winner will carry a lot of momentum into the 2012 season and we are going to try really hard to get that Best Buy Ford in Victory Lane at the end of the day on Sunday.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 783 for this weekend’s event at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This Best Buy Ford Fusion was run previously this season at Chicago and Charlotte.

Notes: Allmendinger has three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway and has finished inside the top-15 in all three events at the 1.5-mile track. Allmendinger enters Homestead in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He has completed 100 percent of laps (801) attempted at the track and has an average finish of 8.1.

Allmendinger will have a different look this weekend as Best Buy will return as the primary partner on the No. 43 Ford Fusion for the final race of the 2011 season.

Don’t miss out on your chance to meet The Dinger! AJ will be appearing at the Best Buy store in Miami, Fla. (10760 NW 17th Street, Miami, Fla. 33172). The appearance is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 17, from 5-7 p.m. ET and is open to the public.

Can’t get enough of AJ? The Dinger will visit the Ford Display at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET for a 15 minute Q-and-A session.

The last of 12 Best Buy “Re-Tailgate” events will occur Sunday. A combination of 100 premiere Best Buy customers and Best Buy employees will be invited to a private tailgating event. The guests will get the opportunity to meet Allmendinger, and attendees will be given a pit tour before enjoying the race from their grandstand seats.

Allmendinger will be running a special decal on the decklid of the No. 43 this weekend to commemorate Dale Inman’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and eight championships as a crew chief.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Phoenix II Race Recap

2011-11-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 WIX Filters Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started from the front row for the 312-mile event at Phoenix International Raceway
Allmendinger finished in the race in the sixth position at the one-mile track
Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger started Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event from the outside of the front row and the second-place starting effort was the fourth of the season for the No. 43 team. A quick caution just three laps after the green flag flew gave Allmendinger the opportunity to relay to his team how slick the track was before restarting on Lap 6 in the fifth position.

Allmendinger moved into the fourth spot at Lap 31 and communicated to the team that the No. 43 WIX Filters Ford Fusion was handling pretty well except for being a tick tight in the center of the corners. Allmendinger drove down pit road to the attention of his crew during the scheduled competition caution at Lap 42 and Crew Chief Greg Erwin called for fresh left side tires and fuel during the stop. The No. 43 machine restarted in seventh place, and by Lap 69, Allmendinger had driven into second.

Allmendinger battled a bit of a tight condition for much of the race, but remained inside the Top 10 for the majority of the event. A pit stop on Lap 161 resulted in the No. 43 lining up for the ensuing restart in ninth place after problems arose in the mechanics of the pit stop. The California native began another ascent toward the front of the field and had made it all the way to third place before communicating to the crew that the car was the best it had been all day at Lap 219. During a pit stop several laps later, the crew opted to make no adjustments to the car. Allmendinger lined up for the Lap 225 restart in fifth place.

Track conditions changed throughout the event and the car became very loose with about 80 laps remaining. Allmendinger fell back as far as 11th, but was able to begin to work his way back toward the front of the field not long after. A final pit stop at Lap 287 enabled Erwin’s crew to change left side tires and fill the tank with fuel. Allmendinger held down ninth place with 18 laps left in the race and by the time the checkered flag flew, he had made his way up to the sixth position.

Sunday's finish marked the No. 43 team's 10th Top-10 effort of the season. Allmendinger sits in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings heading into next weekend’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Only 25 markers separate Allmendinger from 13th place in the point standings.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Phoenix II Post-Race Quotes

2011-11-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

AJ Allmendinger, No. 43 WIX Filters Ford
Finished 6th
“It is a credit to all the guys on the 43 and at RPM. The test was really good and we came back really good. Man, I don’t know. We lost on that one restart. I don’t know. The tires chattered a little bit. The tires were so sensitive and they chattered and got hung out. I overdrove one lap and got in the dirt and that killed us from there. Sixth is okay but I feel like we deserved better. We have to work on our pit stops. Thanks to the 6 guys, our Ford teammates coming over and pitting the last two stops. That was a big difference.”

WHAT WAS BEHIND THAT CALL? “We were bad. We were losing four or five spots on a stop. You can’t do that and win a race and those guys are pretty good. They did a good job.”

***

Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 DeWalt Ford
Finished 8th
“We had a good car today. We just needed a bit of clean air to get the nose down and feeling good. I am proud of my DeWalt team, they did a good job and we were solid all day long.”

THIS CONTINUES A REALLY GOOD SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON FOR YOU. “Yeah, it bodes even better for the first half of next season.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Phoenix II Qualifying Quotes

2011-11-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

AJ Allmendinger, No. 43 WIX Filters Ford
Qualified 2nd

Post-Qualifying Run
“That was insane. The track is way different than what we had yesterday and the Wix Filters Ford was fast. Greg Erwin and everyone at RPM did a good job. Marcos put a good lap up and explained to us what the track was going to be like. I am not sure that will hold up, it wasn’t a great lap by any means but it will be a good starting spot at least.”

Press Interview
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR LAP OUT THERE TODAY? “You kinda watch everybody out there to see how quick the race track is going to be and it was a lot different than yesterday. After being on a race track that had so much grip. I messed my first lap up and just tried to basically back my second lap down to get a clean lap in and see where that put me. I definitely knew there was a chance of it getting beat. I was surprised it held up as long as it did with the guys that were behind me. It is really cool to have Ford with the first three cars and I am excited about tomorrow. I think our car will be really quick. We were good in race trim and more than anything we have to see how the track plays out now.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED WITH THE DEGREE THE TRACK CHANGED AND WAS IT A MATTER OF GUESSING RIGHT ON THE SET UP? “It was definitely a huge surprise. Obviously the sun is out and it is warmer but for as much grip as the track had yesterday you would think maybe it would be a little slower. At night last night I think the quick time was like a 25.50 by Carl so to be almost a second slower was a huge surprise. I was in the hauler watching the first 10 or 15 cars run and you see Jimmie go sailing off and almost get in the wall. Every car seemed to get looser and looser. At that point you have what you have. We tightened it up from yesterday. Marcos put up a good lap and fed back what the track was like so I went in there with an expectation and my first lap was worse than even I expected. It was definitely a lot different than yesterday.”

***

Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 DeWalt Ford
Qualified 3rd

Post-Qualifying Run
“It felt horrible, treacherous and nasty. I hope the sun comes out. I think we will start in the first half of the field. If you can beat the championship leader it is pretty cool. I tell you what though, I am really thankful for DeWalt, Stanley and Ford and everyone else that supports me. Our team is getting better and better each week. We have had a good couple of months and I am looking forward to 2012.”

Press Interview
TALK ABOUT YOUR LAP OUT THERE. “It was pretty sketchy. I was pleased to get through it really. It was a lot slicker than yesterday with a brand new surface and tire I don’t think anyone knew what to expect. I was pleased with my lap. We used our scuffs. I think the front two used sticker tires out there. All things considered I think we took a conservative approach to it and it paid off.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FOR TOMORROW? “It depends what the weather does. We have some rain forecast and it might clean that rubber off and we have to start again, who knows? We have to really watch the weather. It seems there is a lot of grip here when the sun is down. It felt great yesterday afternoon. The track was fast and we were and today with the sun out it was a disaster. It was really slick. I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring. If it is cloudy then you can expect fast speeds and happy drivers. If the sun is out like this then it could be a handful.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Phoenix II Race Preview

2011-11-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 WIX Filters Ford Fusion

• Allmendinger has made six starts at Phoenix International Raceway
• Allmendinger enters this race in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger won his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole at Phoenix in last year’s spring race

Allmendinger on Testing at Phoenix in October After Track Reconfiguration: “I really like racing in Phoenix, I always enjoying going to the West Coast because I’m close to home. When we tested there the track started off really slick and as more cars ran, it began to rubber up. It felt like maybe there was a groove and a quarter or a groove and a half that built up by the end of the test. I think the layout of the race track seems fun. There’s a lot more room and a lot more grip off of Turn 2. I think they did a good job on the race track. We ran a lot of laps and I felt like we learned some things when we tested back in October. I feel like the crew and I have some momentum going into this weekend after our Top-10 finish in Texas last weekend. I know Greg and my whole WIX Filters crew really want to get a win this season and I think we will have a
good shot at it this weekend. I love racing at Phoenix and I’ve been fast there in the past, so I’m looking for good things this weekend.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin On Going to Phoenix: “Going into the test in Phoenix we had some ideas and some thoughts based on some information and data that we had, but until we really got on the race track and made laps, we weren’t really sure what to look for. The No. 43 unloaded off the truck and ran really fast without having to make a lot of adjustments. We worked through a bunch of different combinations and we were pretty happy at the conclusion of the test. Our goal is to get a “W” before the season is over and hopefully this is our weekend and we will see the WIX Filters Ford in Victory Lane on Sunday.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 736 for this weekend’s event at Phoenix International Raceway. This WIX Filters Ford has been run previously this season at Richmond, Kansas and Loudon. It was also tested at Phoenix International Raceway on Oct. 4-5.

Notes: Allmendinger has six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Phoenix International Raceway and his first Sprint Cup Series pole came in last year’s spring race at the 1.0-mile oval. His best finish (ninth) came in this year’s spring race. Allmendinger has completed 1,936 of 1,939 laps attempted at the track and has an average finish of 17.4.

Allmendinger will have a different look this weekend as WIX Filters will be the primary partner of the No. 43 Ford Fusion.

The 11th of 12 Best Buy “Re-Tailgate” events will occur Sunday. A combination of 100 premiere Best Buy customers and Best Buy employees will be invited to a private tailgating event. The guests will get the opportunity to meet Allmendinger and attendees will be given a pit tour before enjoying the race at Phoenix International Raceway from their grandstand seats.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

AJ Allmendinger Says Thank You ahead of Veterans Day

2011-11-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

With just two races to go in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, AJ Allmendinger has a lot on his mind as he hopes to once again close the year out on a high note with strong finishes in his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Fusion.
But between his testing duties at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this week and his return to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend for the 500-mile race, Allmendinger took some time out to say thank you as the nation prepared to celebrate Veterans Day this Friday.

Allmendinger, who has carried the colors for both the Air Force and the Paralyzed Veterans of America on his Richard Petty No. 43 this year, counts himself lucky to get to know some of the amazing individuals who have served the United States in the past, and countless others that still do today.

“I don’t really have a history of military in my family, so getting to meet so many good people in the armed forces has been really cool for me,” said Allmendinger. “What they all do every day, as a team, for our country is so important. The more I learn about what they do, and the more people I met, the more impressed I am. It’s humbling to have so many people with such talent out there representing and protecting me. It’s important for us to think of all the sacrifices that our veterans and their families have made through the years. Not just on Veterans Day, but every day.”

AJ Allmendinger started both rounds of competition at Phoenix from the front row in 2010, and will look to make the most of the recent test on the repaved surface as NASCAR heads west for the penultimate round of the 2011 season. The Best Buy Racing driver will sport the WIX Filters paint scheme this weekend as he looks to build on his run to 10th place at Texas last weekend.

Credit - www.ajallmendinger.com

Texas II Race Recap

2011-11-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Immortals/Best Buy Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started in the 26th position for the 500-mile event at Texas Motor Speedway
Allmendinger finished in the race in the 10th position at the 1.5-mile track
Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger started the AAA Texas 500 in the 26th spot and at the drop of the green flag began to make his way toward the front of the field. After just 35 laps, Allmendinger held down the 16th position.

The first pit stop of the day came at Lap 43 of the 334-lap event. Because his driver was happy with the handling of the car, Crew Chief Greg Erwin opted not to make any changes to the Immortals/Best Buy Ford and the crew went to work bolting on four fresh tires to the car as well as filling the tank with fuel. Allmendinger returned to the track in the 13th position.

At the Lap 66 mark, the driver of the No. 43 machine let his team know that the handling of the car had become a little loose in and off the corners and tight in the center. A pit stop at Lap 90 enabled Erwin to make a wedge adjustment to the car. Allmendinger commented during the first caution period of the day, which came at Lap 113, that the car was better after the changes.

Allmendinger made his way into the Top 10 just prior to the 200-lap mark and continued to move forward. Lined up for a restart at Lap 207 in eighth, he held down ninth place when another caution flag flew at Lap 240. The crew opted for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment this time around. A lightning quick stop by the Immortals/Best Buy team helped Allmendinger pick up two positions and he lined up for the green flag at Lap 245 in seventh.

A two-tire pit stop at lap 264 kept the No. 43 Ford inside the Top 10 until the handling of the car began to slip. Allmendinger fell back to as far as 24th, but began to move back toward the front of the pack with 30 laps remaining in the event. When the checkered flag flew, Allmendinger had wheeled the Immortals/Best Buy Ford into the 10th spot.

Allmendinger’s Thoughts on the Race: “That was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever felt on a mile-and-a-half track, especially one like this. It was fun. From the start we were just passing cars and making good adjustments. The track was tough because the sun would keep popping out and the track would change a lot, but overall, I felt like it was definitely the best I’ve ever felt in a car around one of these places. We just got a bad break there on the two tires. It was a good fight to get back to 10th, and more importantly, that’s something to build on.”

Sunday's finish marked the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team's ninth Top-10 of the season. Allmendinger sits in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings heading into next Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Texas II Post-Race Quotes

2011-11-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Immortals/Best Buy Ford
Finished 10th
“That was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever felt on a mile-and-a-half, especially one like this. It was fun. From the start we were just passing cars and making good adjustments. The track was tough because the sun would keep popping out and the track would change a lot, but, overall, I felt like it was definitely the best I’ve ever felt in a car around one of these places. We just got a bad break there on the two tires. We didn’t need that extra caution. I got back into sixth on the restart and we were good, and then the yellow came out and we went backwards after that. It was a good fight to get back to 10th, but, overall and more importantly, that’s something to build on.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Dinger Fan Story #10

2011-11-05T18:01:00.000-06:00

I have been an avid NASCAR & Richard Petty fan since 1976. When Richard retired at the end of the 1992 season I quickly became a fan of the car & number. There have been numerous drivers but in my opinion no other has brought the same level of excitement to the 43 as AJ Allmendinger.

My son Kyle, my wife Jan & myself have been driving the 2400 miles to Michigan International Speedway for nine years. Every year we buy pit passes & every year we seem to get closer to the drivers & crews. This year we were treated to garage passes which enabled us to get "real" close to the action. While wandering in the garage area I was able to take over 800 pictures.Most were of the 43 on & off the track. We were introduced to AJ inside the 43 Best Buy hauler & had an opportunity to watch 1st practice on top of the trailer. The race was awesome. AJ started 29th, battled an ill handling race car all day & still managed to get out of there with a top 10 finish. An experience of a lifetime.

Michael P.

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Texas II Race Preview

2011-11-03T07:27:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Immortals/Best Buy Ford Fusion

• Allmendinger has made seven starts at Texas Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) at the track came in 2009

Allmendinger on Texas Motor Speedway: “I feel like every time we go to Texas we improve and learn something we can apply the next time we go. Texas is a fast 1.5-mile track. We’ve got a really cool looking paint scheme with Immortals on the car this weekend and I’d love to see the No. 43 car in Victory Lane Sunday. We had a Top-20 finish at Texas in the spring, so I’m
hopeful for good things this weekend in the Immortals/Best Buy Ford.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Keys to Getting Around Texas Motor Speedway: “You carry a lot of speed into the corners at Texas. It’s a really fast track, especially in the fall with the cooler temperatures. We are taking what has been our best car the second half of the season to Texas this weekend. We had good runs at Atlanta and Dover with this car and a Top-10 finish at
Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway a couple of weeks ago. I have a lot of confidence that we will be fast this weekend in our Immortals/Best Buy Ford.

“In the middle of Turns 1 and 2 and Turns 3 and 4 there are bumps on the race track where the tunnels go underneath. It puts a little hump in the center of the track and there is an opportunity for the car to bottom out at those places if we get overly aggressive, so we’ll have to be careful of that. All in all we are excited about this weekend and really looking forward to going to Texas.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 710 for this weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway. This Immortals/ Best Buy Ford has been previously run this season at Texas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Indianapolis and Dover.

Notes: Allmendinger has seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway and three Top-15 finishes at the
1.5-mile track. Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) came at the fall race at Texas in 2009. He has completed 2,143 of 2,338 laps attempted at the track and has an average starting position of 17.7.

Allmendinger’s car will have a different look this weekend as Relativity Media is co-sponsoring the No. 43 Ford Fusion alongside Best Buy to promote its upcoming 3D epic adventure film, Immortals, which is scheduled to be in theatres 11/11/2011.

The 10th of 12 Best Buy “Re-Tailgate” events will occur Sunday. A combination of 100 premiere Best Buy customers and Best Buy employees will be invited to a private tailgating event. The guests will get the opportunity to meet Allmendinger, and attendees will be given a pit tour before enjoying the race from their grandstand seats.

Four Star General Mark A. Welsh III will be attending the race this weekend on behalf of the U.S. Air Force. General Welsh is Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, Air Component Command, Ramstein; and Director, Joint Air Power Competency Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He is responsible for Air Force activities, conducted through 3rd Air Force, in an area of operations covering almost one-fifth of the globe. This area includes 51 countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and the Arctic and Atlantic oceans with a total population reaching nearly one billion people speaking more than 80 languages. He also has administrative control of 17th Air Force, providing support, logistics and resources to U.S. Africa Command.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Martinsville II Race Recap

2011-10-31T21:22:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 AdvoCare Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started in the 16th position for the 500-lap event at Martinsville Speedway
Allmendinger, finished in the race in the 11th position at the .536-mile track
Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger started the 263-mile event at Martinsville Speedway from the 16th position. Inclement weather caused the cancelation of Saturday’s qualifying session and the starting line-up was set per the NASCAR rule book. Allmendinger didn’t waste any time letting his crew know he was happy with his car, and Crew Chief Greg Erwin elected not to bring the AdvoCare Ford down pit road during the first three caution periods of the race. Staying out under yellow, combined with a fast race car, enabled Allmendinger to drive his way to the lead on Lap 55.

Though he was beginning to fight a car that was struggling to find rear grip, the No. 43 continued to run up front until a Lap 66 caution period allowed Erwin to call Allmendinger onto pit road for an air pressure adjustment, four fresh tires and fuel. Several cars elected not to pit under the fourth caution period of the day and Allmendinger restarted the race in 16th place. Just a few laps into the run, Allmendinger communicated to his crew that the air pressure adjustment made on the previous stop had helped the handling of his race car.

Pleased with the AdvoCare Ford Fusion, Allmendinger was again out front leading the field on Lap 117. As the laps wore on, Allmendinger began to struggle to find rear grip and began to slip back several positions. Erwin called for a variety of chassis adjustments in the ensuing pit stops and Allmendinger continued to run inside the Top 10 for the majority of the event.

The turning point for the No. 43 came on Lap 407 when Allmendinger sustained left front fender damage due to a multi-car accident. Having to bring the AdvoCare machine into the pits on Lap 409 for repairs, Allmendinger lost valuable time and was forced to restart in the 22nd position on Lap 413, the last car on the lead lap. Allmendinger didn't waste any time making his way back toward the front of the field though, and was running in the 14th spot by Lap 441.

Contact with the No. 78 car on Lap 444 sent Allmendinger’s car sliding up the track and into the wall, causing minor right side damage. Allmendinger again found himself at the tail end of the lead lap, this time with just over 50 laps to go. Never giving up, Allmendinger put the pedal to the metal and worked his way up to the 15th spot with just six laps remaining in the 500-lap event when the caution flag flew for the 18th and final time on Lap 494. By virtue of several cars wrecking in front of the No. 43 machine, Allmendinger was able to advance four spots in the remaining laps of the race and brought the AdvoCare Ford home in 11th place.

Allmendinger was awarded a bonus point for leading a total of two times throughout the event, equaling 19 laps, and now sits in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings heading into next Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Martinsville II Post-Race Quotes

2011-10-30T22:07:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 AdvoCare Ford Fusion
Finished 11th
“That’s Martinsville. It was a really good car. I think we just needed something small to win the race, but the car was so good. It was really good. I was proud of all the guys. We’ve got to work on our pit stops a little bit because we kept losing a couple of spots, but what really hurt us was I got put three-wide on the outside and got into Juan and that shoved the fender over the tire and we got a yellow, and from there on back we were at the back of the pack and everybody is just gouging back there. Doug gave me a great motor and everybody at the engine shop. The car was good and that’s all you can say."

A VERY PHYSICAL RACE TODAY. WHY? “It was unbelievable. It was insane. That’s the way NASCAR is now. Everybody is desperate. We’ve got to fight for everything we can get out there. Sponsors, points, money, etc., so everybody is trying to get everything. It’s the end of the year. It just seems like if it’s just me, but it just seems like this year is tiring. Everybody is tired and you put that combination together at a place like Martinsville and things are gonna happen.”

Credit - Ford Racing

AJ to become Immortal at Texas

2011-10-28T21:09:00.000-06:00

Relativity Media Co-Sponsors No. 43 Race Car at 2011 Texas NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Immortals Branding

Relativity Media and Virgin Produced will promote its upcoming epic adventure Immortals to millions of NASCAR fans by co-sponsoring the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford. Through its partnership with Sir Richard Branson’s Production Company Virgin Produced, Relativity will join Best Buy and Richard Petty Motorsports in this co-branding initiative. The celebrated AJ Allmendinger, also known as “The Dinger,” will drive the No. 43 car at the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas on November 6, 2011, five days before Relativity’s Immortals opens in theaters on November 11, 2011.

Branded with Best Buy logos, The No. 43 race car will also feature the Immortals title treatment placed on the hood, upper rear quarter panels and deck lid. In addition, the crew and Allmendinger will wear Immortals hats and shirts, as well as the title treatment on the pit wall banner. Relativity will also have access to trackside photography services, Richard Petty Motorsports digital media efforts, autographed merchandise and more public relations support as a result of this collaboration.

Relativity formed its innovative partnership with Virgin Produced in 2010 with a first look deal in which the company produces films for the studio. Virgin Produced’s presence across a diverse range of businesses is what brought Relativity Media, Best Buy and Richard Petty Motorsports together for this No. 43 RPM Ford branding takeover. Best Buy will also feature Immortals custom video content on media walls in its stores nationwide from November 1, 2011 through opening day on November 11, 2011. Virgin Produced also brought together Relativity and NASCAR hall-of-famer Richard Petty, co-owner of the NASCAR team for which Allmendinger drives, through its existing relationship with them.

