CONCORD, N.C. (May 16, 2012) – Aric Almirola hopes to be in the starting line-up for two races on Saturday night. The Sprint Showdown is already on his schedule. He hopes the Sprint All-Star race will be a late add.

Almirola and his No. 43 team will bring their Smithfield Ford Fusion and its new black-and-blue paint scheme to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s Showdown – the 40-lap exhibition event in which the top two finishers advance to the All-Star Race that immediately follows. The winner of an online fan vote will also advance to the All-Star event. Almirola has spent time in the top-10 of the online vote and can still garner votes through 5 p.m. ET Saturday at http://nas.cr/a32m.

The weekend marks Almirola’s first appearance in the annual Showdown. But he’s no stranger to the 1.5-mile oval that’s regarded as the home track to most NASCAR teams. He has a top-five and three top-10s in seven Nationwide Series starts and two top-10s in two Camping World Truck Series appearances at Charlotte.

Continuing race activities in Charlotte next week, Richard Petty Motorsports will host its third annual Fan Appreciation Day on Thursday, May 24, from 7 a.m. to noon at the RPM shop in Concord, N.C. The first 200 fans in line who donate a nonperishable food item to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina will receive a commemorative ticket allowing them access to the shop and an autograph session with Almirola, Marcos Ambrose, Michael Annett and Richard Petty. Other activities include a Q-and-A session with the RPM drivers and Richard Petty hosted by Miss Sprint Cup, raffles, give-a-ways and free food.

Comments from Smithfield Ford Fusion Driver Aric Almirola:

“I’m really excited to run in my first Showdown. You’re just going for broke because you want to be one of those top two guys at the end so you can advance to the All-Star race. You don’t get anything for third or fourth or anything after. And it’s only 40 laps, so it’s definitely more of a sprint than a marathon. You can throw some strategy in, deciding whether or not to pit at the break, and Mike Ford and I will talk about that. But all in all, it’s just one of those events where you’re only goal is to finish up front.

“Of course, if we don’t advance by finishing first or second, I hope I can get a spot through the fan vote. I’m really proud that my fans have had me in the top-10 in the vote this year. And it’s not too late to keep voting. There’s no limit to how many times you can vote, so keep clicking away on my name. I would be extremely proud to put our Smithfield Ford Fusion in the All-Star line-up either way.”

Comments from Crew Chief Mike Ford on the All-Star Race:

“I’ve watched the Showdown every year and, I’ll tell you, it’s very competitive. Some might have the wrong idea that it’s an easier race because it’s only half the regular field, but that’s not the case at all. Guys take it very seriously – almost more so than a points race because it’s strictly for bragging rights and to move on to the All-Star race afterward.

“This weekend will be very important for us. It’ll be Aric’s first time at Charlotte in a Cup car and it leads into the Coke 600 next week, so it’ll be important for us to get a handle on what we have and I think we’ll get that handle pretty quick.”

Chassis History:
The team will race chassis number 752. The team raced this car at Fontana and Kansas this season.

NEXT RACE:
All-Star Showdown/All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 19. 7:00 p.m.
TV: SPEED Channel
Radio: MRN/SIRIUS/XM 90

Qualifying:
Friday, May 18
TV: SPEED Channel
Showdown Qualifying: 5:00 p.m.
All-Star Qualifying: 6:00 p.m.

Marcos Ambrose started the originally scheduled 367-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Darlington Raceway from the 28th position. Ambrose finished the Bojangles’ Southern 500 as follows:

9th—Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 DEWALT Ford Fusion

· Saturday marked Ambrose’s first top-10 finish of 2012 and the second top-10 for the Richard Petty Motorsports organization this year.

· Ambrose made his 130th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start Saturday night at Darlington Raceway.

Starting in the 28th position, Ambrose quickly relayed to his crew that the DEWALT Ford was loose and lacking grip all the way around the track. On Lap 48, Crew Chief Todd Parrott elected to bring the No. 9 machine into the pits for four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment in an attempt to help remedy the car’s handling issues.

Shortly after the previous pit stop, Ambrose communicated to his Richard Petty Motorsports team that the car was still fighting a loose condition. Struggling to find grip, Ambrose fell a lap down to the leaders on Lap 65 due to a long green-flag run.

