Almirola Ready for High Speeds at Michigan

No. 43 Smithfield Team Looks for Good Showing in Ford Performance’s Backyard

The No. 43 Smithfield Ford team raced the fast speeds at Michigan International Speedway just eight weeks ago with interim driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. in the car. The team will utilize notes from that race to bring Aric Almirola the best setup for his first start this season at the two-mile track. Almirola, fully recovered from his injury, is ready to tackle the fastest track on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

Almirola found success at Michigan with a win in the Camping World Truck Series in 2010. Since then, he’s made 10 Monster Energy Series starts where he scored a fourth-place starting spot in 2014 and a best finish of 14th in 2015. He also has three XFINITY Series starts under his belt with a best finish of eighth in 2015.
MIS Fans will have the opportunity to see Almirola before the Pure Michigan 400 at the Ford Performance display. He will participate in a question and answer session on stage before belting into the No. 43 Smithfield Ford.

When: Sunday, August 13, 11:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Where: Ford display in the Fanzone

“When I think of Michigan, there is only one word that comes to mind: speed. We go so fast at Michigan. This will be my first stop at Michigan this year, so I’ll lean on Drew (Blickensderfer) and the team to bring good notes from June. Hopefully, we’ll roll off the truck with a good setup and have a good run on Sunday. I really like Michigan. Not just because I got a win here in the truck, but also because my wife’s family is from here and it’s in Ford’s backyard. That makes it extra special when you run well here.”

No. 43 Smithfield Ford
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 one team in competition in the NASCAR premier series with driver Aric Almirola. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and Fresh From Florida. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.