From the producers of 300, Mark Canton, Gianni Nunnari, and Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh, Immortals stars Henry Cavill (Superman: Man of Steel), Luke Evans (Robin Hood), Kellan Lutz (Twillight), Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Stephen Dorff (Public Enemies), John Hurt (Hellboy) and Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2). Directed by Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and written by Charles Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides, Immortals tells the story of the ruthless King Hyperion (Rourke), who leads his bloodthirsty army on a murderous rampage across Greece to find a deadly weapon that will destroy humanity. A mortal chosen by Zeus named Theseus (Cavill) must lead the fight against Hyperion and his evil army with the fate of mankind and the Gods at Stake.

Credit - www.ajallmendinger.com

Martinsville II Race Preview

2011-10-27T08:41:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 AdvoCare Ford Fusion

• AJ Allmendinger has made eight starts at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the weekend in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (ninth) at the half-mile track came in the 2009 spring race

Allmendinger on Racing at Martinsville Speedway: “I enjoy short-track racing at Martinsville. I always look forward to going there and I’ve run pretty good the past couple of times we’ve raced at Martinsville. It’s racing where you have to get a rhythm going. I’ll have to really concentrate on saving my brakes because it’s a track that really wears them out quick. Brakes are really key at Martinsville and I want to make sure I still have them at the end of the race. I’m looking forward to a great weekend with my team and a good finish in my AdvoCare Ford.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Martinsville Speedway: “We are taking the same car this weekend that the team raced at Martinsville earlier this year. This will be my first race with AJ at Martinsville, but I suspect he is good there like he is on most short tracks because of his ability to brake hard and get the car turned down in the center and keep the weight on the front tires like he does on road courses. Most of the good road course drivers are also good short-track racers. We are looking forward to going to Martinsville and recovering some of the points we lost at Talladega last weekend. The fall race at Martinsville is a terrific time of year to go to the track and it’s great racing to watch. The AdvoCare team is looking for good things this weekend and a “W” would be great to pull off in one of these last four races of the season.”

Erwin on the Famous Martinsville Hot Dog: “I love the Martinsville hot dogs. There was a time in my younger days I would eat eight or nine hotdogs a day, but now I can only handle about three or four a day. That is one of the unique things about Martinsville Speedway, nobody makes hot dogs like they do!”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend’s event at Martinsville Speedway. This AdvoCare Ford Fusion was run previously this season at Phoenix Raceway, Martinsville, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and in New Hampshire.

Notes: Allmendinger has eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway and has four top-15 finishes at the .526-mile track. Allmendinger enters Martinsville Speedway in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He has completed 3,546 of 4,019 laps attempted at the track and has led six of them.

Don’t miss out on your chance to meet The Dinger. AJ will be signing autographs at the Richard Petty Motorsports merchandise hauler Sunday, Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. The first 75 guests in line at the merchandise hauler when it opens will receive a ticket that will allow them to take part in the autograph session.

Richard Petty will be participating in the 23rd annual NASCAR Day Festival in Randleman, N.C. on Saturday. “The King” will be signing autographs for fans from 5-7 p.m. in the parking lot of the Security Savings Bank at the corner of Main and Naomi streets.

AJ will participate in the fifth of five NASCAR-controlled electronic fuel injection tests Monday at Martinsville Speedway. After using carburetors since its first race in 1949, NASCAR will race with electronic fuel injection for the first time next year.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Talladega II Race Recap

2011-10-24T06:54:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started in the 24th position for the 188-lap event at Talladega Superspeedway
Allmendinger finished the race in the 31st position at the 2.66-mile superspeedway
Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger started the 500-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway from the 24th position and immediately hooked up with teammate Marcos Ambrose to form the important two-car tandem. The pair remained glued together and worked their way into the top 15 early, communicating via the team radio nearly non-stop.

The first caution flag of the day flew at Lap 26 of the 188-lap event and, like much of the field, Allmendinger drove to the attention of his awaiting crew for fresh right side tires and fuel. Hooking back up with teammate Ambrose at the restart, he held down 15th place at Lap 31. The two continued to work together on the track until making a scheduled pit stop on Lap 68. Allmendinger returned to the track after his four-tire stop and saw the caution flag wave the very next lap.

Because they had already come into the pits, Allmendinger and Ambrose took the green flag for the restart in the first and second spot. Working to stay out of the usual Talladega trouble, the two faded back a bit, but remained in sight of the leaders. Unfortunately, a slight miscue at Lap 105 resulted in the No. 43 car spinning down the track and into the path of oncoming traffic. Allmendinger was able to drive the damaged Best Buy Ford to pit road and the crew went to work to make repairs. The majority of the damage was cosmetic and was confined to the left side of the machine.

Allmendinger returned to the track in time for the Lap 110 green flag and attempted to work with Ambrose once again, but was forced to pit several laps later after shredding a left rear tire. Allmendinger lost several laps while the crew made additional repairs. He was able to pick up one lap thanks to the Lucky Dog award, but encountered another flat tire at Lap 138. The reason for the tire rub was found once Allmendinger drove the Best Buy Ford back into the pits and the crew spent several laps working on more repairs.

Allmendinger returned to the track with 46 laps remaining in the race and spent much of the remainder of the race drafting with wounded competitors. When the checkered flag waved, Allmendinger held down the 31st position. Allmendinger now stands in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into next Sunday’s race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in Martinsville, Va.

Credit -Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Talladega II Qualifying Quotes

2011-10-22T17:49:00.000-06:00

AJ Allmendinger, No. 43 Best Buy Ford
Qualified 24th
“That was pretty much all skill by me right there. Actually no, we didn’t qualify very fast so that was all the car then. It was pretty stable. We got on the back straightaway there and there are a couple people partying pretty hard so that was pretty good. I was pretty impressed. I think they were left over from last night. I heard them last night as well. Other than that it was Talladega qualifying. The Best Buy Ford should start mid pack to start with and end up front. That’s the plan.”

WHAT’S THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF THIS TO YOU?“Yesterday it seemed like all the stuff they did to make us not be able to push as long still didn’t help. NASCAR will figure out how to do something but the teams are so smart now that they figure out a way to still make it better. I think it is honestly how long you can run in a tandem group and whether we will do that all race or all pack up for awhile and then get with our partners and try to race at the end. We will see.”

WOULD THERE EVER BE A SCENARIO WHERE A MANUFACTURER WOULD SAY YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO PUSH ANOTHER MANUFACTURER? “I haven’t been told that yet. Maybe I will be told that after this now. Maybe they forgot to get to me. I could easily see that though. The biggest thing is that first off, I want to win the race for myself, Best Buy and Richard Petty Motorsports. Secondly we want to get one of these Fords to win the championship and Matt and Carl are right there for it. Anything we can do to help them is what is always going to be our focus.”

***

Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Stanley Ford
Qualified 19th
“Me and Todd Parrott have been through a lot together. I have a lot to thank him for. He has been a great crew chief for me and we get on well. We’ve had a really good month with three top-10s in row and that run will put us somewhere around 15th here. We are close to AJ, our teammate, so we should be able to find each other pretty quick on Sunday and get to the front.”

YOU HAVE ‘NO BRAKES’ WRITTEN ON YOUR HAND, WHAT’S THAT ABOUT? “That is just a cue for me when I jump in the car I always tend to test the brake pedal and here that will push the pads back. I didn’t want to be that guy that pumped the pedal and forget about it. It is just my mental cue before I put my gloves on to make sure I don’t touch the brake. This stuff here is unique. The car has all this stuff in it to make it run fast and produce drag.”

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST THOUGHT ABOUT THE WEEKEND’S RACE? WHAT IS STILL ON YOUR MIND? “I just want to get to the finish. It is one of these deals here where I have had trouble finishing lately being caught up in weird accidents. Our goal here is to be in contention coming to the checkered flag and hopefully put ourselves in good position.”

DO YOU SEE A SCENARIO WHERE YOU WOULD PUSH A CHEVY?“If it is Kevin Harvick then there is no chance. We are trying to help as best we can our Ford drivers win the championship. Carl and Matt Kenseth have had a great year so far and I don’t want to get in the way of the championship and don’t want to change the outcome, I don’t want to be in the way. I think pushing a Chase contender in a Chevrolet would probably not be the best thing for your career if you have blue blood, and that I certainly have.”

SO YOU PAIR UP BASED ON WHERE THEY ARE IN THE CHASE AND WHAT MANUFACTURER IS ON THE CAR? “In the end you want to have a dance partner already set. If you can’t find your teammate or person you want to work with then it will be a scramble and you have to do what you have to do to get your car as high as you can. I don’t think that if there are 43 cars out there that I will be looking for anyone but a Ford driver to get me to the line."

Credit - Ford Racing

Talladega II Race Preview

2011-10-20T07:25:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made six starts at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (11th) at the track came in this year’s event at the 2.66-mile track in August

Allmendinger on Talladega Superspeedway: “Talladega isn’t one of my favorite places to race. I had a big wreck there last year and flipped, so it doesn’t bring back good memories. We’ve never really had good results there until this year’s event in August when we finished in 11th place. We had a fast car at Talladega earlier this year, so I’m feeling good about this weekend’s race. It will be interesting to see how the new rules package affects my Best Buy Ford’s drafting abilities. Hopefully it will help the two-car draft. It’s all about survival this weekend. If we can miss “The Big One” we should be in good shape Sunday.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Keys to Getting Around Talladega: “At Talladega it will be key to find a good drafting partner. It will have to be someone that can push the Best Buy Ford really fast and someone that can pull us fast, all while being smart. Based on what we saw at Daytona and Talladega earlier this year with the tandem drafting, we’ll probably have to find a partner that will stick with us, unless the new rules NASCAR has implemented this weekend change that. We will just have to wait and see how things work out once we unload for practice on Friday.

“We need to make sure we have a fast car with a lot of horsepower and that AJ and the Best Buy crew don’t make any mistakes during pit stops. There will likely be some stops under green flag conditions during the middle part of the race, so we need to make sure we are in sync with our drafting partner when pitting so we don’t lose the draft.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 722 for this weekend’s event at Talladega Superspeedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Daytona and Talladega’s first event of the season.

Notes: Allmendinger has six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway. Allmendinger’s best starting position (fourth) came in 2008 at the 2.66-mile track. His best finishing position (11th) came in this year’s August event at the superspeedway. He has completed 1,115 of 1,143 laps attempted at the quad-oval, leading six of them. Allmendinger enters Talladega in 14th spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings.

NASCAR will implement two rule changes for this week’s running of the Good Sam Clubs 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. The size of the restrictor plate that teams will use to prepare and practice for the race will increase by 1/64 inch and is now going to be 57/64 inch diameter. This will provide the teams with an additional 7-10 horsepower. Additionally, the pressure relief valve on the cars’ cooling system will be recalibrated to reduce the pressure by approximately eight pounds per square inch from last April’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega.

Don’t miss out on your chance to meet AJ. Allmendinger. The driver of the No. 43 Ford will be visiting Woody Anderson Ford in Huntsville, Ala. (25 Jordan Lane, Huntsville, Ala., 35816) on Thursday from 2-3:30 p.m. CT for an autograph session and meet and greet with the employees. The autograph session will be open to the public.

Check out the Richard Petty Motorsports website at www.richardpettymotorsports.com for up-to-date news and information on Allmendinger, Ambrose and the rest of the RPM crew. The Dinger also has a website of his own. Visit www.ajallmendinger.com for everything AJ.

Credit - Ford Racing

Charlotte II Post-Race Quotes

2011-10-16T13:35:00.001-06:00

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Finished 5th
“I’ve just got to thank Bostitch for coming on board as a primary and Stanley and DeWalt and Ford and everybody else on this program. I just really appreciate that opportunity. I ran great. I just want to be so careful. I bumped Carl Edwards down pit lane and damaged his right-rear fender a little bit. I don’t want to mess with the championship fight, but at the same time you’ve got to try and win these races. I’m just really excited about our opportunities, so I thank Ford and everyone very much."

HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT? “This tire wasn’t that hard in the spring, but it got really hard tonight. The bottom seemed to be the place to go and you just couldn’t get guys out of the way. It was a tough night. We were around the 29 a lot and around the 11 a lot, around Carl a lot and around the 18 and 17 as well, so we were up with the Chase guys. Next year, we want to be one of those guys that gets looked after.”

***

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 7th
“It’s not what I wanted, but the end result is good. I’m happy there were so many Fords in the top 10. I’m just a little confused on what we need from practice to the race because we’ve had a few races where we’re really quick in practice, but I was complaining running inside the top 10, so it’s getting better than usual. I’m just a little disappointed that we weren’t quite there. I’m not sure where we’re missing it from practice to the race. I don’t know if it’s me and what I need to feel better. The car was decent all night. We’ve got to work on our pit stops on these track position gains. You can’t lose that much time, but the guys fought hard. Greg made a good call at the end for four tires. It was a good result. I’m happy for Ford. There were a ton of Fords in the top 10. I’m not sure we were the seventh-best car, we might have been the ninth or 10th, but we’d get to about seventh or eighth and be really tight – the back end would be wiggling a little bit. It just wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. The result was good. It was a good night for points. To win these things we’ve just got to be a little bit better.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Allmendinger Charlotte Media Visit

2011-10-15T13:56:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER

No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

YOU MUST FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOW THE WEEKEND HAS STARTED. “So far. Yesterday was just all about qualifying. That’s all we focused on, so with all of these race tracks, especially this one because it’s so fast and so hard to pass, and that’s what we found in the 600 was wherever you pretty much fell on the restart is where you stayed the whole run. So it’s good to start up front. We’ll find out more about how the car is gonna be today, but, overall, I felt like the car was really solid. The guys did a good job. We started off in qualifying trim and the place is so fast that we were a little off, but we kept making it better. We had a chance at the pole, but got a little bit tight in three and four, but with as close as all the lap times were and be right there was a good thing."

WHAT GOALS DO YOU HAVE NOW? “I think we can stay in the top 15 in points. That would be really good. I feel like at a lot of race tracks we’re pretty solid. We’ve got some good ones coming up and hopefully tomorrow night is a good one for us. Talladega is kind of a crapshoot, but after that we’ve got some decent tracks. Texas will be hit or miss. These higher banked mile-and-a-halves we’ve been better at than the flatter ones, but Phoenix and Martinsville we should be really good and then Homestead will be kind of interesting. I think we still have a chance to get to 13th. Clint is obviously really quick and he’s gonna be up front a lot, but we’re only 20 points back and all of the points are really close. I just want to be consistent. Our biggest problem is that the race tracks we’ve been bad at we’ve been really bad at and Kansas showed that last week. Out of the last three or four races we haven’t been great. We were good at Dover, but, other than that, we’ve kind of struggled. I just think we need to get more consistent overall. If we can finish these six races strong and go into the off-season and figure out where we need to work on – the flatter race tracks, the mile-and-a-halves, Kentucky, Chicago, Kansas, California – if we can get better at those tracks, I think we can be a legitimate top 10 team and then from there it’s just about slowly getting better after that."

WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET GOING INTO TOMORROW NIGHT AS FAR AS HOW YOU RACE THE CHASE GUYS? “To me, I look at it as they have a lot more to lose than I do, especially the guys that are battling for the championship. If they want to try and take a chance or really get aggressive with you, they know the rights that they have and they know that if something comes back they can lose a lot more. You race people how they race you. You know the mindset about the guys that you can be more aggressive with and that you owe a couple, but, at the same time, we’ve got goals that we’re going out there to achieve and the ultimate goal is to try and finish as high as possible and you can’t do that by wrecking."

IS IT AN ADVANTAGE TO NOT BE IN THE CHASE AS FAR AS AGGRESSIVENESS LATE IN A RACE IF A WIN IS RIGHT THERE? “It ultimately comes back to the fact that there are still goals. It’s not so much that you have nothing to lose. I don’t want to take a chance and wreck and finish 40th and fall back to 18th in points or something like that. But if there’s a chance to be taken by not pitting or fuel or two tires – something like that – to go out there for a win, you’re more likely to take it. Honestly, that’s how all these races are now. To be quick you have to take chances. Track position is so key. I don’t think it matters whether you’re in the Chase or not, you’ve got to do everything you can to stay up front and that doesn’t change no matter what race you’re in.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Kansas II Race Recap

2011-10-10T07:59:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started in the 22nd position for the 272-lap event at Kansas Speedway
Allmendinger finished in the race in the 25th position at the 1.5-mile track
Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger qualified for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway in the 22nd position, but had to drop to the rear of the field before the start of the race due to a NASCAR penalty. Though he was struggling a bit to find grip in the early laps of the event, Allmendinger gained several positions and was running in the 30th spot when the first caution flag of the day flew on Lap 21. Allmendinger relayed to Crew Chief Greg Erwin that the car was loose and sliding all over the race track, so Erwin and crew went to work on the Best Buy Ford making a wedge and air pressure adjustment and adding four fresh tires and fuel to the No. 43 car.

Though he was fighting the handling of his car, Allmendinger was able to hit his marks and worked his way up to the 25th spot by Lap 55. Erwin called Allmendinger into the pits under a routine green flag stop on Lap 66 for a track bar adjustment, four tires and fuel. A slow pit stop under green flag conditions resulted in Allmendinger falling a lap down to the leaders on Lap 67.

After the rest of the field cycled through green flag pit stops, Allmendinger was scored in the 29th position and quickly communicated to his Richard Petty Motorsports crew that the previous pit stop had not helped the handling of the car and he was now fighting a tight condition through the corners. Fighting the handling of the car, coupled with a speeding violation during a Lap 131 green flag pit stop which resulted in a pass though penalty caused Allmendinger to fall three laps down to the leaders by the midpoint of the race.

The Best Buy team fought a variety of handling issues the remainder of the race, but Erwin and crew never gave up and made a plethora of chassis adjustments during the ensuing pit stops.

Though the adjustments made to the car during the late stages of the race appeared to help the No. 43 machine’s handling issues slightly, Allmendinger was only able to get one of his laps back and finished the race in the 25th position, the first car two laps down.

Allmendinger sits in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings heading into next Saturday night’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Kansas II Race Preview

2011-10-06T08:27:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (ninth) at the 1.5-mile track came in 2008

AJ Allmendinger on Kansas: “We’re coming off of a good weekend in Dover so we should have some momentum going into Kansas Speedway. We struggled there in the spring, but I’ve had two Top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile track in the past. It’s a tough track to get around. It’s bumpy and the car usually lacks grip. We’ve experienced difficulties at mile and a half tracks this year and I feel like with Greg onboard we are headed in the right direction with our intermediate track program. It was good to see both RPM teams finish in the Top-10 last weekend and I am looking forward to much of the same at Kansas on Sunday in our best Buy Ford.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Kansas: “I enjoy going to Kansas. It’s a fun race track. One of the biggest problems we’ll face this weekend is that the tires go away quick because the track’s racing surface is old and rough. It’s going to be really important to make AJ feel like he has some grip in the Best Buy Ford this weekend. The track is bumpy, which can upset the handling, and it seems like it gets bumpier every time we go there. We’re just going to focus on making sure the Best Buy Ford has good balance all weekend.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 742 for this weekend’s event at Kansas Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at California, Charlotte, (Sprint Showdown) Kentucky and Michigan.

Notes: Allmendinger has two Top-10 finishes in four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway. Allmendinger’s best finishing position at Kansas (ninth) came in 2008. He enters this weekend in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger has completed 1,067 of 1,068 laps attempted at the 1.5-mile speedway.

Allmendinger is participating in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series open test Oct. 4-5 at Phoenix International Raceway. Teams will be on track from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The test was scheduled to allow Sprint Cup Series teams to get a feel for the new surface and configuration of the track. In March, construction began at the track for the first track repave since 1990 and changes in the tracks banking and configuration were also implemented to promote side-by-side racing. The test provides the first opportunity for all teams to run on the new surface in preparation for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race coming up on Nov. 13. Teams were also permitted to bring an extra car for fuel injection testing.

AJ will also be participating in a charity event on behalf of Best Buy on Thursday at Elko Speedway in Elko, Minnesota. One hundred percent of the ticket sales will be donated to The Minnesota Military Families Foundation. The evening will consist of racing, an autograph session and an on-track Q-and-A session. Richard Petty and teammate Marcos Ambrose will also be in attendance.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

RPM - Fastest Fords in Phoenix

2011-10-05T07:11:00.000-06:00

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS DRIVERS POST FASTEST SPEEDS BY FORDS IN PHOENIX

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (October 4, 2011) – The Richard Petty Motorsports machines posted Ford’s quickest speeds of the day during today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test session at Phoenix International Raceway. Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion, posted the eighth quickest speed of the day and teammate AJ Allmendinger, pilot of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford, sat 11th on the charts at the conclusion of the first day of the two-day test.

“The track started off really, really slick and as more cars ran it rubbered in,” commented Allmendinger. “It felt like maybe there was a groove and a quarter or a groove and a half that built up. I think the layout of the racetrack seems fun. There’s a lot more room and a lot more grip off of Turn 2. My biggest question is how much it will widen out when there are three Series’ here because if it doesn’t it will make passing kind of tough. I think they did a good job on the racetrack and for us today it was just about trying all kinds of different stuff. We ran a lot of laps and I felt like we learned some things, so overall it was a good day for the Best Buy Racing team.”

“There’s definitely a big difference in the track,” said Ambrose. “The shape is different and I really like Turns 1 and 2 and the back kink. Turns 3 and 4 feel about the same as they used to. The track still has to groove in and I think all of us hope that the line fattens up a little bit so we put on a good race. Right now it’s a bit of a single groove track, but it is getting better and I think it’s really going to help the quality of racing here.”

“Coming in here we had some ideas and some thoughts based on the tire test and some information and data that we had and were able to look at, but until we really got on the racetrack and made laps, we weren’t really sure what to look for,” said Todd Parrott, crew chief of the No. 9 Ford. “Our cars unloaded off the truck pretty close to what we needed and had good speed. We tweaked on the front end settings today and the shocks and bump stops and just kept finding speed and Marcos was comfortable with the car. I think the No. 43 team did a lot of the same things we did today. We worked through a bunch of stuff and different combinations and we were pretty happy at the end of the day. Both of the RPM cars had good speed and drove well.