The race continued under green for the next 108 laps and Ambrose was unable to position himself in the “Lucky Dog” spot, as more than half the field had fallen a lap down by Lap 173 when the first caution flag of the night finally flew.

Though Parrott and the No. 9 crew made a plethora of adjustments during the two ensuing pit stops, Ambrose continued to fight handling issues and the DEWALT machine was running in the 25th position two laps down by Lap141.

After a Lap 172 pit stop for four fresh tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, Ambrose keyed the radio to let the DEWALT crew know the changes made had helped the car’s handling considerably.

On Lap 221, Ambrose earned his “Darlington Stripe” when the No. 9 made contact with the outside wall. Ambrose’s car didn’t sustain any major damage from the incident, but rather the brush with the wall seemed to really help the handling of the car.

Though the DEWALT Ford Fusion was still two laps down, Ambrose and crew refused to give up and were running lap times as fast as the leaders on Lap 267.

· The No. 9 team finally seemed to catch a break when the yellow flag flew for the fourth time on Lap 299. The caution period allowed Parrott to make the call to keep Ambrose out of the pits so they could take the ‘wave around’ and get one of their two laps back.

Restarting only one lap down, Ambrose raced his way past the rest of the lapped cars and put himself in position to receive the “Lucky Dog” if a caution were to come out again. The No. 9 team’s strategy paid off and the yellow flag flew on Lap 317 for a multi-car accident in Turn 4, allowing Ambrose to restart at the tail end of the lead lap in the 18th position.

Just a few short laps later, the caution flag flew again and Ambrose elected to stay out after telling the team the car was the best it had been all night. By not coming down pit road, Ambrose restarted in the 11th spot and by Lap 355 was running inside the top-10 for the first time all night.

· In the final laps of the race, Ambrose barely avoided a multi-car accident that took place at the front of the field on Lap 362. The eighth and final caution of the night, set up the race to end under green-white-checkered flag conditions.

When the green flag flew for the final time, Ambrose restarted in 11th and was able to wheel his way past two cars in remaining two laps of the event to bring the DEWALT Ford home in the ninth spot.

Jimmie Johnson claimed the victory in Saturday night’s 368-lap race marking Hendrick Motorsports 200th career win. Matt Kenseth, who took the checkered flag in sixth, was the highest finishing Ford.

Unofficially, Ambrose gained three spots in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings and sits in 18th place heading into the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in two weeks.

Ambrose’s Thoughts after the Race: “I came from Mars and I re-entered orbit around Lap 260. The last 80 laps at Darlington Raceway were a lot of fun Saturday night. We were two laps down and just fought our way back, my team never gave up. They didn’t give up on me and I didn’t give up on them. They just kept working on the car and making it better. We finally got ourselves some track position and got back on the lead lap and drove our way to the front. Our turning point was when we got the ‘wave around’, but we were already making the car better and holding our own at that point. From there we knew we had a good car, we just had to play the strategy right and get the ‘Lucky Dog’. All in all, it was just a good night. We’ve given away a lot of easy top 10s and that one we really earned, so I’m proud of my DEWALT team and I’ve got to thank them for all of their hard work. It’s just good to get our team going back in the right direction. At lap 200 I was ready to pull my hair out, and by lap 260 I was ready to go to the front and show the boys what I had. I’m just proud of my team. I’ve got to thank DEWALT and Ford for believing in me tonight and ‘The King’ for all of his support. It was just a good night for us.”

DARLINGTON RACEWAY RACE REPORT
Aric Almirola
No. 43 Gravely Mowers Ford Fusion

Aric Almirola started the originally scheduled 367-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Darlington Raceway from the 13th position. Almirola finished the Bojangles’ Southern 500 as follows:

19th—Aric Almirola, No. 43 Gravely Mowers Ford Fusion

Almirola had a strong qualifying effort, starting 13th on the grid, in his 46th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and first at Darlington Raceway.

An array of chassis adjustments ordered by Crew Chief Mike Ford on the first three pit stops of the night significantly helped Almirola get through the turns of the 1.366-mile oval.

The Gravely Mowers Ford ran improved lap times as the race progressed and was often among the fastest cars on track. Almirola was also among the top-15 drivers with the most quality passes during the race (15th with 32).

Smart pit strategy by the No. 43 team helped keep the team in contention, with Ford using the “wave-around” rule twice to get Almirola back on the lead lap after early handling issues and long green-flag runs set him back two laps.

