MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 28, 2015) – With the month of July ending, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) heads into August with four races on the slate. Events at Pocono Raceway, Watkins Glen International, Michigan International Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway will give drivers Aric Almirola and Sam Hornish the opportunity to race into The Chase for the Sprint Cup.
After Sunday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Almirola and the No. 43 team are 11 points out of a Chase spot by points. With Kyle Busch winning Sunday’s Brickyard 400, and only 23 points out of being Chase eligible, the No. 43 team will aim for a win or for a Top-15 spot in points. The team is 30 points out of 15th. Although the Brickyard was tough on the Eckrich Ford, Almirola was strong in July with finishes of 12th and 15th and is in the thick of playoff contention.
Sam Hornish and the No. 9 Medallion Ford team had a strong end to July. A 17th-place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday was his best finish of the month. Hornish and the No. 9 team have Watkins Glen International during the month of August. Hornish finished 10th at Sonoma and RPM has a strong record at The Glen.
As we look forward to August, a recap of Sunday’s Brickyard 400 follows:
Sam Hornish, No. 9 Medallion Ford Team
In Sunday’s 160-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sam Hornish Jr. and the No. 9 Medallion Bank Ford team rebounded from two laps down to a 17th-place finish. Damage from the contact caused Hornish to make an unscheduled stop on Lap 21 for a flat right-rear tire. The Medallion Bank team made significant gains throughout the day and raced through the field on a track that is very difficult to pass.
Hornish started the race from the 18th position but brushed the wall on Lap Six. With what was minimal damage to the No. 9 Ford, Hornish continued on. On Lap 21, he radioed to the crew that he was coming to pit road with a flat right, rear tire. After a four-tire stop, Hornish returned to the track in the 42nd position, one lap down.
Over the next 25 laps, Hornish moved his way up to the 32nd position. He reported the No. 9 Ford was tight if he was by himself but really loose when he was in traffic. When debris brought out the caution on Lap 46, Hornish brought the No. 9 Ford to pit road for four tires, an air pressure adjustment and fuel. He restarted in 32nd on Lap 50.
After another quick caution, Hornish ran in the 31st position when he reported the No. 9 Ford was tight in the center and free on the exit of the corner. Crew Chief Kevin Manion called the Medallion Bank Ford to pit road on Lap 82 for a green-flag pit stop. The crew made an air pressure adjustment during the four-tire stop to help with the handling. Hornish returned to the track in 32nd, two laps down.
Debris on the track brought out the caution on Lap 92. Hornish reported that the No. 9 was better. He stayed out to take the wave-around and restarted 31st, only one lap down, on Lap 97.
After two quick runs, where Hornish was able to take advantage of new tires, he put himself into the Lucky Dog spot. Debris on the backstretch brought out the caution on Lap 142, giving the No. 9 team the break they needed to get back on the lead lap. The last adjustments to the No. 9 Ford helped, but Hornish said he could use a little more. He came down pit road for four tires, an air pressure adjustment and fuel and restarted 26th on Lap 147.
The field saw three more cautions in the closing laps which led to a green-white-checkered finish. Each restart, Hornish advanced his position, and in the end, he took the checkered flag in the 17th position. The Top-20 finish moves Hornish up three spots in the Championship Point Standings to 25th.
“It was hot, that is for sure,” said Hornish after the race.  “We got behind early. With the downforce package we got, it sinks the back of the car so low that we ended up flattening the right rear tire. We pitted and we stuck with it. The guys made good changes throughout the day and got our Medallion Bank Ford Fusion up there to 17th. It’s not a bad way to end the month. We’re working hard to get better and I know we can have some good races and good results in August.”
Aric Almirola, No. 43 Eckrich Ford
A late race incident took the No. 43 Eckrich Ford out of contention in yesterday’s Brickyard 400. It was a bitter end as the No. 43 team made progress throughout the race and were eyeing their 11th Top-15 finish. But, it just wasn’t in the cards for Aric Almirola and the team. Damage from a Lap 108 incident put them three laps down. Almirola finished 38th and fell to 17th in the Championship Point Standings, 30 points outside of the Top-15 and the Chase cutoff spot.
Almirola started the 400-mile race from the 22nd position and quickly worked his “Petty Blue” Ford into the Top-20. He told the crew the Eckrich Ford was too loose and began making trackbar adjustments inside of the cockpit of the No. 43.
A long, green-flag run led to green-flag pit stops when Crew Chief Trent Owens called Almirola down pit road on Lap 28 for a four-tire stop and major chassis adjustments. The car took off better after the adjustments. Debris brought out the caution on Lap 46. Owens elected to make another four-tire pit stop and make the car better for Almirola.
Almirola restarted 23rd and stayed out during the caution that came out just two laps later. He restarted 19th. Teams that elected to stay out the last two cautions began making green-flag pit stops on Lap 57, and Almirola drove the No. 43 Eckrich Ford into the seventh position by Lap 65. He continued to race in the Top-Seven for the next 18 laps before making a green-flag pit stop on Lap 83. The Eckrich crew changed four tires, and Almirola returned to the track in the 18th spot.
Debris on the frontstretch brought out the caution on Lap 92 with Almirola in the 17th spot, putting everyone on the same fuel strategy. He told the crew the car takes off tight and then is freer toward the end of the run, but he worked the trackbar to make the car handle better. Owens elected to just change four tires and fill up with fuel. Almirola restarted 17th.
He raced in the Top-17 until the No. 43 Eckrich Ford spun off Turn Two. The wheels locked up, and the Ford hit the wall with both the right front and rear quarter panels. The team made multiple stops to fix the damage and fell three laps down to the leader. Almirola held on and the team continued working on the damage for the final 48 laps of the race. They finished 38th, three laps down. The finish caused them to fall to 17th in the Championship Points Standings.
“Today was really tough to swallow,” said Almirola. “These 43 guys worked their guts out to get our car where it needed to be today. Trent and the guys made good adjustments during the race, and I felt like we could have scored another Top-15 finish. That’s what we needed to do to stay in the hunt for the Chase. Finishing 38th really put us back in the points. We’ll have to race our guts out for the next six races and do whatever we can to get a win. It’ll be tough, but we’re up for the challenge.”
About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by
NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force, STP and Fresh From Florida, and Sam Hornish Jr. drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Medallion Bank and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville,