“Tomorrow we just want to make our car carry some more speed rolling through the center,” continued Parrott. “We’ll probably do some right side tires stuff tomorrow too, maybe put right side tires on it with a lot of laps on the left and get an idea of what it’s going to be like when we come back.”

Thirty six Sprint Cup Series cars took to the track on Tuesday. Teams will have the opportunity to test at the newly reconfigured track again Wednesday.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Dover II Race Recap

2011-10-03T08:03:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started in the 7th position for the 400-lap event at Dover International Speedway
Allmendinger, finished the race in the seventh position at the one-mile speedway
Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger started the 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Dover International Speedway from the seventh position and it looked like things might not go as planned on just the fifth lap of the 400-lap race. While fighting for position with the No. 11 machine, the two drivers made contact and Allmendinger was sent spinning. Able to save the car before it made contact with the wall, Allmendinger made a quick stop in the pits during the ensuing caution flag and the Best Buy Racing team bolted four fresh tires to the No. 43 Ford.

Allmendinger stood in 39th place when the race resumed and let Crew Chief Greg Erwin know that the car was free getting into the corners and tight in the center. Erwin opted for a two-tire change during a Lap 43 caution and after coming into the pits in 24th, Allmendinger lined up for the Lap 46 green flag in eighth position. The driver let his crew know that he was happy with the way the car was handling just after the Lap 100 mark and he made his way through traffic into fifth place by Lap 119.

Thanks in part to another two-tire stop at Lap 177, Allmendinger led the field to a Lap 180 green flag from the point position. He remained there for several laps, but the car became loose in the middle stages of the race and Allmendinger slipped back several positions. The No. 43 car remained in the Top 10 for much of the remainder of the event and when the checkered flag flew, Allmendinger held down the seventh position. It was the seventh top-10 effort of the season for the team.

Allmendinger moved up one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings and now stands in 14th place heading into next Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.

Allmendinger’s Post-Race Thoughts: It was something we needed after the last two weeks. Obviously, we want to try to win, but at least we were there all day. Denny had a nose right there, but it was Lap4. Those guys would expect you to give them some room, but he just stuffed it down in there and jacked me sideways. It was no surprise, and as I started spinning toward the wall, I just hammered the throttle. I didn’t think it was going to hit the wall, but then I was afraid that everybody behind me would come piling in. I’d like to say it was all driver, but luckily when I tapped the brake and kept it on the throttle it straightened back up to where I didn’t stop in front of anybody and, thank God, everybody behind us was alert and kind of got it slowed down. I’d say it was 60 percent driver and 40 percent luck. I’ll give myself a little bit of credit.”

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports

Dover II Post-Race Quotes

2011-10-02T20:52:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion Finished 7th
“You just want to put yourself in that position, but we weren’t quite good enough to win. Depending on what call and where you restarted, I think we might have been top-five there at the end. A lot of guys took two tires. I didn’t as many guys would, so it’s one of those things where I felt we were a fourth to seventh-place car at worst and we finished seventh after being turned on lap four. As I was spinning I thought, ‘Okay, the day is over already,’ but it was a solid day. It was something we needed after the last two weeks. Obviously, we want to try to win, but at least we were there all day."

THAT WAS QUITE A SAVE. “Denny had a nose right there, but it was lap four. Those guys would expect you to give them some room, but he just stuffed it down in there and jacked me sideways. It was no surprise, and as I started spinning toward the wall I just hammered the throttle. I didn’t think it was gonna hit the wall, but then I was afraid that everybody behind me would come piling in. I’d like to say it was all driver, but luckily I tapped the brake and kept it on the throttle it straightened back up to where I didn’t stop in front of anybody and, thank God, everybody behind us was alert and kind of got it slowed down. I’d say it was 60 percent driver and 40 percent luck. I’ll give myself a little bit of credit."

***

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Finished 9th
“We’ve been bashed up pretty good the last month, so it’s just good to come back with a solid day. We should have finished better than ninth, but we played it safe there and took four tires at the end. I’m proud of the team. They’ve stood by me after a tough month and I’m looking forward to getting to Kansas."

YOU LIKE RUNNING HERE DON’T YOU? “We’ve just got a good setup, that’s all. We worked well here in the spring and we worked well here in the fall. I think when we hit on a setup we can come back to it and it feels right and I give good direction."

Credit - Ford Racing

Wow - What a Save!!!

2011-10-02T16:13:00.002-06:00

Dover II Qualifying Quotes

2011-10-01T15:03:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 7th
“There’s just a lot of grip out there and this track, as fast as it is, it’s a fun place. I love this place. The Best Buy Ford has always been fast here. The lap times are so close that I don’t know if I could have got anymore out of it. It’s not gonna be quite good enough, but it’ll be decent. The car was fast in race trim and we’ve been close here trying to get a win, so hopefully tomorrow we can be up there and at least have some fun with it."

HOW WAS THE LAP?
“It was fast. This place is awesome. I love this place. On a day like this when it’s cold, you just go in there and you kind of land and you just grab some throttle and hopefully it sticks. The Best Buy Ford was quick. I always want more. We’ve been so close here to getting a pole, but, overall, it’s a good day. It’s been a good weekend so far and hopefully we can go out there tomorrow and have some fun and be up in front and try to steal a win here."

DO YOU FEEL IF YOU’RE GOING TO WIN THAT THIS WILL BE THE PLACE?
“I think this is a chance to win. I don’t know if you ever feel like you’re gonna win here. There is a lot that goes into these races to try to have a chance to win and I just know the Best Buy Ford will be fast enough and we’ll have a chance to at least be up there. Then you just have to hope that everything goes your way. This is a place that I always enjoy. I love it. It’s my favorite race track. Hopefully, we can have a good run tomorrow and at the end we have a chance to win the thing. If not, we’re just gonna get the best we can out of it."

AFTER THE RACE IN MAY DID YOU WANT TO COME BACK THE NEXT DAY OR WERE YOU SO TICKED OFF YOU DIDN’T WANT TO COME BACK ANYTIME SOON?
“I feel like if we raced here about 20-22 times out of the year, we might have a chance to win the championship. It’s the rest of the race tracks we’ve got to keep getting better at, but I’m just happy to show up at any race track. This one is always enjoyable and I just love this place. When I first walked into this place in ’07 I thought, ‘What in the hell am I walking in to? This place is insane,’ but as a race car driver it’s so much fun to drive. I never say anything owes me one, but we definitely have a chance to come here and at least contend tomorrow and hopefully be there at the end."

SO MANY RACES HAVE GONE TO FUEL MILEAGE AND YOU HAVE STRUGGLED WITH THAT. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
“Any race can go to fuel mileage, it’s just a matter of when the yellow flag falls. You don’t worry about it until it happens. It’s something that I know Doug Yates and everybody at the engine shop is working on and it’s something personally that I have to work on to as far as my driving technique. It’s just the way it’s happened. Nobody truly loves fuel mileage races, but it’s a part of racing and it’s a fair part of racing. All you can do is work on it when it happens and keep working on the things you can control. I know Doug Yates and those guys are working on the things they can control, I’ve got to work on the things I can control."

IS IT EASIER IN A SENSE?
“No, there’s nothing easy about anything. There’s nothing easy."

DO YOU HAVE AS GOOD A CAR HERE THIS TIME AROUND?
“I don’t know. The track is a little bit different. We’re just gonna keep working on it and we’ll see how tomorrow plays out."

Credit - Ford Racing

Dover II Race Preview

2011-09-29T08:35:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made nine starts at Dover (Del.) International Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 15th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish at the Monster Mile (seventh) came in 2009

AJ Allmendinger on Dover: “Dover is my favorite track. I love The Monster Mile. It’s a really fast track and I run good there, so I’m looking forward to going. My Best Buy team and I are due for a good run, especially after the past two weeks. We need to get our momentum back and I think Dover is the place to do it. We had a fast car there in the spring before we got knocked out of the race with an engine issue. I think this weekend is going to be the weekend for Greg (Erwin) and I to get back on track.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Dover: “Personally, Dover is one of my favorite race tracks. I’ve had a lot of good finishes and success there over the years as a crew chief. Both of the RPM teams had good cars there in the spring, probably amongst the top five fastest cars in the field. AJ ran very well there last year as well. He’s done a good job of adapting to the newer tire Goodyear has run at Dover the last three races. The new tire compound lays rubber down on the track a lot different than it used to.

“This weekend will give us an opportunity to rebound after a tough weekend in Loudon. AJ typically qualifies well at Dover and we are taking a car that has run well for us earlier this year at Indy and Atlanta. Hopefully we can get AJ his first win in the Sprint Cup Series this weekend. That’s really what our goal is from here on out. We really want to get the No. 43 Best Buy Ford a ‘W’ before the season is over.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No.752 for this weekend’s event at Dover International Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Texas, Charlotte, Indianapolis and Atlanta.

Notes: Allmendinger has nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Dover International Speedway. Allmendinger has started on the outside pole at The Monster Mile twice, including this year’s spring race. During last year’s fall event, Allmendinger led 143 of the 400 laps run and brought home a Top-10 finish. Allmendinger enters Dover in 15th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.

Richard Petty and Allmendinger will participate in the Dover Air Force Base Social on Friday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The event will offer live music, free food and entertainment for the Air Force base community. In addition, “The King” and AJ will be signing autographs for the troops and their families.

The sixth of 12 Best Buy “Re-Tailgate” events will occur Sunday. A combination of 100 premiere Best Buy customers and Best Buy employees will be invited to a private shopping/tailgating event. The guests will get the opportunity to meet Allmendinger, and attendees will be given a pit tour before enjoying the race from their grandstand seats.

The Fourth Annual Best Buy Private Shopping Event for NASCAR teams and members will take place Thursday from 7-9 p.m. at the Best Buy store in Dover, Del. (1165 N. DuPont Hwy., Dover, Del., 19901) Prizes will be given away throughout the evening and numerous special offers will also be available. The store will be closed to the general public. Just show your hard card or bring a special invitation for access to the store.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Loudon II Race Recap

2011-09-26T20:26:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started in the 13th position for the 300-lap event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Allmendinger finished in the race in the 21st position at the 1.058-mile speedway
Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 15th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the 13th position. Early in the event, Allmendinger communicated to his crew that the Best Buy Ford was tight in the center of the corners and loose off. Crew Chief Greg Erwin made plans to make air pressure and track bar adjustments during the first pit stop of the day.

Allmendinger ducked down pit road at Lap 64 and the crew went to work to make the planned changes to the Best Buy Ford Fusion as well as bolt on four fresh tires. At Lap 70 of the 300-lap event, he held down the 16th spot and several laps later informed the crew that the car was still tight, but the adjustments had helped to make some progress on the rear grip issues. A yellow flag at Lap 88 enabled the team to make additional changes, including additional adjustments to the track bar. Allmendinger lined up for the Lap 92 restart in the 22nd position.
Erwin called his driver into the pits at the halfway point of the race for four fresh tires, fuel, track bar and air pressure adjustments. The caution flag came out seven laps later, which resulted in much of the field going one lap down to the leaders, who had not yet made their latest round of scheduled pit stops. The No. 43 team opted to take the wave around when the green flag flew at Lap 163 and laps later, when the yellow flag came out once again, the Best Buy team made its way back to the lead lap.

With 50 laps remaining in the event, Allmendinger relayed to his crew that the Best Buy Ford was extremely tight. He held down 24th place with 14 laps to go and was able to pick up three positions in the final laps when several of his competitors ran out of fuel. The No. 43 Ford took the checkered flag in the 21st position.

Allmendinger slipped one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings and sits in 15th place heading into next Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Loudon II Race Preview

2011-09-22T12:30:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

• Allmendinger has made eight starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
• Allmendinger enters the race in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) came in last year’s spring race at New Hampshire

Allmendinger on New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “Loudon has a lot of racing grooves and it’s a flat one-mile track. I’ve always just enjoyed going there because it’s one of our better race tracks and I typically have good runs there. Chicago was a tough weekend for us so I’m looking forward to going to Loudon and putting last weekend behind us.

“We’ve got to have a Best Buy car that is good on the brakes, turns well in the center and has good forward drive off. That’s what we’re going to have to work on during practice. The track gets slick, so the best race car is going to be the one that gets off of the corners well. I’m looking forward to the next couple of weeks. We run really well at Loudon and Dover, Del., so I know we’re going to be really competitive the next two races.

“I think I’m really gelling well with Greg (Erwin). Working with him has been great. He’s a calming influence on the radio during the race and really helps me to stay focused on the task at hand. I’m excited to see what the last nine races of the season have in store for us, especially this weekend in Loudon.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on New Hampshire: “I enjoy going to Loudon and I’ve won there before so I feel pretty confident about knowing good setups for the one-mile track. AJ is good at New Hampshire and he really likes racing there so I think we are in good shape heading into this weekend. If all goes well this might be the weekend for our first “W” with AJ and the whole Best Buy team.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend’s event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Phoenix, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and both Pocono (Pa.) Raceway events.

Notes: Allmendinger has eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Allmendinger’s best starting position (sixth) came in last year’s fall race at the one-mile track. He has completed 2,202 of 2,359 laps attempted.

Allmendinger enters the weekend in 14th spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He has finished no worse than 12th place in the last three events at Loudon.

Air Force Major General Michael R. Boera will be a guest at Allmendinger’s pit box this weekend. General Boera is the Director of Requirements, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. He is responsible for all functions relating to the acquisition of weapons systems for combat air forces, to include new systems and modifications to existing systems. General Boera is a command pilot with more than 5,600 flying hours and has flown more than 200 combat missions. Besides Operation Enduring Freedom, he has deployed in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Provide Comfort, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Deliberate Forge, Allied Force and Unified Assistance.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Dinger Fan Story #9

2011-09-21T21:04:00.001-06:00

Meeting A.J. Allmendinger

I have been a race fan since I was a child; you know, the kind of fan who calls themselves by the name but doesn’t follow the sport like a true fan should. For as many years as I can remember, I recall sitting in the living room of my childhood home, watching and laughing at my Mom as she would stand no more than two feet away from the television screen during a race, all the while screaming and hollering at the drivers like, if she could get just a little bit louder, that the people on the track could actually hear her. I have to admit that I was even at times embarrassed by her uncontrollable emotion during a race, which is obviously why I would never invite friends over on a Sunday. I just never understood how she could take something so seriously, how there was nothing that could raise her blood pressure more than watching a NASCAR Race, and how missing a race on Sunday could be detrimental to her health… maybe even worse than breaking the 11th Commandment.   On February 18, 2001 though, I finally began to understand what was behind all of my Mom’s hype. In Turn 4 of the final lap during the Daytona 500, I watched with her as Dale Earnhardt, Sr. made contact with the wall, and I comforted her for what seemed like an eternity as she sobbed uncontrollably when the news broke of his passing.   That day was the day that I believe I became a true race fan, getting a real and emotional glimpse into the passion that my Mom had, not only for the sport itself, but mostly for the drivers behind the wheel.

Since that day, my Mom began purchasing tickets to the Spring Race in Bristol as well as The Southern 500 in Darlington, and each year since that horrible tragedy, we’ve attended most every race together. I’m so thankful for our mutual love for the sport because it gives us an opportunity to get away together and enjoy our common interest in the sport as well as to enjoy the wonderful friendship we’ve developed since I have become an adult. They say that everything happens for a reason… as devastated as NASCAR Nation was over Dale Earnhardt’s death, I believe whole-heartedly that at least one good thing that came from that horrible tragedy; new and passionate race fans were born.

When we began attending races together, I automatically fell in suit with the driver that my Mom pulled for, who of course was none other than Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Son of the fallen Legend, and now the most popular driver in the sport. Though my Mom seemed content with the connection she had as a Jr. fan, I always felt like he was the most detached driver of them all. Don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for Dale Jr. and admire how well he holds up under all the pressure of the media and fans; I know for a fact that I could never fill those kinds of shoes. But it has become obvious over the years that with his responsibilities and overwhelming pressure, he just doesn’t have patience or connection with the fans like I’m sure he once did. I wanted more-so to pull for someone who still seemed outwardly appreciative of their fans… someone who had the time to interact with the people who believe in them most. I even dreamed that maybe, just maybe, I’d end up pulling for someone who could see me at the track someday and actually know me by name. I know right? What a long shot!

Since 2001, my passion for the sport has grown by leaps and bounds. I drove a race car in Charlotte for the Richard Petty Driving Experience in 2007 and will be going again this year in the fall. I’ve also had a couple of very lucky close encounters with some of the most popular drivers in the NASCAR Circuit, among other reputable names. Making a very long story short, in the Spring of 2007 I was fortunate enough to end up on the Start/Finish line for the Pre-Race show in Bristol. This was out of sheer luck, as I obviously did not have pre-race passes, but none the less it turned into an amazing experience with having pictures taken with Billy Currington and Junior Johnson, as well as the Driver of the Truck carrying Tony Stewart having to stop in the middle of the track to allow me to collect my sunglasses which had flown onto the track in front of them by mistake. I’m pretty sure that I did see A.J. for the first time that day as he came around for the pre-race lap, but at the time unfortunately I didn’t even know who he was; I probably couldn’t have even matched his face with his name if I had to!

It wasn’t until several years later, on May 8, 2010 to be exact, that my “Dinger” fan biography would change forever. It was the weekend of the 2010 Southern 500, and that day was like any other with the exception of one minor addition. I had secretly purchased three tickets to the Darlington Stripe Zone as a Mother’s Gift to myself, my Mom and Aunt, just to add a little something extra to the Mother’s Day weekend and to put a unique spin on the day. I had no clue though how special the day would become!   We were halfway through the afternoon and nearing the end of the Pre-Race Event at the Stripe Zone, and though I had enjoyed the VIP Treatment, the meals provided at the event and our great front row seat selection to the stage during the Driver Appearances, I must admit that I was a little frustrated, just being absolutely miserable with the heat and nothing really “special” had happened outside of winning a signed Mark Martin hat. Now-a-Days, you can spend an arm and a leg to do nothing more than simply sit in the Grandstands, so with the kind of money I had spent for this addition to our day, I guess I was just expecting something a little more spectacular. My Mom and Aunt had decided during an intermission to take a walk and people watch, but I was afraid to lose our seats so I told them I’d stay seated and wait for them to return. Just a few moments after they walked off, the DJ announced for us to please welcome A.J. Allmendinger to the stage. Again, I knew him by name but didn’t know anything else about him besides his car number, the legendary No. 43. As soon as he sat down, the man who was there to interview A.J. said something that he hadn’t said to any of the other drivers who had appeared that day; he asked A.J. to choose a fan to come onstage for a picture. Immediately, I started flapping my arms around like a crazy chicken; I can only imagine looking back at how ridiculous I must have looked. But what were the odds, the chicken flap caught his attention and the next thing I knew, A.J. looked at me and said “What about her? She looks pretty excited!” WOW, holy crap, I’m about to take a picture with A.J…. ummm, what was his last name again? J Never-the-less, I was still stoked, so onto the stage I started climbing, when A.J. stopped me mid-crawl and said “Wait a minute, she’s got on a Dale Jr. shirt, I want to pick someone else!”. “Oh no” I thought, “He CANNOT pick somebody else!” My first thought wasn’t very witty, but apparently it’s what I said anyway, which was “Well if you’ll give me a shirt, I’ll wear your shirt instead of this one!” Um, wrong answer T.J. Knowing his personality the way I do now, he’s a big kidder and I basically asked for myself to get called out, very publically in-fact. He responded with “Why do I have to give you a shirt? Did Dale Jr. give you that shirt?” I’m sure you can all imagine the immense embarrassment I was feeling at the time; I was so humiliated that I wanted to crawl UNDER the stage. Thankfully though, he was only joking around, and he took the picture with me anyway, despite my bright green #88 tee-shirt. Of course, my day was totally turned around and I couldn’t wait for my Mom and Aunt to come back so I could show them the picture of us together. Needless to say, they didn’t exert the same enthusiasm that I had, I assume because they were in the same boat I was when he first walked in… “A.J. Whats-his-Face”. LOL! That evening, unfortunately, A.J. had a pretty bad crash with Jimmy Johnson that inevitably ruined his night and he didn’t finish the race. By that point though, I was too far gone and knew that I would be a Dinger Fan for the rest of my life regardless of his finish that evening. This was fate I thought, “He’s A.J. and I’m T.J…. it’s destiny that I now root for someone who also goes by their initials!”

The months passed by and I learned more and more about A.J, including where he was from, how he began racing as a child, about his marriage to Lynne who was a Chiropractor and former model, and all about his incredible journey that led him to the NSCS. My Grandmother was a big Richard Petty fan prior to her death; childhood stories even recall that she slow danced with Richard once, at Darlington Raceway no doubt, so I felt that it was truly an act of fate that eventually led me to root for someone who drove for the Petty organization.   With all that I had learned about A.J., I had also broadened my knowledge about the sport, watching programs such as RaceHub on SPEED and all of the Race Day Pre-race shows. I learned all of the rules, all the driver numbers and all about how the points system worked. Things for me as a true race fan were coming full circle and I was so excited to now carry the same knowledge as my Mom when we would attend races together.

Around the end of January, 2011, I decided to give Twitter a try. A lot of my friends were raving at how great the site was to keep up with celebrities, but I’m sure they weren’t thinking of the same celebrities that I was thinking of, because Racing was on my mind while Hollywood was on theirs!   I made a vow to myself when I signed up on Twitter to not associate with any of my real life friends because I knew that I wanted to talk basically about nothing but racing; no one I knew other than my Mom shared the same passion that we did for the sport and I was not prepared to hear any jokes about my obsessions for cars going around and around in a circle! LOL!