· An accident on Lap 362 of 367 forced a green-white-checkered finish, with Almirola maintaining his place in the top 20 in the dash to the finish, crossing the line in 19th place.

The top-20 finish allowed Almirola to gain one spot in the driver point standings and he now sits in 21st heading into Charlotte in two weeks.

Almirola’s Thoughts after the Race: “It was a pretty good night and all-around good weekend for us. Mike (Ford) gave me a really good Gravely Mowers Ford and with it being my first time at Darlington in a Cup car, I knew I had a lot to learn at the beginning of the race. I felt I learned quite a bit and got in a good rhythm about 100 laps in. All in all, it was a good day and I learned a lot, even though we got a couple of ‘Darlington Stripes’. I’m proud of everybody on the Gravely Ford team for all of their hard work and efforts this weekend. For this being such a tough track, we had a pretty good night. I’m looking forward to going to Charlotte now and getting even better.”

MARCOS AMBROSE • No. 9 DEWALT Ford Fusion

• Ambrose has made three career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Darlington
• Ambrose enters the weekend in 21st place in the Sprint Cup Series point standings
• Ambrose’s best finish (13th) at the 1.366-mile track came in 2011

Ambrose’s Thoughts on Darlington Raceway: “I’m ready to get to Darlington this weekend and have another shot at a good run. We had a great car in Talladega last weekend and circumstances didn’t fall in our favor. Our finish didn’t show what our car was capable of doing. I have a great group of guys behind me with my Richard Petty Motorsports crew and I know they are working hard to give me a fast DEWALT car this weekend. We’ve had a bad string of luck lately and I’m hoping to turn that around at Darlington and get some of that momentum back we had going for us early in the season.”

Crew Chief Todd Parrott’s Keys to Getting around Darlington: “We’re visiting the ‘Lady in Black’ this weekend so Marcos will really have to focus on not getting into the wall. Darlington is a long race and you never know when the ‘Lady’ will reach out and bite you. The corners can be treacherous, so Marcos will have to really pay attention and hit his marks.

“We’ll have to make sure the DEWALT car gets into the corner well and rolls through the center well, with good drive off of the corner. You can run better at Darlington if the car is a little tight and you have a little tug on the wheel. The race goes from daylight to darkness and the track conditions will change greatly throughout the race. If we can keep up with the changes and make the right adjustments throughout the race we will be in good shape.”

Chassis History: The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 743 for the 367-lap race at Darlington Raceway. This DEWALT Ford Fusion was run at Bristol earlier this year.

Notes: Ambrose has three Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway. His best finish (13th) and his best start (sixth) came in last year’s event. He has completed 1,046 of 1,104 laps attempted at the 1.366-mile speedway. Ambrose enters Darlington in 21st place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. His average finish is 23.7 and his average start at the track is 7.7.

Ambrose’s car will have a different look this weekend as DEWALT will return as the primary partner of the No. 9 Ford Fusion.

Tune into Sirius XM Radio on Channel 90, Friday, at 10 a.m. ET for the Morning Drive with Pete Pistone and Mike Bagley, to listen to Marcos talk about the upcoming race weekend at Darlington Raceway.

DARLINGTON RACEWAY RACE PREVIEW
Aric Almirola • No. 43 Gravely Mowers Ford

· This weekend will be Almirola’s first Sprint Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway.
· Almirola also has starts at the track in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. His best finish at the track is ninth in the Truck Series.
· The No. 43 Ford will carry the red paint scheme of Gravely Professional Mowers, the company’s first sponsorship with Richard Petty Motorsports and its first in NASCAR.
· Gravely is a manufacturer of commercial lawn and garden equipment, a fourth-generation, family-owned company doing business since 1916.

Aric Almirola Comments on the Bojangles’ Southern 500: “I am really looking forward to getting to Darlington and working with Mike Ford again. We were really strong at Talladega and I feel really good about the direction we are heading. This is a weekend where we really have to all work together. It’s one of those tough tracks. You’ve got to run right up against the wall to get the most speed out of your car, so you’ve got to get the handling of your car just right or you’re flirting with trouble. I think we will be fine and I am looking forward to getting back to the track.

“In addition to it being my first Cup race at Darlington, it’s also going to be a special weekend because we’ll have Gravely on our No. 43 Ford for the first time. They’re a new partner of Richard Petty Motorsports and Petty’s Garage, so we want to have a good showing for them and keep that paint scheme clean.”

