Will Go All Out to Compete with the No. 43 Smithfield Ford this Weekend
With just one race left before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Aric Almirola is 29 points outside of a transfer spot. Although the team has a shot at getting in on points, the No. 43 Smithfield/Waffle House team knows a win will lock them into the playoffs and are focused on having a good shot to compete for a win this weekend. Richmond International Raceway is a good track for the team. Last fall, they scored a Top-10 finish, and Almirola scored their best finish of eighth in the spring race in 2013. A home track for sponsor Smithfield Foods, the team has extra incentive to perform well this weekend.
Almirola has seven Sprint Cup and six XFINITY Series starts at the .75-mile track. He scored two Top-10 finishes in the Cup Series and earned his best finish of seventh in the XFINITY Series in 2011.
Fans will have the opportunity to attend a live taping of Sirius XM NASCAR Radio’s Morning Drive from 7 – 11 a.m. EST at the Waffle House located at 5414 Williamsburg Road, Sandston, Va. 23150. Almirola, teammate Sam Hornish Jr. and “The King” will all make appearances at the Waffle House and live on the Morning Drive.
Almirola and Petty will also join Smithfield, MARTIN’s Food Markets and Richmond International Raceway to donate 25,000 pounds of protein to FeedMore Central Virginia Food Bank as part of Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes initiative. The donation will be held on the Richmond frontstretch at 2:15 p.m. EST. Fans are encouraged to attend. Fans will also have a chance to the see duo judge the 12th installment of Smithfield’s Whole Hog Challenge at the Smithfield display at 4:35 p.m. Fans can sign up to participate in the Whole Hog Challenge by stopping by the Smithfield display throughout the weekend. Earlier, Almirola will stop by the Ford display at 3:50 p.m. for a fan Q&A.
“We are still in the hunt for the Chase. This weekend is our last shot. We didn’t make up as many points as we had hoped to last weekend, but we controlled what we could and posted a good finish. Whether we make the Chase or not this weekend, we have nothing to hang our heads about. We’ve been consistent all year, and that was our goal from the beginning of the season. We’ll see how the chips fall at Richmond. We’ve found success there in the past, so hopefully we can unload well and put up a good fight.
“Richmond is Smithfield’s home track, which gives us extra incentive to do well. We have a lot of events this weekend for the fans which is really cool. Friday morning, we will spend the morning at Waffle House with Sirius. We did that in Charlotte earlier this year, and it was really fun. And who could turn down their signature waffle, bacon, and scattered, smothered and covered hash browns. We’re also helping with another food donation which is really special each and every time we do them.”
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, N.C.