One of the first people I found and followed on Twitter was DingerWorld, which is the website you’re reading this story on now. Tracy is the founder of the site and as it turned out by small talk with her, she’s just like me, a fan who is passionate about A.J. and his talent. At first, I didn’t even know how to operate the Twitter site, so she kind-of showed me the ropes. A week or so later, I tweeted the picture of A.J. and I together in Darlington, but what happened next was beyond my wildest imagination! DingerWorld re-tweeted my picture and told her followers to follow me because I was a “Crazy AJ Fan too!” Next thing I knew, I checked my @Mentions and saw that A.J.’s wife Lynne had apparently seen DingerWorld’s tweet and had replied to me! Her tweet said “Nice to meet ya! Great pic. I showed it to AJ just now”. Wow, seriously?!?! I was hyperventilating! Not only did I meet this hilarious driver (with awesome hair) in Darlington and have my picture taken with him (Which OMG I was looking extremely rough that day and had lost about 30 pounds since then), but now he’s seeing the very same picture again almost a year later! I was freaking out! This was totally insane!

That tweet was all it took to get me totally hooked. It confirmed to me that the Dinger’s, both AJ and Lynne alike, were just normal and real people who just happened to race for a living. They were nothing like the “Class A” drivers that you hear the most about on television, they were actually far better in my opinion and I now knew why I had never agreed to settle with pulling for someone who didn’t have a connection with their fans. I was on top of the world and A.J., Lynne or DingerWorld even realized how much all of this made my day!! In the days to follow, I found and followed the entire Dinger family, along with Paul, the PR from Best Buy, The Spotter and RPM. I became an official member of A.J.’s fan club, purchased a couple of autographed A.J. items for my office as well as a 2011 A.J. Calendar! If I was going to be his biggest fan, I had to publicize it by showcasing my Dinger gear with pride!

After a few disappointing missed opportunities to see A.J. at the track in Bristol and Darlington, on the last week of May 2011, I learned through Twitter and Facebook posts that A.J. would be appearing at the Best Buy Mobile in Gastonia on the 25th as well as the Richard Petty Fan Day on the 26th. I knew that since I couldn’t afford Pit Passes to races on a regular basis, that this would be my best shot to see A.J. again. I first considered attending the Fan Day, but it would have meant having to get up and on the road by approximately 3:00 AM in order to even have a shot to see A.J. again. I resolved that the mall appearance would be a much better shot; I would leave work early on the 25th and attend the Best Buy Mobile appearance instead. Not to mention, going to the mall event would also mean having the opportunity to meet Paul, A.J.’s PR with Best Buy who I had chatted with several times on Twitter.

The day finally arrived after what seemed like an eternity (3 days I think, LOL), and as I awaited the time to get on the road to start heading to Gastonia, I had the idea to burn a CD for A.J. and Paul. It would be called “Race Day Mix”, filled with some of A.J.’s favorites along with some great road rage music to get him pumped up before each race. I know what everyone is thinking, CHEESY, and you’re right, but I didn’t even care, and besides it was a kick a*s CD! I arrived at the mall really early and was surprised to see that there were no fans waiting. I reserved my spot up front and waited patiently. When A.J. arrived, I was shocked to see that the crowd was small but I assumed that since this was a hometown appearance, most of the residents of the area were probably used to seeing the drivers and they weren’t as stoked about it as I obviously was! Also, I was kind-of freaking out b/c with the lack of people there, it would mean more of a chance for me to get to talk with him and hopefully have another picture taken! 1, 2, 3 Breathe T.J.!!!

When A.J. arrived, wow, I was more nervous than I ever imagined. I nervously walked up to have my autograph signed and I was FLOORED when he told me that he remembered me from the previous year and that he had been reading my Tweets! Seriously, with over 18,000 followers, he read MY TWEETS?!? Okay, here comes the hyperventilating again… this is beyond insane! After a few minutes, when he was finished signing autographs, he agreed to drive in the simulator with me. Here was my shot to beat him at his own craft; I really had to show up for this challenge! Yeah well, that didn’t work out like I had planned… I totally cracked under the pressure. I’m also pretty sure that the stupid simulator was rigged because I smashed into the wall on the first lap before I even entered turn one and with no reverse, I was stuck there for the entire race. I was cheated, I don’t care what A.J. said! I KNOW I could beat him next time! J I was definitely embarrassed beyond words at the first lap crash, but my demise and immobility in the game did at least give me the opportunity to talk to him for a few minutes and watch him do what he does best, all while riding passenger… NO complaints there! At the end of the race, he found my car parked head first into the wall and T-boned me in the driver’s door. To this he added, “Now THAT’S how you wreck someone”! Not nice A.J.! LOL!

After our simulator experience, there was still another hour left in his appearance. Though I could have easily hung out there all night long, I really needed to start heading back home as I had at least a two hour drive ahead of me. Besides, I was pretty sure this Cali Boy NASCAR Celebrity wouldn’t want to talk with a small-town Southern Belle from South Carolina for the next hour! As I was leaving, I asked for a picture with him, which he graciously granted. I also got a picture with Miss Sprint Cup as well as with Paul, who was much taller than A.J. and I both! I do feel like I need to mention though that A.J. was actually a smidge taller than me and his hair looked perfect as always!   I nervously gave A.J. and Paul the CD’s that I had made for them and made my exit from the mall to head to my car. On the two and a half hour drive home, you couldn’t have wiped the smile off my face. Truth be told, I may have even broke out a dance or two while driving! That evening was more than I could have ever hoped for. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that I would have gotten that much interaction with a rising NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver and actually carried on a conversation with him. Wow, what a night.

As I was pulling into my driveway at home, I decided to check my Twitter from my cell phone. Now, looking back, I wish I had waited until the next morning because what I saw caused me to lose sleep that night… A.J. had Tweeted to me!!!! His Tweet said “Just got done with Best Buy and Sprint Appearance. Listening to the AJ Race Day mix that @tj_chloes_mommy made for me. Great songs!” I was on top of the world, literally. No one could have brought me down off the natural high I was feeling at that very moment! As if my night weren’t amazing enough, A.J. had personally mentioned me in one of his tweets. “Cloud 9”, that’s such an understatement. I had now met A.J on two different occasions. I was embarrassed both times, but at each meet and greet he made me feel like he had known me forever. He treated me like a friend, someone he had known all his life. I was truly touched.

In closing, I will simply say that I believe A.J. Allmendinger has so much more than most of the other drivers on the circuit. With his profession, he’s passionate, driven, determined and steadfast in his goals. On a personal level, he’s got an insanely funny sense of humor, great hair and I think we can all agree that he has definitely brought “sexy back” into the sport. J Finally, and most importantly, with his fans, he seems to be appreciative, courteous, generous and selfless. A.J. seems to understand that his fans truly believe in him and he knows that we are his biggest supporters. He hasn’t yet risen above the thought of slowing down to sign autographs for the people who have rooted for him and helped push him to the top. That’s a rarity now-a-days when you watch the drivers interacting with the people on Pit Road; you don’t normally see drivers devote the kind of time to their fans that A.J. does. He’s also not ashamed to admit that his fans keep his head in the game and that we keep him pushing for more. He’s down and out after a race when he doesn’t think he’s given us all we’ve deserved and that says so much about him as a driver. He’s determined to get a win, for himself and for his team, but I believe it’s mostly for the people who believe in him every single week, year in and year out. The boy has without a doubt got mad skills and talent; it’s only a matter of time before he will find victory circle, I’m certain of that!

I am so thankful for the events that have led to me to becoming one of A.J. Allmendinger’s biggest fans. I know that I could have never picked a better driver or person to support. No one knows what his racing future will hold, but one thing is certain, I will follow him and cheer him on to the very end. In the two times that I have met him, he has made me feel like I was actually someone important and he treated me like a friend, something more than just one of 18,000+ fans. That meant more to me than words could ever possibly express. Thank you A.J. and I look forward to seeing you again someday!

Finally, I’m grateful for this opportunity to share the impact that meeting A.J. has made on my life and my passion for the sport. Tracy, thank you so much for offering this unique opportunity. Without it, people may have never realized how much sincerity is in the hearts of race fans such as myself. There aren’t too many NASCAR Celebrities who care to know about those who pull for them, and I feel like it is such a special touch that you’ve offered this opportunity to share our stories! I’m also attaching some of the photos from my racing experiences; these are very dear to me and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have! Thank you again!!

T.J.
Leesville, SC

Allmendinger: Windy City brings the rain

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Chicago Race Recap

2011-09-20T07:48:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started in the 18th position for the 267-lap event at Chicagoland Speedway
Allmendinger, finished in the race in the 27th position at the 1.5-mile speedway
Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: After rain showers moved over the track all day and evening Sunday, NASCAR officials were forced to postpone the Sprint Cup Series Race at Chicagoland Speedway until Monday afternoon. AJ Allmendinger lined up in the 18th position for the start of the 400.5-mile event but fought a tight car in the early laps of the race.

After running several laps, Allmendinger communicated to Crew Chief Greg Erwin that the Best Buy Ford felt like it was lacking speed. A competition caution on Lap 30 allowed Erwin to call the No. 43 into the pits for a track bar and air pressure adjustment and four fresh tires and fuel in an effort to help remedy the handling issues.

Restarting in the 21st position, Allmendinger quickly relayed to Erwin and crew that the changes made during the previous pit stop had not helped the handling of the Best Buy machine and the car was still very tight. Continuing to fight an ill handling race car, Allmendinger fell a lap down in the early stages of the 267-lap event and worked hard to get himself in the “Lucky Dog” position for the remainder of the race.

A tight condition plagued the Best Buy Ford for the majority of the day, but Erwin and the No. 43 crew refused to give up and made air pressure, track bar and wedge adjustments during the ensuing pit stops. By the halfway mark of the race, Allmendinger told the crew his car was turning better in the corners, but he was running in the 24th position still a lap behind the leaders.

With just 55 laps remaining, Erwin called the No. 43 machine down pit road one last time for two right side tires and fuel. Restarting in the 26th position, Allmendinger let his crew know the car was getting better, but the effort came too late and Allmendinger was unable to gain any ground on the field.

As the laps wore on, Allmendinger continued to fight to put himself in position to get his lap back, but the cautions never fell at the right time and the Best Buy Ford held down the 27th position at as the checkered flag flew at Chicagoland.

Allmendinger slipped one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings and sits in 14th place heading into next Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Chicago Qualifying Quotes

2011-09-17T14:47:00.000-06:00

Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Stanley/Dewalt Ford
Qualified 17th
“We had a great one and two and I have to thank my Stanley and Dewalt team for a much better qualifying. I just got tight off of four and started to shake the tires. I don’t know. We were close. I think with another quarter pound of tire pressure we might have had something.”

***

AJ Allmendinger, No. 43 Best Buy Ford
Qualified 18th
“I don’t know what happened. We didn’t have that problem yesterday but we just bounced it off the race track in three. I probably drove it in too deep. It just crashed to the ground so when it crashed it got the race track and when you are this fast and not in the throttle we missed it. I am not very happy with the lap. At times we have had the car really fast and at other times it is not as quick. I think track position will be key. I was hoping to start out higher but we will just have to pass some race cars tomorrow.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Chicago Race Preview

2011-09-15T12:56:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

• Allmendinger has made three starts at Chicagoland Speedway
• Allmendinger enters Chicago in 13th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finishes (13th) at the 1.5-mile track came in 2008 and 2009

Allmendinger on Chicagoland Speedway: “Chicago is not the typical 1.5-mile track like Texas or Charlotte, it’s more like a Kansas shaped race track with a D-shaped back straightaway, so it makes for a little bit of a different setup for us. Overall I’ve been average at Chicago; I’ve finished either 13th or 14th each time I’ve run there. This will be the second 1.5-mile track for Greg (Erwin) and I to work together on. We ran well at Atlanta and I’m looking forward to working with him this weekend to see if I can get better at these intermediate tracks and learn some things from Greg. I’m excited about going to Chicago. We’ve had Top-12 finishes in the past five consecutive races and I’m looking forward to keeping that streak alive this weekend and putting the Best Buy Ford in Victory Lane.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Racing at Chicago: “I like going to Chicago. Now that the Chase is over for us, we can just focus on going out and getting the ‘W’ each weekend. We’ve had five straight weeks of Top-12 finishes and I’m excited for the last 10 races of the season. I know that we are going to get to Victory Lane one way or another and why not start in Chicago?

"AJ has run well in the past at Chicagoland even though it is one of the more difficult 1.5-mile tracks we go to. The track is pretty bumpy and our cars haven’t done quite as well with some of the setups we have tried to run at tracks with rough racing surfaces this year. We are really going to have to focus on coming up with a setup for the Best buy Ford that will give us a good option on making the front end work well in the corners this weekend.”

Erwin on Working with Allmendinger: “I’ve really enjoyed working with AJ the past couple months. He listens well and is really trying to make himself better and better as a driver each weekend. AJ is like a sponge. He soaks up all the information we give him. He has been studying films and in-car camera angles of past races and is doing a great job of learning from those films and applying what he learns each week at the race track.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 783 for this weekend’s event at Chicagoland Speedway. This Best Buy Ford is a brand new car and has not been run previously this season.

Notes: Allmendinger has three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway and has completed 100 percent of laps attempted (801) at the 1.5-mile track. He has an average finishing position of 13.3 at the Joliet, Ill. Speedway. Allmendinger enters Chicago in 13th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.

Can’t get enough of AJ? The Dinger will be appearing at the Best Buy store in Orland Park, Ill. (15854 South La Grange Rd., Orland Park, Ill., 60462). The appearance is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15, from 6-7 p.m. CT and is open to the public.

Allmendinger’s 11th place effort on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway marked his fifth consecutive Top-12 finish.

This weekend’s event at Chicagoland Speedway marks the first race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The Top-12 drivers in the point standings will vie for the series championship in the last 10 races of the season.

Don’t miss out on your chance to meet “The King!” Richard Petty will be signing autographs at the Goodguys WIX Filters Speedway Nationals at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 17, from 2:30-4 p.m. at the WIX Filters booth located on the Midway.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Tuesday Ramble: No Chase, No Problem

2011-09-13T17:04:00.000-06:00

The Best of the Rest

The Chase field was locked in last Saturday night at Richmond with no big surprises or last minute changes. It would have made it more exciting if someone had pulled off the “win and in” scenario by taking a victory in the race and stealing a wildcard spot. It would have been especially nice if the driver who pulled that off was AJ Allmendinger, but there is no disappointment for this Dinger fan that it didn’t play out that way. A win was a long shot considering the stage of development that the #43 Best Buy team is at. I was very pleased that they put together another solid run, had a fast car, and fought through some adversity to make it back for an eleventh place finish. Not just pleased – I was thrilled!

I’m a big picture kind of NASCAR fan. I try not to invest too heavily in one particular race or even one particular season and let that define success for my driver. I’ve been a fan of AJ’s since he came into the sport full time in 2007. When you spend two seasons agonizing over every qualifying session just to know if your driver is going to race or not, the definition of success is subjective. Just making the races in those days was a victory, and then top 30 finishes which gradually progressed to top 20’s. Then it started all over again when he moved to what is now Richard Petty Motorsports. Sponsorship was race to race in 2009 and then 2010 brought a whole new issue with the financial stability of the team. Even making it to the race track each weekend wasn’t a given.

So a Chase berth, or even a race win, doesn’t define success for me when I look at AJ. It’s the overall experience that he has gone through, and the constant improvement that he has shown that’s impressive to me. AJ’s career in stock cars reminds me of the way things used to be in the sport when drivers started out with lower-tier teams and gradually worked their way through the ranks. AJ had a steep learning curve coming into NASCAR with a first-year team and first-year manufacturer, especially considering the fact that he had no stock car experience. It wasn’t that way for a lot of this year’s championship contenders like Johnson, Gordon, Hamlin, Busch, etc where they came to the Cup series with race winning equipment and established, championship-caliber team owners.

To me there is no disappointment at all in the #43 team not being in the Chase. I would have loved to see it happen for them, because I think that the driver, crew chief, team, and sponsor all deserve to be talked about on a weekly basis, which won’t happen now that they aren’t in a Chase spot. They have so much to hold their heads high about, however. It has been a solid season for AJ and his team. They’ve had fast cars, and other than getting bitten by strategy a couple of times, for the most part have just had some really solid runs.

The biggest positive factor I’ve taken from this year so far is the constant improvement. I’ve watched them progress from a top 20 team to a top 15 team, and they are now showing the potential to be a top 10 team. It won’t be long before they’re a consistent top 5 team, and once they are in the position of being in the top 5 on a regular basis, the opportunity to win will be there each week. I know it’s coming – it’s just a matter of time and making sure they’re in position to make it happen.

Stealing an unexpected win in the next ten races would be great, but gaining consistency and earning a solid win next year is even better. Because that means the potential is there to continue winning on a regular basis. The #43 team has one of the most talented drivers on the circuit, an excellent crew chief in Greg Erwin, and very fast cars. It’s just a matter of putting all those ingredients in the mix and adding a dash of luck in order to attain those wins. What they don’t need is a lot of pressure by people saying that they have to win this season. They don’t have to win to prove anything. Their constant progression forward and the way that whole organization has bounced back from the uncertainty of last year is proof enough that they’re on their way to winning.

There are still a lot of goals that I’m sure AJ and team would like to attain before the year is out. A pole win would be great, and is definitely a possibility since AJ has three 2nd place starts already this year. Some more top 5’s to add to his one in the first Charlotte race would look good in the statistics book. Finishing top 15 in points is also a very attainable goal considering they’re currently in 13th. In fact, there’s a very good chance of them keeping that 13th position – the best of the rest, so to speak. So win or not, Chase team or not – the #43 group still has great things ahead this year.

Unfortunately, next year isn’t locked up for sponsorship yet at RPM. Economic times are taking their toll on corporations, large and small. Those advertising dollars spent in the sport are getting harder and harder to justify, but faith in AJ and his team look justified to me. Sponsors should be knocking on the door to get their company’s name on the #43 car. If they’re not – those sponsors are going to be missing out on trips to Victory Lane in the future. I’d be willing to put my money on it, and so should they. Because when I look at AJ and the #43 team, I see a Chase team. Just because it didn’t happen this year doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen. It will. Bank on it!

Richmond II Race Recap

2011-09-12T07:34:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

AJ Allmendinger started in the 9th position for the 400-lap event at Richmond International Raceway
Allmendinger finished the race in the 11th position
Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 13th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up in the ninth position for the start of Saturday night’s 300-mile event at Richmond International Raceway. He remained inside the Top 10 through the first 50 laps and let Crew Chief Greg Erwin know that the Best Buy Ford was loose in the corners and tight in the center during much of that time.

A Lap 53 caution gave the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team the opportunity to make an air pressure adjustment to the right rear tire when Allmendinger brought the car into the pits for a routine four tire stop at Lap 59. He lined up 19th for the restart. Though he communicated to the team that he was struggling with forward bite, Allmendinger was able to pick up several positions, and by the time another yellow flag was in the air, he had worked his way into 16th place. After a quick pit stop, Allmendinger lined up for the Lap 123 green flag in 14th place.

Richmond’s short track showed no mercy Saturday night and there was hardly a car in the field that didn’t make contact with something or someone. Allmendinger suffered minor fender and splitter damage to the car prior to the lap 200 mark and the crew worked to make quick repairs during subsequent pit stops.

Allmendinger’s Best Buy Ford hovered around the Top 10 until a Lap 243 pit stop for four fresh tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Several laps after hitting pit road under green flag conditions the caution flag flew and Allmendinger and crew found themselves a lap down to the leaders, who had not yet pitted. Allmendinger let the team know that the last set of changes were a step in the right direction and patiently worked his way into position to be the recipient of the Lucky Dog award. The plan worked and the No. 43 was awarded the Lucky Dog during a Lap 288 caution.

With 100 laps remaining in the Wonderful Pistachios 400, Allmendinger held down the 22nd spot. Able to stay out of trouble in the closing laps, Allmendinger wasted no time making his move to the front of the field. When the checkered flag fell on the event, the No. 43 Ford sat in 11th place.

The Best Buy Racing team’s 11th place effort on Saturday was its fifth consecutive Top-12 result. Allmendinger remains in 13th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Next weekend’s event at Chicagoland Speedway marks the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The top 12 drivers will vie for the series championship.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Allmendinger: Richmond or bust

2011-09-10T16:19:00.002-06:00

Richmond II Qualifying Quotes

2011-09-09T22:43:00.001-06:00

AJ Allmendinger, No. 43 Best Buy Ford
Qualified 9th
“It was okay. I really tried to roll into turn one and get a lot of speed and see if I could cut it and get a good run off but I over did it a little bit. I got loose coming to the white. If I could do it over again I would like to but it is what it is. That is alright. We should be around tenth and that is a decent stop to start from.”
***

Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Stanley Ford
Qualified 33rd
“You know, I am just confused right now. I thought that was better than that. I thought that was a decent lap but turns out that it wasn’t. I don’t really know right now what we need to get better at for tomorrow, but we will get to work on it.”
Credit - Ford Racing

AJ Allmendinger & Joey Logano Chase Wild Card Press Conference

2011-09-08T20:46:00.000-06:00

Credit - http://www.gojoeylogano.com

Richmond II Race Preview

2011-09-08T08:17:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made nine starts at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 13th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (seventh) at Richmond came in this year’s spring race

Allmendinger’s Thoughts on Richmond and Making the Chase: “We know the chance is still there to make the Chase. It’s still wide -open and if we win, anything can happen after that, but for me, like I said from the beginning, the Chase doesn’t define the season. I’d love to get in the Chase, that’s the ultimate goal, but as a race team we keep getting better and that’s what really matters. If we can go into these last 11 races and get to Homestead and be far better than we were when we started, that is a great season for me and my whole Best Buy team. We’re getting there. We still have a little ways to go, but every week I feel like we improve.”

Allmendinger’s Thoughts on His Team Dynamic: “I feel like we are really clicking as a team. I felt like we legitimately had a top-five car in Richmond, then when we got the damage, that’s what makes a good race team because we fought back. At Michigan we didn’t have a great car but we got an 11th out of it, so it’s things like that where we can go and keep finishing well that makes a good team. That’s where we are as a team right now. We’re about an eighth to a 12th or 13th-place race team, but that’s better than where we had been, so that’s the improvement I’m looking for.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Keys to Getting Around Richmond: “AJ has been pretty fast and very competitive at Richmond and it has been one of his stronger race tracks the past two years. He’s coming off of a strong finish at Atlanta and that should give him a good boost of momentum going into this weekend. This is a car that has run well at other races this season, so we are looking forward to a good run in the Best Buy Ford this weekend.”