Mike Ford Comments on Darlington: “Darlington is one of the toughest tracks that we go to. I do have a good notebook to fall back on. I’ve run well and won there before. What makes Darlington difficult is it’s such a long race and the racetrack changes going into the evening, so you have to keep up with your adjustments. Fatigue comes into play because it’s very hot, you’ve got a lot of pit stops and a lot of green-flag runs. It’s one of the more prestigious races because it’s the Southern 500 but it’s also one of the most grueling.

“Aric hasn’t been there in a Cup car, so we’ve got to bring a solid starting point and be able to make good adjustments from there and just run a patient race. It’s so easy to overdrive that racetrack and get damage early and then you’re struggling to repair it all night.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 team will race chassis No. 742 this weekend. The chassis was used at various intermediate tracks in 2011, most recently at the Kansas race in October.

Almirola will make two appearances at the VeriFone Sail display: Saturday from 10:20 to 10:40 a.m. and Sunday from 8:30 to 8:50 a.m.

Race Information
Date: May 12, 2012
Track: Darlington Raceway
Laps: 367 Laps/501.3 Miles
TV Information: 7 p.m. ET on FOX
Radio Information: 7 p.m. ET on MRN
Qualifying: May 11 at 5:10 p.m. ET on SPEED

Be sure to follow Richard Petty Motorsports on Twitter @RPMotorsports for behind the scenes updates, driver appearance information and qualifying and race updates. You can also check us out on our Facebook page at Richard Petty Motorsports.

Marcos Ambrose started the originally scheduled 188-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway from the third position. Ambrose finished the Aaron’s 499 as follows:

14th—Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion

· Sunday marked Ambrose’s 129th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and fourth top-15 finish of the season.

Starting in the third position, Ambrose continued to run in the top-five until the first caution flag of the day flew for debris on Lap 17. Fighting a loose condition in the early laps of the race, Crew Chief Todd Parrott elected to bring the No. 9 machine into the pits for a wedge adjustment and fuel only on Lap 18.

Restarting in third, Ambrose relayed to his Richard Petty Motorsports team that the Stanley Ford was running hot when he ran in preferred bottom grove, so he elected to move to the upper lane to help keep the engine cool.

Running in the top groove, Ambrose lost the draft on Lap 23 and was quickly shuffled back to the 24th spot. Just 10 laps later, Ambrose had powered his way back into the top-10 and was running in 10th place.

On Lap 60, Ambrose came to the pits for his second stop of the day and relayed to the crew he was still fighting a loose condition. The No. 9 team bolted on four fresh tires, added two cans of fuel and made a track bar adjustment in an attempt to improving the car’s handling.

Shortly after pitting, Ambrose communicated to his crew that he did not like the changes made to the Stanley Ford on the previous stop, and he wanted to go back to the original chassis setup that he had at the beginning of the race.

The next stop came on Lap 101 and Parrott instructed the crew to make a track bar adjustment, change four tires and add fuel to the No. 9. Ambrose restarted in the seventh spot and just six laps into the run he told the crew the car was much better and the changes made had helped the handling of the Stanley machine.

Ambrose had worked his way up to the second position and was scheduled to pit on Lap 143 when the caution flag waved for a multi-car accident before he could make it to pit road. With several other cars running out of fuel, Parrott elected to bring Ambrose into the pits even though pit road was closed, to ensure the No.9 did not run out of gas on the 2.66-mile pace lap back to pit road.

Since Ambrose came into the pits when they were closed, he was forced to restart at the tail end of the lead lap. With the No. 9 already scheduled to start in the back, Parrott made the call to bring Ambrose back into the pits on Lap 149 to top-off with fuel.

The call to add fuel would allow Ambrose to make it to the end of the race without having to stop in the pits again. The strategy proved to be good, as Ambrose restarted in 12th place on Lap 151 with more fuel than many of the leaders.

Ambrose continued to run in the top-15 for the next 25 laps, and narrowly escaped a multi-car incident on Lap 177. Restarting in ninth, Ambrose again stayed close to the front and was in the sixth position when the yellow flag was displayed for the fifth and final time on Lap 186, setting up the race to end under green-white-checkered flag conditions.

Taking the green flag in sixth place on the Lap 192 restart, Ambrose chose the high line and was quickly shuffled back in the pack after falling out of line and losing the draft. Ambrose was able to work his way back in line, but was unable to make up much ground to the leader, and when the checkered flag flew Ambrose crossed the finish line in 14th position.

Brad Keselowski claimed the victory in Sunday afternoon’s 194-lap race and Matt Kenseth, who took the checkered flag in third, was the highest finishing Ford.

Unofficially, Ambrose sits in 21st place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into Darlington next weekend.

Ambrose’s Thoughts after the Race: “What a tough break, I chose what turned out to be the wrong lane on that final restart and we just drifted back in the pack. We had a fast Stanley Ford all day and a lot of power with our Roush-Yates engine. We were able to move to the front fairly quick and I narrowly escaped some major accidents at the end of the race. I had been running the top groove all day, but once I got up in the high line on that last restart, I just lost the draft and there weren’t enough laps for me to make it back to the front. We had a top-five car and it’s a shame we weren’t able to bring it home up front. I want to thank my crew for all of their hard work this weekend. They did a phenomenal job giving me a fast car and I know they will do the same next weekend in Darlington.”

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE REPORT
Aric Almirola
No. 43 VeriFone Ford Fusion

Aric Almirola started the scheduled 188-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway from the fourth position. Almirola finished the Aaron’s 499 as follows:

12th—Aric Almirola, No. 43 VeriFone Ford Fusion

Almirola had his best qualifying effort of the season, starting fourth in his 45th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start.

In his first race as crew chief of the No. 43 Ford, Mike Ford ordered minor chassis adjustments during the team’s first two pit stops to help give the car more rear stability for the rest of the event.

· Almirola spent most of the race running the VeriFone Ford in the dominant groove on the bottom of the track to stay in the top-20.

Almirola was involved in a Lap 143 incident after he ran out of gas and tried to drop down onto the apron. In doing so, he suffered damage from contact with a competitor running behind him.

The No. 43 team kept the car on the lead lap all day despite having to make multiple pit stops to repair damage from the Lap 143 contact.

With just two scheduled laps to go, a multi-car wreck brought out the caution on Lap 186, sending the race to a green-white-checkered finish.

Almirola took the final green-flag restart in 12th and maintained that position to finish 12th, and he is now 22nd in points.

Almirola’s Thoughts after the Race: “I’m proud of everybody who worked on the VeriFone car. We had a pretty good car all weekend. We were fast in both practices and qualified fourth. I’m proud of Mike Ford and all the boys on this No. 43 team for giving us such a fast Ford Fusion. It’s unfortunate what happened when we ran out of gas. I watched the fuel pressure drop, and I looked down to switch to my auxiliary fuel pump and next thing I know I had my hands full trying to save our racecar.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now heads to Darlington Raceway for the Bojangles’ Southern 500, May 12, at 6:30 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast on FOX and MRN Radio.

Marcos Ambrose • No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion

Marcos Ambrose has made six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega
Ambrose’s best finish (fourth) at the 2.66-mile track came in 2009
Ambrose enters the 500-mile race in 22nd place in the driver point standings

Ambrose on Racing at Talladega: “I’ve had a few days to rest and recuperate after having back issues in Richmond last weekend, and I’m feeling better and ready to get back in the Stanley Ford this weekend. Richmond was tough, but hopefully the worst is behind me and I’ll be in tip top shape for Sunday’s 500-mile race. The biggest thing we’ll have to concentrate on in Talladega is avoiding the big wrecks and finding a good partner in the draft. I’m looking forward to working with Aric Almirola in practice and during the race this weekend. We worked well together earlier in the year at Daytona, so I know he’ll be a big help this weekend.”

Crew Chief Todd Parrott’s Thoughts on Racing at Talladega: “I enjoy going to Talladega, when you get that many cars, that close together, at such high rates of speed, something exciting is bound to happen. It’s going to be really important that Marcos finds a good drafting partner at Talladega. Hopefully he can find his teammate Aric Almirola in the pack and get hooked-up early in the race. Talladega is a big 2.66-mile track, it’s smooth and it’s wide. The biggest challenge that will present itself this weekend will be avoiding ‘The Big One.’ We need to concentrate on having the Stanley Ford in the right place at the right time at the end of the day on Sunday.

“We’ll focus on having a fast car with a lot of horsepower. Marcos and the Stanley crew will have to be on their ‘A’-game during pit stops as we will likely have some under green-flag conditions during the middle part of the race.”