Erwin on Challenges at Richmond: “The hardest thing about Richmond is that at the end of the race it’s hard to be able to keep the rear tires hooked up and be able to stay in the throttle leaving the corner at both ends. Generally the track conditions in practice are not similar to what you experience during the last 100-200 laps at the race and a lot of cars won’t have enough bite or grip in the rear tires and will get really free at the end of the race especially on a long green flag run.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 736 for this weekend’s event at Richmond International Raceway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Las Vegas, the spring Richmond event, Kansas and New Hampshire.

Notes: Allmendinger has nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond International Raceway. Allmendinger’s best starting position (third) came in last year’s fall event and his best finishing position (seventh) came in this year’s spring event at the .75-mile track. He has completed 3,390 of 3,610 laps attempted at the oval, leading one of them.

Can’t get enough of AJ? The Dinger will be appearing at the Best Buy store in Glen Allen, Va. (11200, West Broad Street, Glen Allen, Va., 23060). The appearance is scheduled for Thursday, from 6-8 p.m. ET. In addition, teammate Marcos Ambrose will be joining him from 7-8 p.m. to talk about the Sprint Head-to-Head Racing Challenge, in which AJ and Marcos will compete for a $5,000 contribution on behalf of Sprint for their respective charities. The driver who finishes higher in Richmond’s night race will be considered the winner. AJ will be competing for a donation to Paralyzed Veterans of America and Marcos will be competing for a donation to Victory Junction. The evening’s festivities are open to the public.

The No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion will run a special 9/11 tribute paint scheme this weekend in Richmond. The car will be decked out in red, white and blue.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Photo credit - Richard Petty Motorsports

Dinger Fan Story #8

2011-09-07T20:55:00.000-06:00

I started following Dinger a couple years ago just before Red Bull fired him. He'd been running better & everyone was talking about him & then they did the stupidest thing ever & dropped him. But I guess it turned out good for Dinger anyway now that Red Bull says they're leaving. And besides I like him with the #43 & Best Buy. I also really like that a lot of times Dinger runs better than Junior. There's a kid in my English class that is a huge #88 fan. He's such a jerk - the kid in my class, not Junior. So I like rubbing it in his face whenever Dinger finishes better. Go 43!

Tyler M.
Charleston, WV

Atlanta Race Recap

2011-09-06T20:34:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
*AJ Allmendinger started in the 11th position for the 500-mile event at Atlanta Motor Speedway
*Allmendinger took the checkered flag in the 10th position at the 1.54 mile oval in Hampton, Ga.
*Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 13th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: Though the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was scheduled to race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday evening, Mother Nature had other plans. After a day and night of intermittent rain showers, NASCAR officials were forced to postpone the AdvoCare 500 until Tuesday morning. AJ Allmendinger lined up in the 11th position for the start of Tuesday’s race, which was red flagged due to rain on one occasion and was plagued by light rain showers throughout.

Allmendinger took the green flag for the start of the race and though he encountered a tight handling Best Buy Ford in the early laps of the event, by the time the first caution flag flew at Lap 13, he had relayed to his crew that the car’s handling was much improved. That early caution enabled Crew Chief Greg Erwin to make a minor chassis adjustment to the Best Buy Ford and Allmendinger restarted in the 21st spot at Lap 17. Just seven laps later, he had maneuvered his way into ninth place.

Erwin concentrated his efforts on making the car turn better during the first 100 laps of the 325-lap race and Allmendinger held down the fifth spot at that 100-lap mark. Allmendinger communicated to his crew shortly thereafter that the No. 43 Ford was not as good as it had been during the last run and a Lap 130 caution flag allowed Erwin to call his driver into the pits for fresh tires and a track bar adjustment. Jockeying for position on the subsequent restart, Allmendinger and a fellow competitor made contact, which resulted in damage to the left front of the car. The Best Buy Ford fell as far back as 18th before a scheduled pit stop gave the crew the opportunity to make repairs to the car. A caution period several laps after the stop gave the Best Buy Racing crew another chance to make repairs and Allmendinger took the green flag for the restart in 28th.

Allmendinger had worked his way up to 23rd before a short rain shower forced NASCAR officials to park the cars on pit road while track drying efforts were underway. The 500-mile event got going again at Lap 220 and Allmendinger used his skills to pick up five positions on the restart. From there, he began to patiently make his way toward the front and held down 13th place with 75 laps remaining in the event. By the time the checkered flag flew, Allmendinger had driven up to the 10th position.

“I felt like we were a solid top five or top six car early in the going and we just got pounded on that restart,” Allmendinger said after the race. “I’m not sure what happened. Clint (Bowyer) just ran into the back of us. I don’t know if I was spinning the tires and he was ready to go or not, but I got hooked and we got door-slammed by somebody and then from there it was just kind of a fight to get back on it. The left side was crushed in, so the guys did a good job of getting the fenders pushed back out. The crush panel in the rear was destroyed. The car wasn’t the same, but to fight back with 100 laps to go being 28th and to get back to 10th, I was impressed with the whole day.”

The result marked Allmendinger’s fourth top-12 finish in the last four events and moved him up one spot, to 13th, in the Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. With one race to go prior to the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Allmendinger still has an outside shot of making the Chase. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver would have to win this weekend’s event at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway and several other things would need to fall into place, but the possibility for a shot at a run for the championship still exists.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports

Atlanta Post-Race Quotes

2011-09-06T20:06:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 10th
“I felt like we were a solid top five or top six car early in the going and we just got pounded on that restart. I’m not sure what happened. Clint just ran into the back of us. I don’t know if I was spinning the tires and he was ready to go or not, but I got hooked and we got door-slammed by somebody and then from there it was just kind of a fight to get back on it. The whole left side was crushed in, so the guys did a good job of getting the fenders pushed back out. The crush panel in the rear was destroyed. The car wasn’t the same, but to fight back with 100 to go being 28th and to get back to 10th, I was impressed with the whole day.”

THERE IS STILL A SLIM CHANCE A WIN COULD GET YOU A WILD CARD. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GOING TO RICHMOND? “We know the chances are still there. It’s still wide-open when it comes to having a chance to go win and anything can happen after that, but, for me, like I said from the beginning, the Chase, for me, doesn’t define the season. I’d love to get in the Chase, that’s the ultimate goal, but as a race team we keep getting better. If we can go into these last 11 races that we have and get to Homestead and be far better than where we started, that, to me, is a great season. We’re getting there. We still have a little ways to go, but every week I feel like we improve.”

YOU’VE HAD FOUR SOLID RACES FINISHING BETWEEN 8TH-12TH. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU’RE AT RIGHT NOW AS A TEAM? “That’s right where we are as a race team right now. I felt like we legitimately had a top-five car and then when we got the damage that’s what makes a good race team because we fought back. At Michigan we didn’t have a good car, we got an 11th out of it, so it’s things like that where we can go and keep finishing well. That’s where we are as a team right now. We’re about an eighth to a 12th or 13th-place race team, but that’s better than where we had been, so that’s the improvement I’m looking for. If we can just keep getting there, whether we make the Chase or not, if we can go into those last 10 races and be a legitimate car every weekend that’s running inside the top-10 or top-five – maybe go to a couple tracks like Loudon or Dover and have a chance to win – then I’ll be really happy with the season.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Dinger Fan Photo Contest Rules

2011-09-04T18:06:00.001-06:00

It’s time for all of you Dinger Fans to step up and show just how much of a fan you are! I am doing a Dinger Fan Photo contest where everyone can send in a photo of either themself or a family member with AJ, or for those who haven’t had a chance to meet the man himself, you can submit a photo of you and all your Dinger gear. Even if you have a photo of just AJ, his car on the track, etc those will also work. Anything showing that you're a Dinger fan as long as it is your original photo.

After photos are posted there will be a voting period where everyone will get the chance to pick the person with the best Dinger Fan Photo. Depending on the number of submissions, the photos may be narrowed down to 10 finalists for voting purposes. The photo receiving the most votes will get the grand prize, which is the choice of either a $50 Best Buy gift card or a 1:24 2011 Best Buy #43 diecast signed by AJ. And since all Dinger fans are winners in my eyes, I will personally be sending out thank you gifts to everyone who submits a photo for the contest.

Starting September 15^th I will begin accepting photo submissions by email at dingerworld44@yahoo.com with a subject line of Dinger Fan Photo Submission. Please include your full name and mailing address in the email so I can send your thank you gift. Photos will be accepted until 11:59 pm/et on September 30^th. After that all pictures will be posted for the voting process to begin. The winner will be announced on October 15^th during the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte.

No blatant photo editing is allowed on the submissions and any copyright infringement is prohibited. Just original photos of AJ, his race car, or his fan gear. This contest is run solely by the owner of this website and is not in conjunction with AJ Allmendinger, Walldinger Inc, Richard Petty Motorsports, or Best Buy. The winner of the contest will be picked by popular vote and all decisions are final.

Atlanta Qualifying Quotes

2011-09-03T18:49:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 11th
“I’m a little disappointed with it. Times are so close though. This has never really been my best place to qualify at, so you think it could have been a little bit better. Overall, it was decent. The car has been pretty solid ever since we unloaded, so I think we’ll have a good car for the race. We just needed a little bit more and I think we would have been right there.”

***

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Kwikset Ford Fusion
Qualified 18th
“We don’t want it to get too cool here because this track is so temperature sensitive. We’re really looking to start decent on Sunday night and give ourselves for that $3 million bucks. We’ve got a good car. You can pass here, but I tell you what, it’s a much easier night if you can start at the front. Tire wear is critical here and you can get in someone else’s trouble in a hurry, so we want to start somewhere in the first 15 if we can.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Atlanta Race Preview

2011-09-01T07:53:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made six starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger enters Atlanta in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (sixth) at the 1.54-mile oval came in 2010

Allmendinger on Atlanta Motor Speedway: “Atlanta is fun and it’s fast; it’s probably my favorite 1.5-mile track. Atlanta doesn't have a lot of grip, so the car slides around a lot, which makes it fun for me to drive. I think I have better finishes at Atlanta than I do at any other 1.5-mile track. Tires go away quickly so the car starts to slide around pretty early in a run. With the grip on the tires going away so quickly I’ll have to figure out where I want to run on the track, and I typically like running on the bottom better at Atlanta.

“I’m going to need a fast Best Buy Ford this weekend. The track is slick so we’re going to have to make sure the car isn’t too loose going into the corner, but still loose enough so it will turn well in the center, since the front tires don’t usually have a lot of grip. Our goal is to try and win this weekend. If we can win, then I think we can get into the Chase. I’m also looking forward to
going to Atlanta for the first time with Greg (Erwin) as my crew chief. He’s good at 1.5-mile tracks and I’m excited to see what I can learn from him this weekend.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Racing at Atlanta: “Atlanta is another race track for us to visit for the first time this year. I think it’s going to be kind of difficult since that track is one of the oldies, but goodies, and it ages quite a bit each year. It seems to get rougher every year we go back. We are running our Indianapolis car and we had a good run with it there, so we feel good about having that Best Buy Ford heading into this weekend. Atlanta is a track where AJ typically runs well so that also gives us some confidence going into Sunday night’s race.

“The biggest challenge is going to be getting our car setup in one practice session. The early evening session on Friday will be the practice session that will most mimic the race conditions we’ll see Sunday evening with track temperature. The afternoon session we have on Saturday won’t do us much good since the track will cool down 15-20 degrees on Sunday evening from
what it was in practice Saturday. Friday is going to be the only time for us to get a good read on what kind of a car we have. The important thing is going to be having a Best Buy car that is really fast right off of the truck.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 752 for this weekend’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Texas, Charlotte and Indianapolis.

Notes: Allmendinger has six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway and has completed 1,973 of 1,975 laps at the 1.54-mile track. He has an average finishing position of 15.2 at the Hampton, Ga. Speedway. Allmendinger enters Atlanta in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.

Don’t miss your chance to meet AJ. The Dinger and Miss Sprint Cup will be appearing at the Best Buy store in Peachtree City, Ga. (2703 West Highway 54, Peachtree City, Ga., 30269). The appearance is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 1, from 6-8 p.m. ET and is open to the public.

Can’t get enough of the Dinger? AJ will be signing autographs at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series autograph session at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday from 3-4 p.m. in the concourse underneath the Earnhardt grandstands.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

NASCAR Unites 9/11 Tribute Movement

2011-08-31T20:12:00.002-06:00

Bristol II Race Recap

2011-08-29T08:11:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
* AJ Allmendinger started in the 18th position for the 500-lap event at Bristol Motor Speedway
* Allmendinger, finished in the race in the 12th position at the .533-mile concrete oval
* Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up in the 18th position for the start of the 266.5-mile event at Bristol Motor Speedway. Picking up several spots in the early laps of the race, Allmendinger relayed to Crew Chief Greg Erwin the Best Buy Ford was handling to his liking.

Running in the 15th position when the first caution flag of the 500-lap event flew on Lap 33, Erwin called Allmendinger into the pits for right side tires and fuel. The two tire call by the crew allowed Allmendinger to pick up a couple spots on pit road and Allmendinger restarted in the 13th position.

The No. 43 Ford quickly jumped up to 11th place in just three laps, but shortly after, Allmendinger communicated to Erwin that the two tire call upset the handling of the Best Buy machine and the car was loose. The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford slipped back to the 16th spot before a Lap 105 caution allowed Erwin to again call Allmendinger into the pits, this time for four tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments.

Restarting in the 17th position, Allmendinger communicated to the crew that the changes made on the previous pit stop seemed to help the car’s handling issues. Running lap times as fast as the leader, Allmendinger began picking off cars one-by-one and had raced his way to 12th by Lap 235.

As the laps wore on, Allmendinger began to fight a tight handling car and the Best Buy crew made an array of chassis adjustments during the ensuing pit stops to try and correct the tight condition.

Though the Best Buy machine wasn’t exactly to Allmendinger’s liking, he was still able to run fast and consistent lap times and remain in or near the top 10 for the majority of the night. When the checkered flag flew at the half-mile oval, Allmendinger crossed the finish line in the 12th position.

The solid run at Bristol moved Allmendinger up one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings, and he heads into the 25th race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the 14th spot.

Allmendinger’s Thoughts After the Race: “Off of past results this was an awesome night. With like 200 to go we were running sixth or seventh and we were just kind of going back and forth between being too loose and too tight and we got it too tight the rest of the night. Everybody just runs the top and especially when you are tight you can’t do anything. I feel like 12th place, I am pleased with it, not thrilled but pleased with it.”

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Be Active In Sponsorship Support

2011-08-28T16:23:00.002-06:00

DingerWorld Note: This is a post from the Fans for Richard Petty Motorsports website asking all AJ Allmendinger & Richard Petty Motorsports fans to step up again like you did last year and help out. Supporting the sponsors is a huge benefit for the companies that put their advertising money into the sport of NASCAR. Let Best Buy know how much we appreciate their sponsorship not only by emailing them, but also by shopping at their store and buying their products. Thank you to all the fans who helped out last year and I hope I can count on you pushing just as hard or harder this year.

Ok Friends, RPM needs our help

There's just about 1/4 of the season remaining and the people at Best Buy need to hear from us again. We have to let them know we want them to return to RPM and the famed 43 not only for next year, but also beyond 2012. Last year's late decision was nerve wracking; however, late sponsorship renewals affect and delay the planning and arrival of new retail marketing items, budgets, and team cohesiveness at all levels for the next season.

Best Buy and Petty are two iconic brands that equal fan loyalty, and while we have been loyal to both we would appreciate Best Buy's early renewal announcement for 2012 and beyond. In these less than positive economic hard times, even if they return and cut back one or two races, that's better than zero; however, adding more races to the sponsorship package benefits everyone.

This is the best year Best Buy has experienced since entering NASCAR with HAAS (#66). Gillett-Evernham (#19), and now with our famed RPM (#43) and when AJ wins it will be their first time as primary sponsor in Victory Lane. They had a little taste of victory already as sponsor associate with Marcos at Watkins Glen.

Please contact the following at Best Buy Executive Management, just like last year, showing them your support of their continued relationship with RPM, AJ, and our famed #43. The sooner they commit and announce, the more focused RPM can be with expansion. Contact them once a month or whatever it takes.

Brian Dunn - Chief Executive Officer; E-mail: brian.dunn@bestbuy.com

Shari Ballard - President of the Americas; E-mail: shari.ballard@bestbuy.com

Barry Judge - Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice-President; E-mail: barry.judge@bestbuy.com

Drew Panayiotou - Senior Vice-President of Marketing; E-mail: drew.panayiotou@bestbuy.com

Bristol II Post-Race Quotes

2011-08-28T16:15:00.000-06:00

Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Stanley Ford FusionFinished 10th
“We finished 10th and I am pretty proud of our efforts tonight. The car wasn’t perfect but we stayed on the lead lap and kept digging on the top groove. The tire was very challenging for the teams to set up for. It was pretty loose in and I am pleased with our results.”

***

AJ Allmendinger, No. 43 Best Buy Ford
Finished 12th
“Off of past results this was an awesome night. With like 200 to go we were running like sixth or seventh and we were just kind of going back and forth between being too loose and too tight and we got it too tight the rest of the night. Everybody just runs the top and especially when you are tight you can’t do anything. I feel like 12th place, I am pleased with it, not thrilled but pleased with it.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Bristol II Qualifying Quotes

2011-08-26T18:53:00.001-06:00

Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Qualified 11th
“I tell you what the last few weeks have been great for our Stanley Dewalt team and everyone in the program. We have really turned our stuff around. Todd Parrott has had done a great job on the box and Mark my everyday engineer and everyone are working hard at it and thinking about it and doing our own thing. We aren’t copying other people and it is certainly working out.”

***

AJ Allmendinger, No. 43 Best Buy Ford
Qualified 18th
“You always want pole. It was a decent lap. You can break it down and figure out where you lost a hundredth of a second. It was decent but I am not sure where that will end up. I wish we would have been on the bottom side of those 72’s but we will see.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL YOUR CAR IS FOR TOMORROW NIGHT? “I feel like we know. This has always been my worse race track so I feel like we put in a lot of laps and the crew guys did a great job of making a lot of changes. I was happy with the car and I think we are decent in race trim. We aren’t the fastest car but we are at least in the ballgame. We will just try to be smart for 500 laps.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Bristol II Race Preview

2011-08-25T07:59:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger enters Bristol in 15th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best start (eighth) at the .533-mile oval came in the fall race in 2008

Allmendinger on Bristol Motor Speedway: “I love racing under the lights. Bristol is one of the coolest races of the year. The fans are just awesome and the atmosphere is crazy at night. A first win for our Best Buy Racing team coming in Bristol would be incredible. We need a win to keep our Chase hopes alive and I’m going to do my best to try and make that happen this weekend.

“Bristol is a tough track and it hasn’t been all that good to me the past few years. It’s not my favorite place to race because there are so many things that can happen that are completely out of our control. It’s like that every week, but it’s magnified at Bristol. If I can stay out of trouble in the pits and on the track, I know the 43 team will do its best to give me a car capable of winning.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Racing at Bristol: “Bristol is a typical short-track. Though it is banked, it’s still really hard to get the car to roll though the center of the corner well and still be able to drive up off the corner. We need to be able to get the car’s nose underneath somebody and not lose the back tires leaving the corner. We’ll spend at least two hours of our day Friday working on those issues.

“I’m excited we’re going to get to practice and race on the same tire this time. When we were at Bristol back in March, we qualified and practiced on one compound and we raced on a different tire compound, so all the teams were a little off setup wise, to say the least. We didn't really know how the car was going to drive in the spring race, but this race should be different having just one tire.

“By AJ’s own admission, Bristol isn’t one of his best tracks, but he has been in the shop this week watching film of past races to try and see how he can improve, so that’s a positive for the No. 43 Best Buy team. The night race is very exciting and Saturday turns into a long day for our guys since we are racing late into the night. It will be important to keep the crew guys focused and rested because pit stops will be key. You can make or break your night on pit road. It’s going to be a real test for the Best Buy pit crew to see if we can keep AJ out front with good pit stops.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 710 for this weekend’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Bristol in March and Dover and Michigan in June.

Notes: Allmendinger has eight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway and has completed 3,740 of 4,007 laps at the .533-mile concrete oval. Allmendinger enters Bristol in 15th place in the Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.

Fun Fact: Bristol Motor Speedway is known for its unique driver introductions. Each driver will be introduced to the crowd with a song of his choice playing in the background. Allmendinger has chosen the song “Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed for his introduction.

Don’t miss your chance to meet “The King!” Richard Petty will be visiting the Ford display for a Q-and-A session on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Dinger Fan Story #7

2011-08-24T07:26:00.003-06:00

Here is one of my many stories about my friend Greg. I call it.... A Father's Dedication

As most of you know, AJ's dad is a retired floor covering installer. I worked with Greg in the trade for many years. AJ was running go-carts at the time. We were asked to install carpet one evening in an office building in Santa Clara. The evening started out as usual - we pulled out the old glued down carpet and we were going to put the new carpet in over pad. We spread out the tack strip and started to nail it down. To this day Greg says when I walked back in to the office from getting something out of the truck that I startled him. Anyway instead of Greg hitting the nail in the strip, Greg hit his thumb with the hammer. I mean you could not have hit it any better if you tried. It just exploded his left thumb - it was pretty bad if you know what I mean. I won't go into detail for some of you with a weak stomach. Since I was running the job I told Greg I will make a call and get someone else to come help me and that he should go home and take care of his thumb. This is the part that I will never forget. He looked me straight in my eyes and said, "My kid needs go-cart tires and I need this money to buy them." So we wrapped a piece of pad around his thumb, then wrapped some duct tape around it to keep the pad on it and Greg worked that way the rest of the night. I was just amazed that he could keep laying carpet that evening with his thumb in such bad shape. It just goes to show how much love and dedication Greg has for his son AJ. I hope all you AJ fans out there enjoyed this story. It is one evening that I will never forget.

Ron V

San Jose, Ca

Ford Racing: Allmendinger & Erwin

2011-08-23T14:03:00.000-06:00

AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion, comes off an 11th place finish last weekend in Michigan which moved him into the top-15 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings. With just three races left before the Chase field is set, Allmendinger talked about what he needs to do down the stretch, how he will attack the Bristol short track and what things have been like with new crew chief Greg Erwin.

AJ ALLMENDINGER, driver No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

HOW HAS THE TRANSITION GONE TO YOUR NEW CREW CHIEF GREG ERWIN? “I think it has been pretty good. We’ve kind of had two out of four weeks that were really good and the others were a little bit of a struggle, but I think you are going to have that when you are working together for the first time. Honestly, I think it has been really good and I enjoy working with Greg. He has the experience and he has race wins under his belt and has confidence in himself and what we need to do with the race cars. It is helping me and I feel like, take last week for instance, we struggled all weekend really. We weren’t very good all weekend and we weren’t very good in the race. He made a good call at the end for four tires and we end up with an eleventh place finish. That is a something we probably shouldn’t have gotten. It is things like that. There is a lot of room on things we need to improve on, but I feel like as the weekend goes on we feel like we are making progress and at least changing the race car and doing things that we are learning from. Because of that it has been enjoyable. I really enjoy working with him and I really do look forward to the rest of the season to try to keep going and keep learning with him and hopefully keep getting stronger.”

FROM A DRIVERS PERSPECTIVE, ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE SOME CHANCES IN THESE FINAL THREE RACES TO TRY TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN AND GRAB A WIN FOR A WILD CARD CHANCE? “Not really. Obviously we are in position now where if we were to get a win I think we would be right in there or if not put ourselves in. At the same time though the way I look at it is that we just have to get better as a team. If we steal a win and get in the Chase and run 10 races and don’t run very well then there is really no point of being in the Chase, it is just a wasted spot. I look at it like we need to keep getting better every weekend and be a consistent top-10 race team, then a top-five and then have a chance at victories. Greg has the experience to know that if you put yourself in the position good things can happen. If there are 10 to go on a restart and you are inside the top three or four and there is a chance to get a win, then maybe we get more aggressive or take a chance on fuel mileage or strategy, but I don’t really look at that right now. I look at just trying to get better as a race team. We are 15th in points and even from the bad weekend we were able to make ground up on the people we were racing around. Our goal every weekend is to go out there and win, but I am also trying to take things step-by-step and get better as a race team and as a driver and be more consistent. I know when that happens, the wins will come. I don’t want to just be that guy that wins one race in his career. I want to be a multiple race winner and be a guy whose name is brought up every weekend when they talk about guys that can win. To do that we have to become more consistent and get our race cars a little better overall. That is the process I am going by.”

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO THIS WEEKEND AT BRISTOL IN ORDER TO RUN BETTER THAN YOU HAVE IN THE PAST AND MAYBE PUT YOURSELF IN POSITION TO TAKE A CHANCE? “I really do love theBristol night race. Honestly, I think it is the coolest race on the NASCAR calendar. You get everybody stacked in there with the crowd and it is a night race. It has that Saturday night short track feel except there are 150,000 people in the grandstands watching. To me it is a fun race to go to but our stats aren’t very good there in the past. It has been a place that over the last couple years I have lost some confidence in figuring out how to get around that place. I have watched a lot of in-car camera and talked to Greg a lot about what we need. I have studied how these guys that do well there get around there well and how they keep themselves in the ballgame all race. There is a lot of luck and patience that goes into it. I think I look at is as we are just trying to go out there and run all 500 laps. That is my goal. I want to go out there and be smart. Hopefully we can unload off the truck and be good from the start and run all 500 laps. I feel like if you do that, if you run all 500 laps, you can finish top-15 if not better. That is the mindset I am going with. I was just joking about it today. I think one time out of seven or eight times that I have raced there I have actually finished all the laps. So that is my first goal. As that goes on we will see how the rest of it goes, but that is definitely our first goal, to finish all the laps.”

DO YOU ANTICIPATE WHAT WAS ALREADY A PRETTY INTENSE RACE BEING EVEN MORESO THIS YEAR WITH ALL THE GUYS FIGHTING FOR CHASE CONTENTION? “I think so. I thinkBristol is always a place where you see a lot of paybacks from drivers that are mad at each other. You will see a lot of desperation. The way this new format is there, and the way the points have worked out this year with everyone being so tight, there are still a legitimatesix to eight guys that can make that wild card. There are also a lot of legitimate fast guys that can win a race in the next three.Bristol is a place that is a tight course and people are going to really start taking chances. Desperation is probably the best word. I think that will start to set in and people will be doing everything they can. That is the mindset that I have to try to get away from and take things as they come. I think that is the biggest thing that has happened to me over the years atBristol. I think I have forced the issue when our car wasn’t good. With people being desperate around us, I am going to have the mindset to just be patient and run our laps and hopefully that will put us in a good position.”

DID YOU PICK YOUR INTRO SONG YET FOR SATURDAY NIGHT? “Yeah, I went with some old school. I picked Disturbed’s ‘Down with the Sickness’.”

***

Greg Erwin, crew chief for the No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion of AJ Allmendinger, made the move from Roush Fenway Racing to Richard Petty Motorsports prior to the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. Now with four races under his belt calling shots for the iconic car, Erwin took time with Ford Racing to talk about the transition, what he expects this weekend in Bristol and how much of a gambling man he and the Dinger might be in the final three races before the Chase.

GREG ERWIN, Crew Chief, No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR YOU HEADING INTO BRISTOL AND WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSING ON FOR THE NIGHT RACE THIS WEEKEND? “The biggest challenge for me as crew chief with AJ is going to a place that he is not very comfortable at and he doesn’t have a real good feel for. Coming off about eight trips there with Biffle with fairly similar set-ups every time and some very good results, not having a real good idea what AJ is looking for in a feel. We are not going to force one driver’s set-up on AJ. We are going to let him kind of find his way around that race track and try to give him a feel that he is looking for because that place is a lot about the driver feel and trying to keep the car turning. What I want to make sure of is that I don’t put him in a box and make him run a set-up that is not to his liking necessarily or not the feel he is looking for. We are going to do some experimentation early Friday, us and the No. 9 guys are going to work on a couple things together as a company. Hopefully, we will look for a direction going into that final practice.”

MARCOS AMBROSE HAS DONE PRETTY WELL AT BRISTOL. HOW MUCH WILL YOU LEAN ON THAT TEAM AND HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK AJ MIGHT LEAN ON MARCOS TO GET SOME POINTERS? “Pointers are pretty important. I have some in car video of a few different drivers and I have some copies of in car videos, one of Greg’s (Biffle) and a couple others that I consider top-10 drivers there. I made some copies of those yesterday for AJ to take home and take a look at. Marcos has done very well there and he has been in good equipment there over the years. To be completely honest, I haven’t really gotten to look into any set-up information that he may have, but I know what he ran in the spring. Phil Surgeon and I are sitting here right now actually and are looking at the last two or three events worth of set-ups. I think the spring event is a little bit of an outlier in that the tire change they threw us toward the end of practice really threw everybody off. I think the results of the spring race were not necessarily indicative of what you will see this time around.”

TIRES HAVE BEEN A HOT BUTTON ISSUE. GUYS HAVE SAID THAT TIRE PACKAGES HAVE THROWN TEAMS FOR A LOOP THIS YEAR. AS A CREW CHIEF, WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED WITH THE TIRE PACKAGES THIS YEAR AND TO YOU AGREE WITH THOSE ASSESMENTS? “I agree 100-percent that it is a crap shoot. It feels like a crap shoot every week and more so this year than historically. We know that when we go to some of these race tracks for the second time in the season that they have weathered and aged and we know a lot of times it might be a little warmer or a little colder, depending on where we are. It almost feels like every time we show up to the race track if we brought exactly the same stuff we had in the race car three months of four months before that is feels like we are starting over every week.”

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES OR SUPRISES IN YOUR TRANSITION TO RPM AND THE 43 TEAM? “The biggest challenge is the names of all the guys on the 43 crew. I am over that now. It has been three or four weeks but for the first couple of weeks trying to remember all the guys in the shop and pit crew was a challenge. I have tried to adapt myself into a system that was already working and not wanting to come in and completely just turn everybody’s world upside down and cause a big distraction and set back at this point in the season. AJ is in line for a career best points finish and I think he has opened a lot of eyes this year. Certainly Mike Shiplett had gotten the thing as far as it was and that is a shout-out to him. One of the positives with AJ is that he has no preconceived notions of what things should do or how his car should necessarily drive. His effort in paying attention to what we are doing and really trying to give me as much feedback as he can give me, constructive feedback, has been tremendous. It has been every bit of all I could ask for. Probably the weakness with AJ right now is, again, he has no preconceived notions of what he should be feeling. Sometimes he struggles a little bit trying to tell me if we need to tighten the car up to go faster or if we need to free the car up to go faster. From a balance standpoint it kind of leaves it up to me to sort of take a look at the lap times and the way the car is driving and adjust from there. It is obvious that his strength is also his weakness right now. More experience, more time behind the wheel in competitive cars and not so much back there running 25th and 30th, but time around those guys that can run near the top-10 every week is going to be critical to his development. He is working really hard on the finer things in life we don’t all see from the television every week. Things like making time getting on pit road, getting the car in the box, getting the car stopped where the pit crew can get their job done in a competitive amount of time and then leaving the box a lot harder. All of that is going to show up in the way his car cycles out after green flag pit stops. He was a little weak at that but he is working really hard on that right now.”

WITH A COUPLE RACES LEFT BEFORE THE CHASE, ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE CHANCES TO TRY TO STEAL A WIN? DOES YOUR MINDSET CHANGE AT ALL THESE LAST THREE RACES? “AJ has to get a win to get into the Chase and I don’t necessarily know that it is going to take two. It depends on how it works with Brad Keselowski and the 2 car. To finish 15th in the points or 13th in the points or 14th in the points is irrelevant. If you can get a ‘W’ right now we know that is the only realistic way he has a shot at getting in. We would go for the win and roll the dice. The problem we have there would be if we were going to be a little short as far as stretching fuel mileage or anything like that. That would be difficult for us. If you are asking me if we are going to run these last three races before the Chase to win, then I am going to tell you absolutely."

Credit - Ford Racing

VIDEO: Allmendinger - Race Routine

2011-08-23T13:53:00.003-06:00

Michigan II Race Recap

2011-08-22T13:24:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
■AJ Allmendinger started from the 29th spot at Michigan International Speedway
■Allmendinger wheeled his way to an 11th-place finishing position at the two-mile oval
■Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 15th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway in the 29th position and drove his way inside the top 25 by the time the first yellow flag of the day flew on Lap 30. Because his driver had been complaining of a tight handling car, Crew Chief Greg Erwin made plans for an air pressure adjustment on the first stop as well as four fresh tires and fuel.

Allmendinger lined up for the Lap 35 restart in the 22nd position. He communicated to Erwin throughout much of the race that the car felt like it didn’t have enough front or rear grip. Erwin made a myriad of changes during that time, but Allmendinger fought the handling of the car for much of the event.

An ill-timed caution flag at Lap 169 just after the Best Buy Racing crew had made a pit stop left them a lap down. The team opted for the wave around on the restart and was able to get solidly back on the lead lap when the caution flag flew once again with three laps remaining in the race. Erwin called his driver into the pits for four fresh tires, and when the green flag flew for the final time, Allmendinger lined up in 21st place, behind those cars that either opted to stay out on the track or pit for only two fresh tires.

Allmendinger showed his stuff in the remaining three laps, wheeling his Best Buy Ford Fusion through traffic like a man on a mission. Passing cars right and left, Allmendinger had picked up 10 spots by the time the checkered flag flew. He held down 11th place at the conclusion of the event.

Allmendinger picked up one position and now holds down the 15th spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into next weekend’s event at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Michigan II Race Preview

2011-08-18T10:50:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Michigan International Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (11th) at the two-mile track came during the spring race in 2010

AJ Allmendinger on Michigan: “We’re excited to be headed to Michigan for the second time. Our Best Buy Ford was decent there when we were there a couple of months ago and I know that Greg Erwin has a lot of really good ideas on how to improve our performance there. It’s a great track to race on. It's big, fast and has a wide racing groove. We’ve got the horsepower we’ll need from our FR9 engine, but we’ll have to work around the fuel mileage part of it some. I’m looking forward to getting back there. Greg has brought a lot to this team in the short time he’s been here and I think we could really have a good weekend in our Best Buy Ford.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Keys to Getting Around Michigan: “The key to Michigan is not to get too caught up in what you did there a couple of months ago because that track tends to have a little different characteristic later in the summer than it did earlier in the year. You spend a lot of time trying to make the front end turn, while working to keep the rear tires on it. It’s a pretty aggressive, fairly abusive place on tires and you see a lot of tire fall off. We’re looking forward to getting back to a more standardized racetrack. If you exclude Indy and Pocono, this is a place a little more conventional that we run at. Looking at how well AJ was able to run there a couple of months ago, that has certainly helped his confidence some and he knows he can run in the top five or top six there and that’s what we need to shoot for. That track always seems to give you a little different flavor in the fall than it does in the earlier part of the summer.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 742 for this weekend’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This Best Buy Ford Fusion has been run previously this season on several occasions, including the races in Kentucky, Charlotte, N.C. and Fontana, Calif.

Notes: Allmendinger finished 13th in the June race on the two-mile, Brooklyn, Mich. oval.

The Sprint Summer Showdown has begun and $3 million is on the line for drivers, their charities and one lucky fan in a six-race competition. Any driver who wins between Indy and Bristol (the first five races) will become a finalist for the Labor Day weekend race in Atlanta (the sixth race). If one of those eligible drivers wins the Atlanta race, then the driver, the driver’s charity and one lucky race fan each collect $1,000,000. Allmendinger has selected Paralyzed Veterans of America as his charity of choice for the Sprint Summer Showdown.

Happy Birthday to Dale Inman, who celebrates his 66th birthday on Friday, August 19th. Inman was selected to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame class of 2012 and has eight championships in NASCAR’s premiere series serving as a crew chief.

Thanks to finishing last week’s race on the road course at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International ahead of the No. 48 team, the No. 43 team has moved onto the third round of the DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout Challenge and sits inside the Elite Eight. Allmendinger’s Best Buy Racing team will go up against the No. 17 team this weekend in an effort to make it to the final round. The driver winning the DIRECTV Head-2-Head Knockout competition will earn $400,000 for his or her charity of choice. Allmendinger’s charity of choice for this competition is Paralyzed Veterans of America. He will be carrying an on board camera this weekend and will be featured in the DIRECTV HOTPASS lineup.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Watkins Glen Race Recap

2011-08-16T07:52:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
*AJ Allmendinger started from the second position at Watkins Glen International
*Allmendinger wheeled his way to an eighth-place finishing position at the 2.45-mile road course
*Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International from the front row. Starting from second, it wasn’t long before Allmendinger had overtaken the pole sitter and made his way into the top spot.

Allmendinger was still in the lead on Lap nine when he was struck from behind by the lapped car of Kurt Busch, which resulted in a trip through the grass. He was forced to pit the next lap when the engine temperature of the Best Buy Ford skyrocketed. A quick pit stop by the crew to clean off the grill enabled Allmendinger to remain on the lead lap, though he fell to 34th place.

A yellow flag on Lap 28 allowed Crew Chief Greg Erwin to call his driver into the pits once again. Allmendinger had previously relayed to Erwin that the car was good, but needed a little more rear grip, so the Best Buy team went to work to change all four tires and make a track bar adjustment while filling the gas tank with fuel. There were several different pit strategies in play and the No. 43 returned to the track for the restart in 17th place.

Allmendinger had made his way into the top 10 by the time the race reached halfway and was able to remain inside the top 15 for the remainder of the event. A late race accident resulted in a green/white/checkered flag finish and Allmendinger lined up in the 11th position for the final restart of the race at Lap 91. Fighting his way through traffic during the last laps, Allmendinger was able to bring the No. 43 Ford home in eighth place.

“It’s great to see Marcos in Victory Lane and it’s great for the team,” said Allmendinger following the event. “I’m happy for those guys. I’m really proud of my guys and proud of the way we fought back all day. We had great pit stops. The car was fast. I love working with Greg, and I’m happy we got a win for the team.”

Allmendinger picked up one spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings and now sits in 16th place heading back to Michigan International Speedway next weekend.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Watkins Glen Post-Race Quotes

2011-08-15T19:55:00.001-06:00

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Finished 1st
TV VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW: “I’ve sacrificed so much to get here and to finally win and be here in Victory Lane in the Cup Series is a dream come true. I flew the kids home yesterday. It was the little one’s first day at school. I was desperate to be there for her and this kind of makes up for it. I’ve just got to thank the Richard Petty Motorsports team, Stanley, DeWalt, everybody involved. Mrs. Petty is not doing so well at home. We wish her the best. This win is for her and the whole Petty family. Richard and everyone else who gave me the chance, thank you very much. Winning in the Cup Series for Stanley is just an incredible feeling and I’m very, very proud.”

YOU QUALIFY FOR THE $3 MILLION SPRINT BONUS AT ATLANTA NOW. “I’ll win a million bucks for anyone. I don’t care. I just want to get to Victory Lane again. It just feels great right now. It’s just a dream come true. The fans out there who have supported Richard Petty and this whole team through the turmoil last year, I can’t thank them enough. We’re gonna go onward and upward from here. It’s a proud day. No one realizes how much everybody puts in to try to get to Victory Lane and when it actually happens it’s almost a surreal moment.”

RADIO VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW: “It’s a dream come true. For me to drive for Richard Petty in the first place is an unbelievable opportunity and to get into Victory Lane is just incredible. Mrs. Petty is not doing so well at home. She’s having a tough time of it right now. This win is for her and the whole family. To Stanley, DeWalt, thank you so much for giving me the chance. They plucked me out of obscurity almost. I was just trying hard to win races and to get to Victory Lane with my Stanley boys behind me, what a dream come true.”

WHAT ABOUT THE FINAL RESTART. WHAT HAPPENED? “I was trying to pass the 18 before the caution came out and really used my stuff up, so I was happy when the caution came out. I didn’t want to start on the outside, so I actually gave up the start trying to get to the inside, but when I realized that wasn’t gonna work, I just turned up into turn one and tried to make something happen. I spoke to Brad Keselowski last night. We had a chat for about a half-hour just shooting the breeze and talking about how hard it is to get to Victory Lane and there I was racing him for the win. I’m pleased we did it clean, but I was gonna get to Victory Lane. I wasn’t gonna let that 2 beat me to the checkered flag.”

WHERE DID YOU HAVE THOSE GUYS BEAT? “We just had a really good combination of balance. We didn’t have any exceptional spots on the race track, we just had even balance across the whole circuit. I was able to look after the rear tires, but it’s tough out there, it really is. It’s a real fight to the death and I’m just so proud to be here in Victory Lane with my Stanley team. I’ve sacrificed so much to be here. My little daughter started school today, so I didn’t get to take her to school. I might be able to pick her up with a big check.”

***

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 8th
“It’s great to see Marcos in Victory Lane and it’s great for the team. I’m happy for those guys.”

THE INCIDENT WITH KURT RUINED YOUR DAY DIDN’T IT?“Yeah. He was a lap down. I know what he’s trying to do, trying to get back on the lead lap, but I’m just proud of my guys and proud of the way we fought back all day. We had great pit stops. The car was fast. I love working with Greg, and I’m happy we got a win for the team.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Watkins Glen Qualifying Quotes

2011-08-13T21:39:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 2nd
HOW WAS YOUR LAP? “It was pretty good. I felt like I got into one just a little bit deep and locked the right-front just a little bit, but felt like I carried good momentum through there. I was just a little tentative getting in the bus stop, sitting there in line when we sat there I could see the track was really dirty getting in there, so I was a little bit conservative getting in and tried to make it all up through the bus stop and got a little bit loose, so I lost a little bit of time there. I don’t know if that was enough time lost to Kyle, but I felt like overall the car was really good. It’s been solid ever since we unloaded. Greg Erwin and everybody on the Best Buy Ford just brought a good car and I feel like these last couple weeks, although the results may not show it, have been really good. We’ve been working well together and I think we’re making a lot of progress, so to go out there with what we’ve been building on is really good. To have a good lap today was really good.”

IS IT NICE TO GET THIS KIND OF RESULT? “Yeah. I’ve always liked Watkins Glen a little bit more than Sonoma. I feel like I’ve struggled at Sonoma. Watkins Glen is a race track that you’ve really got to be aggressive on and you can really kind of just hang the car out, and I feel I’ve always been pretty good here, so I look at this track – coming to it – if we can build some momentum and get a good finish tomorrow, we’re right there in points. Obviously, if we get a win that puts us with a chance for the Chase, but I’m not looking at that as make or break. I feel like if we can just keep getting better as the year goes on and have a good, strong finish to the end of the season that that’s gonna be what I’m gonna look at for our season and really build off of that, so this is a great place to start. We’ve always been fast here.”

WHAT IS ERWIN BRINGING TO THE TEAM? “It was built by Mike Shiplett. He really got our guys working well together and we were bringing good stuff to the race track and it was something that we were just lacking a little bit, so with the change Greg brings a lot of experience. Obviously, he’s a crew chief that has won a lot of race, been in the Chase and been in championship contention. I think that experience level has really been helping me in times where I maybe get a little bit lost because I forget that I’ve been in here for five years, but when it comes to everything that I’ve been through in this sport, I look at that I’ve really only had two really competitive seasons, so I’m still learning a lot. There are times where we kind of get lost and I think Greg can kind of keep the team on track and figure out whether we need a big change or a small change or race strategy – things like that – and just help make me a better race car driver. Inside the race car driver and out of the race car driver trying to figure out what we need with these race cars, so, like I said, the results don’t show it but Indy we were really fast all day. Pocono I felt like we were pretty good on Friday and on Sunday we lost a little bit, but it was still a solid weekend. Since we’ve unloaded, I feel like Marcos is the guy to beat, but we’re right there with everybody else and we have something for everybody else, so he’s just brought a lot of experience and that’s just in three weeks, so I think as the season goes on, hopefully we just keep building on that.”

***

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Qualified 3rd
HOW WAS YOUR LAP? “I felt a little unfortunate really. We had a probably had the hardest part of the practice and I underdrove it just a little bit, but we’re proud of our efforts. It would have been great to be on the front row with AJ, but we’ll start third for the race. We’ve got a great package. I feel really confident and we’ll just see how the day unfolds. It’s gonna be interesting to see how it goes on fuel strategy and brake wear and all those factors that come into play on a road course. Hopefully we make the right judgment calls in getting the car ready for the race.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Dinger Fan Story #6

2011-08-11T14:38:00.000-06:00

In June I was fortunate to be part of the NASCAR experience at the SaveMart 350 in Sonoma, and I must say the highlight of the weekend was meeting A.J. Allemdinger for the first time. My business partner Gene and I sponsored a weekend for some die-hard A.J. fans and most definitely converted a few more throughout the weekend. Gene, who happens to be A.J.'s uncle, brother to his dad Greg, had done the impossible and converted me, a long time Jimmie Johnson fan, and I'm joining the Dinger bandwagon.

My experience from the weekend was most memorable and being able to have some of our Dinger Hill group meet him and win some cool prizes from the Best Buy team was awesome. His taking time out of what I'm sure is a busy schedule and meet with us made such an impression on all of us. I can sum that little get together up in two words "Dinger Fan-tastic". He was very down to earth and took time to answer a lot of questions from the group and signed autographs for everyone without hesitation, very classy guy.

We showed our appreciation by throwing on our A.J. gear and took our Dinger Hill gang to the crowds. We started behind the main grandstands and ruled the crowd during the NASCAR on SPEED segment, totally stopping the show with chants of "A.J. A.J." and "Dinger's bringing Sexy back to Nor Cal". We carried a sign, about 4'x5', made by Jensen and Milla Freeze, through the crowds, doing our A.J. chants and came up on the Sprint site and again stopped the whole ordeal, while the sprint girls took notice and snapped pics of the sign with their cell phones lol. It was pretty amazing. I believe I tweeted a pic of the sign during the NASCAR on SPEED segment. Then we headed to our spot on turn 7 where we parked our Kubodas and watched our favorite driver A.J. Allmendinger. At one point during the race we took our "Dinger's bringing Sexy back" sign to the turn 7 grand stands and had the whole crowd on their feet chanting "A.J.! A.J.! A.J.!!" It was awesome to see people in Gordon, Johnson and Bush gear chanting for Allmendinger, we definitely had the crowd.

What started out as a group of about 25 on Dinger Hill, which is the Cougar Mountain camping area, quickly turned into about 50 die-hard Dinger fans. Gene and a lot of this group have been doing this for about 4 years and it's going to become an annual event for he and I to sponsor for years to come. Next year we would love to have A.J. come to Dinger Hill and enjoy a game of horseshoes with us haha. Uncle Gene is pretty good!

It was one of the most memorable NASCAR weekends I've been part of! Thanks again to A.J. for the time he gave us, to Molly and Tara for their hospitality and to the Best Buy Team for the great prizes, even though Gene nor I won anything lol, the experience was awesome and our crew will never forget it.

Jimm
@bamasaints

Watkins Glen Race Preview

2011-08-11T09:47:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made three starts at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
• Allmendinger enters the race in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (fourth) at the 2.45-mile road course came in last year’s race

AJ Allmendinger on Watkins Glen: “I’m coming off of two race tracks that I’m not a big fan of racing at, so I’m excited to be going to The Glen. I’ve had pretty good finishes there in the past, so I’m looking forward to going this weekend and having a legitimate shot at my first Cup Series win in my Best Buy Ford Fusion. Greg Erwin and I are starting to gel more and more each week and Watkins Glen is a great track for us to work on momentum with this new team dynamic.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Keys to Getting Around Watkins Glen: “The key to Watkins Glen historically has been being able to carry a lot of speed through the esses. We need to have a car that drives as close as we can make it equally left and right. Fuel mileage will be important at The Glen and generally two-stop strategies work well there.

“It will be interesting to see how the tire is going to react at Watkins Glen this weekend. We’ve been very solid and consistent with the Fords there in the past. This year Goodyear threw us a different tire at Sonoma (the only other road course on the Cup Series schedule) and everyone struggled with it. I’m hoping Goodyear has taken what was learned at Sonoma and the new tire at Watkins Glen will be closer to what it has been in the past. Our new Ford engine this year is also going to be key. We had the old Ford engine there last year, so this time around we should have a lot more power on the field.

There will also be a new style of chassis for the Fords this year, so that should help the performance of the car as well. I know AJ is excited to go to The Glen after coming off of two weeks of tough racetracks. He wants to go to Watkins Glen and show everybody what he’s got. It should be a good weekend for the Best Buy team and the whole RPM organization.”

Erwin on the Biggest Challenge at The Glen: “The biggest challenge historically has been fighting turn and getting the car to cut in the corners. The second biggest concern is yellow flag pit stops, because pit road can get really congested and we want to be able to get the Best Buy machine off of pit road with the fenders all in one piece. The next challenge will be getting through Turn 1 because that corner sends a lot of guys off of the racetrack and tends to end a lot of days pretty quick.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 760 for this weekend’s event at Watkins Glen International. This Best Buy Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at Infineon (Sonoma, Calif.) Raceway.

Notes: Allmendinger’s best starting and finishing position at Watkins Glen (fourth) came in last year’s 90-lap event. Allmendinger enters this weekend in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger has completed 100 percent of laps attempted (270) at the 2.45-mile track and has an average finishing position of 9.3.

Richard Petty Motorsports’ No. 43 and No. 9 teams will visit Victory Junction Gang Camp, Aug. 9, for NASCARnival Night, an evening full of fun and games with the campers. Allmendinger, along with his pit crew, will enjoy dinner, dancing and pit stop demonstrations as part of the event.

NASCARnival at Victory Junction

2011-08-11T09:38:00.001-06:00

The Richard Petty Motorsports teams visited Victory Junction Tuesday night for their annual NASCARnival celebration. Here are some videos from the event.

Pit stops aren't as easy when you're wearing boas.

The Bullseye Dance!

Team photo time

Pocono II Race Recap

2011-08-08T19:08:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger started from the 29th spot at Pocono Raceway
• Allmendinger wheeled his way to a 19th-place finishing position at the 2.5-mile tri-oval
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway in the 29th position. Once the green flag flew, he quickly assessed that he needed some help with the handling of the car in Turn 1. When the first caution flag waved on Lap 13, crew chief Greg Erwin called his driver into the pits for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.

After the restart, Allmendinger held down 21st place and communicated to the crew that his Best Buy Ford was a little better. The team chose to stay out during the next caution period, which came at Lap 20. Allmendinger struggled with the handling of the car for a while and the weather conditions, which alternated between sunny and cloudy for much of the race, didn’t help. A pit stop at Lap 41 enabled Erwin to make a track bar adjustment to the car while bolting on four new tires and fueling up the car. At the Lap 50 mark, the Best Buy Ford held down a spot just inside the top 25.

Allmendinger remained in the top 25 while fighting a tight handling racecar. The team continued to make changes to the car during pit stops and at the halfway point of the race, stood in 20th position. A rain shower on Lap 123 forced NASCAR officials to park the cars while they dried the track, resulting in a lengthy delay. When the track was dry and the cars hit the pavement once again, Allmendinger continued to fight a tight race car. As the run wore on, the handling of the Best Buy Ford improved, and Erwin continued to tweak the handling of the car during the remaining stops to make it better. Allmendinger remained in the top 25 for the next 65 laps until he broke into the top 20 with nine laps to go. When the checkered flag flew after a long day at Pocono Raceway, Allmendinger held down the19th spot.

Allmendinger stands in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into the final road course event of the season next weekend.

Credit - Ford Racing

Pocono II Post-Race Quotes

2011-08-07T19:28:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 19th
RED FLAG COMMENTS:“The Best Buy Ford has been a little bit tight all day. I feel like we’ve been making gains on it. In the long run, we’re actually pretty good. If you just pick our car up and place it inside the top 10, top five, on older tires we could run there, but we’re just struggling on restarts being too tight. A lot of people have that problem with being aero-tight.”

***

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 DeWalt Ford Fusion
Finished 20th
POST-RACE COMMENTS: “It was just a long day today, but we just fought and gouged all day. I’m really proud of my guys. I feel like I got the most out of myself and the guys really tried hard. It’s not the day we wanted, but we’re still proud of ourselves.”

DID THE BREAK HELP YOU GET THE CAR BETTER? “No. We just fought and gouged all day and then we got track position, but we’ll get ‘em next week.”

Credit - Ford Racing

AJ Allmendinger - Pouring in Pocono

2011-08-07T13:34:00.000-06:00

Pocono II Race Preview

2011-08-04T17:42:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made eight starts at Pocono Raceway, located in Long Pond, Pa.
• Allmendinger enters the race in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) at the 2.5-mile track came in last year’s June race

AJ Allmendinger on Pocono: “Pocono is a strange track to race on. When we go back the second time it always seems like the track is a lot slicker than earlier in the year. Every year that I’ve been there, for whatever reason, in the eight weeks that it sits, it just gets so much slicker. Since the track conditions change so much, the setup is a little bit different this week than when we go there in June. For us we weren’t great there the first race, but we definitely figured out some things we can build off of and try to work out this weekend. With us shifting at Pocono now for the second time this season, it’s a lot different to drive on than it has been in past years. Those are some notes we can use this weekend from the June race.

“We learned a lot last week working with Greg Erwin for the first time and I think the next couple of weeks are going to be a transition period for the whole Best Buy team. We still have an outside shot of going out there and making the Chase, but more importantly, there are race tracks we can go to a second time and put ourselves up against what we have done earlier in the year. We just have to keep trying to get our Best Buy Ford better and better.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Pocono: “Pocono is probably the most difficult track for the driver and crew chief to be able to assemble good solid complete laps around the race track because it is so uniquely different on all three corners. One of the biggest problems we’ll fight in Pocono is the roughness of the race track entering Turn 1 at the end of the longest straightaway. That’s really what sets the car up for a good lap or not. Depending on how the Best Buy Ford gets through those bumps will depend on how good our lap is because if we lose speed it’s really difficult to get that speed back. The tunnel turn has some resemblance to Indy, but is a lot rougher. We may use some of our Indy notes if we are struggling getting through the tunnel turn. The patch in Turn 3 has a lot more grip now and a lot of drivers are going up there to get some speed. Turn 3 is a big, long, flat, sweeping corner and it is hard to get the car to drive off that corner while still having the front end turn well. It is a little bit of a tighter exit than the other two turns. Pocono is definitely one of the harder race tracks combined with the fact that we are going back for the second time being allowed to shift again. We saw a lot of wear and tear on our transmissions there earlier in the year. Shifting gives AJ another tool to try and get around Pocono, but he has to take care of it.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend’s event at Pocono. This Best Buy Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at Phoenix International Raceway, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and was utilized in the June race at Pocono Raceway.

Notes: Allmendinger has eight starts and two Top-15 finishes at Pocono. He enters the race this weekend in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) came in last year’s June race. He has completed 1,506 of 1,510 laps attempted at the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

This week marks the start of DIRECTV’s Head2Head Knockout competition. The No. 43 team has been pitted up against the No. 4 team during this week’s race. The high-stakes competition will take place over the course of four races and DIRECTV, the exclusive provider of the NASCAR HotPass™ broadcast, will donate a total of $400,000 to driver charities during the event as drivers compete head-to-head each week with the winner moving on to the next bracket.

In addition, a participating fan who fills out a perfect bracket can win $1 million. Aside from a perfect bracket winner, the fan who accumulates the most points will win a brand new truck from the manufacturer of the winning driver. Fans can get more information by visiting www.directv.com/nascar and can enter their brackets until Aug. 7 at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

TRIMFIT JOINS RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS PARTNER LINEUP

2011-08-02T17:56:00.000-06:00

TRIMFIT JOINS RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS PARTNER LINEUPPatented New Weight Loss Water Will Have Presence on No. 43 Ford

CONCORD, N.C. (August 2, 2011) – Roger J. Catarino, President and CEO of First Fruits Beverage Company, LLC, and Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) officials have announced a partnership centered around the new patented weight loss water beverage TrimFit. The associate sponsorship will showcase the brand on uniforms as well as on the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford.

“We’re happy to have TrimFit on board,” stated team Co-Owner Richard Petty. “TrimFit is an innovative and exciting new beverage and we’re looking forward to introducing it to the legions of faithful NASCAR fans. This is a great opportunity to introduce a new product to our sport and we’re looking forward to working together with the folks from TrimFit to showcase their great, new product.”

TrimFit will have a presence with both of the RPM NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams for the remainder of the 2011 season. In addition to a logo on the sleeve of the firesuit of Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion, the company will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 43 Ford machine.

Roger Catarino added, “RPM represents the highest quality image in integrity and reputation and we are delighted to be partnering with them and to have Richard “The King” Petty as our spokesperson. He and his team provide the perfect vehicle for our product to be introduced to the consumer and receive instant credibility because of his unprecedented accomplishments and reputation. TrimFit is a patented weight loss water and has created a new beverage category for functional beverages. Check www.TrimFitWater.com to find a TrimFit retailer closest to you”

About TrimFit:
Lose Weight, Lower Body Fat, Reduce Your Waistline, and Stay Hydrated with TrimFit ™ All Natural Weight Loss Water! While results may vary, TrimFit, with a balanced diet and exercise program can help you achieve and maintain healthy weight levels and a toned body shape. TrimFit’s patented ingredient, Trisynex®, targets reduction of body fat helping you achieve a healthy lifestyle by balancing the key hormones Leptin and Adiponectin. Ten years of university research and development, including an eight-week clinical study, substantiate that TrimFit works. Each eight-ounce serving is all natural, has 0 grams of sugar, five calories, and provides hydration. TrimFit comes in three great tasting flavors – Pink Lemonade, Mixed Berry, and Lemon Lime.

TrimFit is produced exclusively by First Fruits Beverage Company in Marion, VA. The state-of-the-art facility is organic certified, kosher approved, and is dedicated to “green” initiatives. For more information about TrimFit, please visit our website at www.TrimFitWater.com.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Indianapolis Race Recap

2011-08-01T19:00:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
* AJ Allmendinger started in the sixth position Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
* Allmendinger finished the 400-mile event at the 2.5-mile quad-oval in the 22nd position
* Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up in the sixth spot for the start of the 400-mile race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Quickly making his way toward the front of the field, Allmendinger was running in the third position on Lap 3.

A routine green flag pit stop on Lap 25 allowed Allmendinger to communicate to Crew Chief, Greg Erwin, who made his debut at the track with the team this weekend, that he was happy with how the Best Buy Ford was running overall, but the car was just a tick loose on entry and exit in the corners and tight through the center. Erwin called for a trackbar adjustment, four tires and fuel during the first pit stop of the day.

The change made to the Best Buy machine on the previous pit stop seemed to help the car’s handling during the early stages of the race, but as the laps wore on, Allmendinger began struggling more and more with how the car was driving. By Lap 105, Allmendinger was still running inside the top 10, but had fallen back to the ninth position.

With just under 60 Laps to go, Allmendinger again began to fight with the handling of the Best Buy Ford and couldn’t seem to get it to turn through the center of the corners. Erwin and the Richard Petty Motorsports crew made various chassis adjustments to the car during the remaining pit stops and when the checkered flag flew at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Allmendinger held down 22nd place.

Sunday’s finish resulted in Allmendinger falling one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He now holds down 17th place heading to Pocono Raceway next weekend.

Credit - Ford Racing

Indianapolis Qualifying Quotes

2011-07-30T17:49:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Qualified 6th
“I’m happy but I threw away turn four. I think we were on the pole until turn four, but I just didn’t want to get too tight off of four, so I decided to try to drive it in until I saw Jesus and I overshot the corner (laughing). I’m just proud of the guys. Greg Erwin and I and the whole team are trying to gel together. It’s tough to do in a day or two and feel like you’re competitive, so I feel like slowly each session got better. We’re still not quite where we want to be, but we have plenty of time to keep working on that. We have to keep working on the car in race trim, but it seems like every time we went out there we got a little bit better so hopefully we do the same tomorrow.”

HOW ARE YOU IN RACE TRIM? “We’re OK. We definitely need some speed. I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you. I think we made the car on each run a little more comfortable, but we definitely need a little more speed out of it. I’m happy with the effort so far.”

HOW IS IT WITH GREG? “He’s engineering based, so he’s always got a lot of ideas. He’s never thrown a ton of stuff at the car, so we’re always trying just little stuff each run, so I feel like I can get a good idea of what the car does that run compared to the next run, so he’s just real easy to work with so far. I guess that’s always the first week, everything is nice the first week, but he’s got a great background and a lot of experience and that just helps me.”

***

MARCOS AMBROSE – No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion
Qualified 21st
“It’s Indy. You want to do really well and want to get the pole and I just didn’t get it done. I’m disappointed in myself, really.”

Credit - Ford Racing

AJ on Trackside Live: Slip-n-Slide!

2011-07-29T19:17:00.000-06:00

Dinger Fan Story #5

2011-07-28T19:28:00.000-06:00

AJ sent a tweet to me wishing my son Ryan a happy 8th birthday! He is his favorite driver and that completely made my sons day!! Nothing huge but it's stuff like that, that means the most!!

Julie
Leesburg, VA
@H8Crosby on twitter

VIDEO: Allmendinger - Brickyard Bound

2011-07-28T15:16:00.000-06:00

RPM Broadens Management Team

2011-07-28T14:41:00.000-06:00

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS BROADENS MANAGEMENT TEAM

Brian Moffitt Takes Over as CEO, Mike Hargrave to Lead Team Marketing Efforts

CONCORD, N.C. (July 28, 2011) – Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) officials today announced several changes to the NASCAR Sprint Cup team’s executive lineup. Brian Moffitt, who previously headed up the RPM sales and marketing department, has been named chief executive officer for the multi-car team and Mike Hargrave has taken over the EVP, sales and marketing position. In addition, Robbie Loomis has been named chief operating officer for the organization.

“We’ve worked hard to put together a solid executive management team,” stated team co-owner Richard Petty. “Brian Moffitt has played an important role in the Petty organization for many years. He knows the ins and outs and strengths and weaknesses of this organization and he was an obvious choice to lead the team.

“We’re excited about the addition of Mike Hargrave as well,” continued Petty. “He is extremely well-respected in the industry and brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to our sales and marketing team. We’ve beefed up our sales department and put a solid plan in place to ensure that there is growth and success in the future of Richard Petty Motorsports.

Moffitt previously served as executive vice president of sales and marketing for Richard Petty Motorsports. For the past 15 years, he has overseen the acquisition of sponsorship and services for team owner Richard Petty and his entries in NASCAR. Prior to his current position, he held the position of sales representative at United Parcel Service.

Hargrave comes to RPM most recently from Bank of America where he served as senior vice president, global sponsorship marketing. In that role, Hargrave oversaw strategy and activation development for the organization’s motorsports sponsorship platform.

Andrew Murstein, team co-owner, concludes, “We will continue to add strong management and provide all of the financial resources needed to take Richard Petty and the entire organization to the next level and back in the winner’s circle where they belong.”
About Richard Petty Motorsports
Known to many simply as “The King,” Richard Petty is the most decorated driver in the history of NASCAR racing, winning a record 200 races and seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships during his illustrious career. In late 2010, Petty partnered with Medallion Financial and Douglas Bergeron to purchase the assets of Richard Petty Motorsports. Richard Petty Motorsports fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. AJ Allmendinger wheels the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with sponsorship from Stanley and DEWALT. For more information about the Concord, N.C.-based race team, please visit http://www.richardpettymotorsports.com/.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Indianapolis Race Preview

2011-07-28T14:34:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made three starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger enters the race in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) at the 2.5-mile quad-oval came in 2008

AJ Allmendinger on Indianapolis Motor Speedway: “Indy has so much tradition associated with it. I would say it’s our second biggest race of the year. It’s been a place where I feel like I’m average. I have run fairly strong there at times, but overall I've just had average finishes. I got the first top-10 finish of my career in Indy, so that will always be pretty special. I think this year with all of the horsepower Ford has been putting out the Best Buy Ford should be pretty good. It’s a place where track position has always been key. If you can get inside the top-five, you can maintain track position whether you have a great car or not.”

Crew Chief Greg Erwin’s Thoughts on Indy: “I’m looking forward to working with AJ and the whole Best Buy team this weekend in my new role as crew chief. It will be important in Indy to maximize the front grip potential of the racetrack. It’s one of the tighter tracks that we go to with corner entry speeds being as fast as they are and the track being as flat as it is. It's really hard to get the car to continue to turn after the driver lets off of the brakes because the front end unloads. We will work on keeping the Best Buy Ford’s front end low. It’s a fast smooth race track so we will work on splitter height as well so we can optimize the downforce package that goes with the car. There will be a lot of single file racing and the opportunity to pass is few and far between, so qualifying well and making sure we have good track position will be important.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 752 for this weekend’s event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at Texas and Charlotte.

Notes: Allmendinger’s best finishing position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (10th) came in 2008. Allmendinger gained two positions in the points after his 12th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and enters this weekend in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. Allmendinger has completed 100 percent of laps attempted (480) at the 2.5-mile speedway.

This weekend will be Greg Erwin’s first race as the new crew chief of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford driven by Allmendinger. Prior to joining Richard Petty Motorsports, Erwin held the crew chief position with the No. 16 team at Roush Fenway Racing. Erwin joined that team in May 2007 and during his tenure at RFR, led Biffle to five victories, 36 top-five and 66 top-10 finishes. Erwin’s team made the Chase for the Championship three times, finishing as high as third in the year end point standings.

The No. 43 Hauler will be making a stop at Best Buy’s Geek Squad City (345 International Boulevard, Brooks, KY 40109) Thursday morning from 8– 9:30 a.m.

Can’t get enough of the Dinger? AJ will be signing autographs at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series autograph session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday from 12-12:45 p.m. in the Pavilion.

Don’t miss out on your chance to meet Allmendinger as he will be appearing at the Best Buy store in Avon, Ind. (10346 East US Highway 36, Avon, Ind., 46123). The appearance is scheduled for Thursday, July 28, from 6-8 p.m. ET and is open to the public.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Dinger Fan Story #4

2011-07-21T08:10:00.000-06:00

Hello,

I am a Fan of Best Buy. I have been a die hard supporter of the store when it 1st came out. I understand in these trying times you would need to pull out of the sport. That to me would be something a person could understand but lets not leave the Dinger!

I have tried for years to meet AJ, I have been a Fan of the Dinger since the red bull days. I believe that he can drive. I believe in him as a person.

I have never heard or seen a bad thing written about the Dinger. I think if I ever got the chance to meet him I would pass out.

I listen to him when he is on the Dave Moody Show and he is just a great guy and his wife Lynne is awesome.

His is a great balance to our sport and glad the "King" saw a lot in him and continues to give him the chance to drive when others would not.

We Love the Dinger!

Stick with the Dinger Best Buy. You have the best adversting in this man!

Thanks
Pam C
Charlottesville, VA

VIDEO: Allmendinger - Kentucky Recap

2011-07-19T21:32:00.002-06:00

Tuesday Ramble: Breathing New Life Into the #43 Team

2011-07-19T14:51:00.002-06:00

Mike Shiplett was the crew chief who welcomed AJ Allmendinger into the fold when he arrived at Gillett Evernham Motorsports, now Richard Petty Motorsports, in October of 2008. After being let go before season’s end by Red Bull Racing and picking up a one car deal with Michael Waltrip Racing, AJ took on the challenge of qualifying and racing GEM’s #10 entry, which was not locked into the top 35 in owner’s points, a situation AJ was very familiar with.

AJ’s first race with the #10 team under Shiplett’s leadership was a great success compared to where the car had been running previously, and so were the remaining races that the two worked together that season. Then after the merger with Petty Motorsports in 2009, Shiplett moved to the #43 team of Reed Sorensen while AJ took on an underfunded fourth team with crew chief Sammy Johns at the helm.

Despite the obstacle of being a thrown together new team, the #44 group did a lot with the little that they were given. Then late in 2009 RPM made the move to switch the entire #43 and #44 teams around to try and improve performance for both of them. AJ ended up back with Mike Shiplett, a man that AJ has said many times that he respects greatly for his passion about racing.

Together again for the final fourteen races of 2009, the entire 2010 season, and halfway through this season, Mike and AJ have worked well with each other and made great strides in improving the #43 team. But the time has come to make a change with only a handful of races left to either get in the top ten in points or get enough wins for the coveted wildcard spots. Richard Petty Motorsports announced yesterday that Mike Shiplett has been replaced by Greg Erwin. Read the official announcement here.

Here are AJ’s words on the subject via Twitter:

“I'm out in Utah racing my kart. I'm excited to work with Greg and look forward to the rest of the season in the attempt to keep making....

Myself and the whole 43 team better. At the same time I am saddened at the loss of Mike. I really enjoyed working with Mike and I believe..

He is a great crew chief and even more important he's been a great person and friend to me. I wish Mike nothing but the best and will miss

Having him as part of the race team. I'm sorry we couldn't get the job done together.”

I think that most people will echo AJ’s mixed sentiments about Mike Shiplett departing as the team leader of the #43 Best Buy Ford. It’s sad to see him go but exciting to see a new era begin. Shiplett’s passion and drive to win has never been in question, and neither has his close relationship with his driver. Mike and AJ seemed to both be on the same wavelength through much of their working partnership.

In the competitive sport of NASCAR where a team’s worth is measured in statistics like wins, top fives and top tens, sometimes passion and heart just aren’t enough. The #43 group has struggled for consistency throughout the last two years, sometimes unloading with a fast hot rod and other times needing every second of practice to try and salvage a decent running car. Strategy calls from the pit box have been much the same – sometimes good, sometimes bad.

AJ and team had a strong start to the 2011 season and hopes were high for him to begin racking up top tens and maybe even have a shot to win a time or two. Unfortunately the #43 group seems to have plateaued in the last couple of months and haven’t been able to move up to the level that they have been striving to reach in order to contend with the top tier teams.

Over and over AJ has said in interviews that his focus this year hasn’t simply been getting in the Chase, but that they just need to work on improving the race team overall. Mike has done a great job getting the team to where it is today, but the improvement aspect has seemed to stall. So the team will now welcome in a new head man in Greg Erwin.

Greg comes over from an RPM affiliate, Roush Fenway Racing. He’s had five years of experience there with driver Greg Biffle and has led the #16 team to a handful of wins and three Chase berths. With this change in leadership, the potential is there to breathe new life into the #43 Best Buy team. Greg brings experience and a new perspective on setting up race cars that can benefit the entire RPM group greatly.

So for me, it’s sad to see Mike Shiplett walk away from a team that he has worked so hard to make better, but at the same time I’m looking forward to seeing what some fresh blood can do for the #43 bunch. I sincerely hope that this change is the shot in the arm that will put the Best Buy team in Victory Lane, because the driver, the sponsors, the owners, and all of the hard working guys behind the scenes deserve to see the fruits of their labor rewarded.

Crew Chief Change for the #43 Team

2011-07-18T19:28:00.002-06:00

GREG ERWIN TAPPED TO LEAD RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS NO. 43 TEAM

CONCORD, N.C. (July 18, 2011) – Richard Petty Motorsports officials announced today that Greg Erwin has joined the team and will replace Mike Shiplett as crew chief for the No. 43 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry driven by AJ Allmendinger.

“Mike and I have been together for a long time, so from a personal standpoint this is difficult for me,” said Allmendinger. “We’ve worked really well together and I think our personalities really complemented each other. Mike and I both came into this year really committed to working on our weaker areas. I know we both tried our best to be better and communicate better - I couldn’t have asked for either of us to try any harder. Sometimes though, you need to take a step back and have a new perspective or new set of eyes look at things to move to the next level.

“Greg Erwin is a really talented crew chief and we’re lucky to have him come on board with us,” continued Allmendinger. “He has had a lot of success, brings a fresh perspective and has shown he knows exactly what it takes to win. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together and taking the team to that next level.”

Prior to joining Richard Petty Motorsports, Erwin held the crew chief position with the No. 16 team at Roush Fenway Racing. Erwin joined that team in May 2007 and during his tenure at RFR, led Biffle to five victories, 36 top-five and 66 top-10 finishes. Erwin’s team made the Chase for the Championship three times, finishing as high as third in the year end point standings.

“When one door closes, another one opens and this is a great example of that,” said Erwin. “I couldn’t be happier to have found a new home at Richard Petty Motorsports. To work with Richard Petty and lead the iconic No. 43 team is a great opportunity for me. AJ Allmendinger has shown that he has a great deal of talent and I’m excited to have the chance to get the No. 43 team back to victory lane.”

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Loudon Race Recap

2011-07-18T19:21:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger started from the 17th spot at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
• Allmendinger wheeled his way to a 12th-place finishing position at the one-mile track
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the 17th position. He quickly made his way toward the front of the field and was running in the eighth position by Lap 26. Relaying to Crew Chief Mike Shiplett that the Best Buy Ford was to his liking, Shiplett called for four tires and fuel only during the first pit stop of the day at Lap 31.

Several cars elected to take only two tires during the Lap 31 caution period, resulting in a 23rd place restarting position. Allmendinger again made his way toward the front of the field in a hurry and was running in the 11th position when the second caution flag of the day flew on Lap 61. An incident on pit road with the No. 71 caused right front fender damage to the No. 43 Ford Fusion. He was forced back to pit road a second time during the yellow flag period to fix the damage to the fender.

Restarting in the 33rd position, Allmendinger struggled for the remainder of the event with the handling of his Best Buy machine after the damage sustained to the car on pit road. Fighting a tight race car, Shiplett and crew made a variety of adjustments throughout the day. With just over 100 laps to go in the 301-lap event, Allmendinger communicated to the Best Buy crew that his car was handling better and he was beginning to move through the field, methodically passing cars one by one.

Shiplett had pit strategy planned for the end of the race, electing to stay out and save fuel during the last few caution periods of the event. Allmendinger made his last stop on Lap 225 for gas only. The call paid off for the Richard Petty Motorsports crew and Allmendinger was able to hold on until the end, finishing in the12th position as several of the leaders ran out of fuel just before the checkered flag flew.

Allmendinger’s 12th-place finish moves him up two positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings and he now sits in 16th place heading into the 20th race of the season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 31.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Loudon Post-Race Quotes

2011-07-17T20:31:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 12th
YOU LOOK ABSOLUTELY EXHAUSTED, MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. “Yeah, it was that kind of day today. The hose fell off on lap three for the cooler. It was pretty warm in there. We got it back on for a little bit, but it fell back off again. The car was so fast in the beginning, it was ridiculous. It was a joke actually how fast the car was in the beginning but you have idiots that just panic and try to turn down and stop in the middle of pit road. It is like the seas parted and the 71 was sitting there. I tried to lock it up but I hit him in the exact wrong spot and it killed our fender. From there it was an uphill battle. You get in the back here and you are in trouble. If we would have had no damage and been back there we would have drove back up through the field but the thing was tight. We were gouging each other back there just trying to get anything, any kind of space. Overall it was a decent day finish wise. I am really proud of all these guys for the race car that they built there. It was ridiculous, it was fast. We just got hosed there. We got something decent out of it, not what we wanted but something decent to salvage and we go on to the next race.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Loudon Race Preview

2011-07-14T08:10:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• Allmendinger has made seven starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
• Allmendinger enters the race in 18th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger’s best finish (10th) came in last year’s spring race at New Hampshire

Allmendinger on New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “Loudon is fun, I really like racing there. It’s kind of different from the typical race tracks that we go to because it has a lot of racing grooves and it’s a flat one-mile track. I’ve always just enjoyed going there. Mike (Shiplett) has always had a really good setup at New Hampshire, which makes it fun for me to race. Because of the way the oval is configured there are a lot of different ways to get around the track by running in the different racing grooves. We’ve been fast at New Hampshire the last two years and I feel like it’s a good race to get us back on track after a disappointing weekend in Kentucky. I’m looking forward to getting our Best Buy Ford Fusion a good finish this weekend.”

Crew Chief Mike Shiplett’s Keys to Getting Around New Hampshire: “We need to have a Best Buy Ford Fusion that turns well in the middle, but has very good forward drive off of the corners. Loudon has long straightaways and really tight turns; it’s like a supersized Martinsville. Brakes are very important. We don’t want to overuse the brakes, we’ve got to make sure we try and save them. It’s a short race in terms of miles, but it is a very hard race on the car and equipment.”

Shiplett on Pitting at Loudon: “Pit road is very challenging. You can lose a lot of time on pit road or gain a lot of time on pit road depending on how your entry is from the race track. Pit strategy is going to be very important. We usually get a quick caution early on in the race and everyone gets two tires, then we have a couple of green flag runs, so having good pit strategy at the end is key. Often the race comes down to fuel mileage or there will be a bunch of late race cautions and we’ll have to decide if we are going to pit or not, and if we pit, are we going to take two tires or four? It will all depend on how the car is handling and where we are as far as track position goes.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 736 for this weekend’s event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Las Vegas, Richmond and Kansas.

Notes: Allmendinger has seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Allmendinger’s best starting position (sixth) came in last year’s fall race at the one-mile track. He has completed 1,901 of 2,058 laps attempted. Allmendinger enters the weekend in 18th spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings and will make his 135th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Loudon.

Allmendinger’s car will have a different look this weekend as Best Buy will return as the primary partner of the No. 43 Ford Fusion.

Allmendinger and “The King” will be attending the 18th Annual Best Buy Charity Classic in Minneapolis, Minn., Wednesday for a golf tournament and gala to benefit The Best Buy Children’s Foundation. The foundation was founded in 1994 and today the Best Buy Children’s Foundation works with nonprofit organizations to support programs that create opportunities for teens. Their goal is to provide positive experiences that will help them excel in school, engage in their communities and develop leadership skills.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Dinger Fan Story #3

2011-07-13T07:52:00.002-06:00

In May 2008 in Charlotte for the Coke 600, we were walking around the outside of the track and as we walked by the Toyota stage, drivers were giving out autographs. When we saw AJ, we figured we would get his autograph. My 8 year old daughter, Ashley, had a pink hat that she had different military men & women signing, so we started walking towards the autograph area. We arrived too late, he had turned around and was leaving. Many people around us yelled "Hey AJ, come sign this little girl's hat!". He did. He came back, signed her hat, and made that little girl's day.

From that day on we started cheering for him. When he was let go from Red Bull, we were not impressed with their decision or choice, and we became stronger fans.

Ashley, who is now 11, had never been a huge Nascar fan, but AJ turned her into one. In 2009 he stopped and posed with her while signing autographs at his trailer. His genuine care and concern for his fans is exactly what this sport needs more of. We are thrilled to see him in the #43, driving for Petty Motorsports, and kudos to Best Buy for sponsoring this talented driver. May their relationship continue for years to come!

The picture attached is from May, 2009, in Charlotte before the Coke 600. My daughter and her favorite driver! She has since replaced her #3 hat with a #43.

Lisa G
N Carolina

Kentucky Race Recap

2011-07-11T08:18:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion
■AJ Allmendinger started from the 23rd spot Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway
■Allmendinger wheeled his way to a 28th place finishing position
■Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 18th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the start of the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Kentucky Speedway in the 23rd spot after rain showers forced the cancellation of qualifying. In the early laps of the event, Allmendinger relayed to Crew Chief Mike Shiplett that the Valvoline Ford was loose.

A competition caution on Lap 31 enabled Allmendinger to duck into the pits for four fresh tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. The California native lined up for the Lap 36 restart in the 25th position. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before Allmendinger communicated to the crew that the changes made hadn’t helped the car, and in fact, the car was even more of a handful than before.

Shiplett made adjustments to the handling of the car on every stop, but the changes made didn’t seem to do much to help the Valvoline machine. Allmendinger held down the 28th spot at Lap 147 and had lost one lap to the leaders. He was running in the 31st spot when the caution came out with 28 laps remaining in the 267-lap event. Shiplett called his driver onto pit lane for a two-tire stop and when the green flag flew for the restart, the No. 43 Valvoline Ford lined back up in the 31st position. Allmendinger gained several positions in the closing laps and when the checkered flag flew, the No. 43 Ford Fusion held down the 28th spot.

Allmendinger slipped several positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver point standings and unofficially sits in 18th position. The Cup Series will head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway next weekend.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR

Kentucky Post-Race Quotes

2011-07-10T20:33:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion
Finished 28th
“Our Valvoline Ford started out okay, but after the first pit stop everything changed. We aren’t sure why either. Man, it’s a shame we weren’t able to put on a better show for Valvoline and the fans here at Kentucky. We just gotta get back in the shop and figure out what the deal is and get it fixed and head to New Hampshire.”

Credit - Ford Racing

Kentucky Race Preview

2011-07-07T08:10:00.000-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Valvoline Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger will be making his 134th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend in Kentucky
• Allmendinger enters the race in 15th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
• Allmendinger will make his first career start at Kentucky Speedway this weekend

AJ Allmendinger on Kentucky Speedway: “Kentucky is going to be a fun race for me. I’ve never raced there before in any series, I’ve only tested there back in 2008, so this weekend is going to be a new experience for me all together. I feel like Mike and my whole Valvoline team have really made some strides in our 1.5-mile track program and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of a Valvoline Ford we’ve got this weekend.

“It’s a Saturday night race and I really enjoy night racing. It’s cool to see the fans getting so excited about Cup racing coming to Kentucky. I can’t wait to show them what it’s all about.”

Crew Chief Mike Shiplett on Kentucky: “Kentucky is a 1.5-mile track, it’s got wide sweeping corners that have some bumps to them. It’s going to be a challenge for everyone, and NASCAR has given us a test date on Thursday, so we’ll have about six hours to try and figure out the track before we officially start competition on Friday. I’m looking forward to the challenge with the Valvoline Ford Fusion.

“We didn’t have the best luck at intermediate tracks earlier in the season, but we’ve recently figured out a few things at the 1.5-mile tracks and were looking forward to putting them to good use at Kentucky this weekend.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 742 for this weekend’s event at Kentucky Speedway. This Valvoline Ford Fusion has been run previously this year at California.

About the Track: This Saturday will mark the first time a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event has been held at Kentucky Speedway. Located in Sparta, Ky., the 1.5-mile oval is 57-feet wide, with 14-degree banking in the turns. It has a 12-foot apron and a 1,600-foot backstretch.

Notes: Allmendinger will make his first career start at Kentucky Speedway Saturday night. After his 10th place finish at Daytona last weekend, Allmendinger enters the 18th race of the season in the 15th position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.

Allmendinger will have a different look this weekend as Valvoline will make its second appearance of the year as the primary partner of the No. 43 Ford Fusion.

The third of 12 Best Buy “Re-Tailgate” events will occur this Saturday. A combination of 100 premiere Best Buy customers and Best Buy employees will be invited to a private shopping/tailgating event. Following the event the guests will be bused to the track and get the opportunity to meet Allmendinger. After the meet and great attendees will be given a pit tour and then be able to enjoy the race from their grandstand seats.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorspots PR

Dinger Fan Story #2

2011-07-06T12:55:00.001-06:00

My fandom of AJ began during his last season in Champ Car, which happened to be about the time that my love of all forms of racing instead of just NASCAR blossomed. AJ was a fun, talented American in a tough series dominated by foreign drivers, and obviously he was very successful that season. When AJ moved to Red Bull it was the best of both worlds to me, or so I thought. I felt bad watching AJ struggle with a new team and manufacturer that year. My respect for AJ came during an ESPN spot later that season where the rookie class of that year (Menard, JPM, AJ, and a couple of others) was asked to grade their performances while sitting in a mock school room. I was impressed that AJ was the only one honest enough to give himself a bad grade for a disappointing season (for which he could have blamed new manufacturer, new team, no testing, etc) up to that point while the other drivers who were also struggling gave themselves A’s and B’s, apparently for not getting lost on the way to the track since they hadn’t done much else that year.

My wife and I met AJ for the first time at the November race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2008. AJ had just gotten picked up by GEM and was driving the Country Crock #10 car that week. On Saturday while perusing the Stanley tools display we heard one of the Stanley folks announce that they had two passes for a meet and greet with AJ. I nearly tackled the nearest Stanley worker and almost had talked him out of the passes for nothing when Mandy went up to the head worker and told him that she would do anything for the passes. Mandy then backed up that promise by dancing on stage until the crowd deemed her worthy of the passes. I had never gotten to meet a NASCAR driver before and was pretty nervous for the meet and greet. AJ was his normal funny self though and put the group at ease. I was the only one there wearing AJ’s drivers gear and after noticing that fact I must admit that I hogged the time allotted with my questions. AJ also got a good laugh out of Mandy explaining the lengths she went to too earn passes for me. AJ left that race with two fans as now after meeting him Mandy understood what I saw in AJ that made me a fan. We returned in April for the spring race +1 as we had the Future Dinger Fan in tow, which we now knew had actually been with us for about two weeks the first time we met Dinger. AJ really got a kick out of the shirt Mandy had and we got some photos with AJ after the normal autograph session was completed and got to visit a little more. Again we were impressed with how personable AJ was with the fans. I have gone on to get to meet AJ at Texas ion November 2009 and at Martinsville and Michigan in 2010 as well, and the experience never gets old. The Michigan fan club event was especially cool as AJ spent the entire Nationwide race with his fans answering questions and hanging out. Now who else’s driver does that?

Seeing how much fun AJ seemed to be having finally convinced me to quit just dreaming of racing one day and actually do something about it. I attended my first open track day shortly after the Michigan race, began gutting my Ford Mustang and converting it into a dedicated race car, and earned my NASA competition license on April 30, 2011. So now I not only cheer for the 43 on Sunday’s but also on Friday’s and Saturday’s while I race MY #43 Ford Mustang in the NASA Camaro Mustang Challenge here in the Texas region. I laugh now when people see my number and say “Big Petty fan huh?” to which I get to go into my “well yes, but actually the 43 is for Dinger” story. While I have no aspirations or delusions of reaching any level near AJ’s, I can honestly say that meeting him has bumped me over that edge from just watching racing to participating in it, and I am very happy and thankful for that.

John
Texas

VIDEO: Allmendinger on the 4th

2011-07-05T18:09:00.003-06:00

Daytona II Race Recap

2011-07-04T07:19:00.001-06:00

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger started from the ninth spot Saturday night at Daytona
• Allmendinger wheeled his way to a 10th-place finishing position
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 15th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger took the green flag for the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Daytona in the ninth position. Allmendinger slipped back a few positions just after the start of the race to find his teammate and pre-arranged drafting partner Marcos Ambrose who started three rows behind the No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford.

Working in tandem with Ambrose, the pair planned to run mid-pack for the majority of the race in hopes of avoiding any on-track incidents in front of them. Running in the 20th position when the first pit stop of the day came under caution on Lap 21, Crew Chief Mike Shiplett called for right side tires and fuel for the U.S. Air Force machine. Running in 11th spot, Shiplett again called Allmendinger’s Ford into the pits for four tires and fuel on Lap 49 when the third caution flag of the day flew.

Allmendinger and drafting partner Ambrose ducked onto pit road for what was supposed to be a routine pit stop under green flag conditions on Lap 134. As Allmendinger drove down pit road, he relayed to Shiplett that the U.S. Air Force Ford was out of gas. Coasting to his pit stall for a two tire stop, the No. 43 had trouble re-firing and lost drafting partner Ambrose.

When the pair finally hooked up again they had slipped to the back of the field and fell a lap down to the leaders. The first car a lap down, Allmendinger and crew were hoping for a late race caution to put them in the “Lucky Dog” position, which would allow the No. 43 to get back on the lead lap. With luck on their side, the caution flag flew on Lap 159, setting the field up for a green-white-checkered finish.

Restarting in the 31st position on Lap 164, Allmendinger avoided a multi-car accident going into Turn 1 and moved up several positions. The green flag flew again for the field’s second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish on Lap 167. Again working in tandem with Ambrose, the pair were picking off cars one-by-one, when another multi-car accident on the last lap took out several lead cars allowing Allmendinger to come home in the 10th position at the end of the 170-lap race.

Credit - Richard Petty Motorsports PR