Chassis History: The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 795 for this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. This Stanley Ford was run previously this season at Daytona.

Notes: Ambrose has six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway. His best finish (fourth) came in 2009 and his best start (19th) came in last year’s fall event at the 2.66-mile track. Ambrose has completed 1,096 of 1,143 laps attempted in Cup Series competition at the track, leading eight of them. His average starting position is 26.2 and his average finishing position at the Alabama superspeedway is 26.7.

Can’t get enough of Ambrose? Marcos will be attending The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind’s Race Fever on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Australian driver will participate in an on-stage Q&A session with MRN’s Steve Post and sign autographs for the students.

Tune into Sirius XM Radio Channel 90 on Friday, at 10 a.m. ET for the Morning Drive with Pete Pistone and Mike Bagley, to listen to Marcos talk about the upcoming race on Sunday afternoon at Talladega Speedway.

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE PREVIEW

Aric Almirola • No. 43 VeriFone Ford

This weekend will be Almirola’s fifth Sprint Cup Series start at Talladega Superspeedway. Almirola also has starts at the track in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. His best finish at the track is second (twice) in the Truck Series.
VeriFone will be the primary sponsor of the No. 43 Ford this weekend. This is VeriFone’s first sponsorship with a NASCAR race team. The company will also have an at-track display in the fan midway where Almirola will visit with fans both Saturday and Sunday.
VeriFone is a provider of secure electronic payment systems. Race fans likely use VeriFone products all the time when swiping their cards at the grocery store or at the gas pump.

Aric Almirola Comments on the Aaron’s 499: “Well, this is a big weekend for a couple of reasons. First, and most obvious, is our new crew chief. This will be the first race that Mike (Ford) and I will be working together. It’s a little bit of a different track to start working together since it’s a plate race, but I’m still anxious to work with Mike. He’s a proven winner in our sport and I think he can elevate our program to win races.

“Second, we have VeriFone Sail on the car this weekend. It’s pretty cool to have VeriFone come on board as a team sponsor for us. This has been a pretty exciting week already for us. I think everyone at VeriFone is seeing all the excitement around the race team and we want to continue that this weekend.

“Talladega is a pure crapshoot for everyone. We have just as much chance to win this race as anyone. We had a pretty fast speedway car at Daytona and the Roush-Yates Engines have won a lot of plate races, too. I think we have a good shot at starting near the front. It’s then just staying out of trouble and being there at the end.”

Mike Ford Comments on Talladega: “I guess vacation is over, but it will be nice to get back to work. This is a great opportunity to work with Richard Petty Motorsports and on the famous No. 43 Ford. There is no other car that anyone wants to see back in Victory Lane than this one. I want to help get it there.

“There are a few things we can do to the car to get it ready, but Talladega is just more about being at the right place at the right time. I’m just going to try and give Aric some advice that I’ve learned and let him take control. We’ll make sure we give him the best car to win and then see what happens in the draft. Talladega is always a wide-open race.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 team will race chassis No. 716 this weekend. The chassis has never been raced by the team, but has served as the backup for other restrictor plate races.

Notes: This will be the first race with new crew chief Mike Ford. Ford was hired on Monday of this week. Almirola and Ford will be available to the media on Friday at 10:15 a.m. in the Talladega Media Center.

Almirola will make two appearances at the VeriFone Sail display: Saturday from 10:20 to 10:40 a.m. and Sunday from 8:30 to 8:50 a.m.
Race Information
Date: May 6, 2012
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Laps: 188 Laps/500.08 Miles
TV Information: 1 p.m. ET on FOX
Radio Information: 1 p.m. ET on MRN
Qualifying: May 5 at 12:10 p.m. ET on SPEED

Be sure to follow Richard Petty Motorsports on Twitter @RPMotorsports for behind the scenes updates, driver appearance information and qualifying and race updates. You can also check us out on our Facebook page at Richard Petty Motorsports.

Marcos Ambrose started the 400-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway from the 14th position. Ambrose finished the Capital City 400 as follows:

22nd—Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion

Sunday marked Ambrose’s 128th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start.

Kyle Busch claimed the victory Saturday night in a race that saw the caution flag wave five times for a total of 31 laps. Carl Edwards finished 10th and was the highest finishing Ford.

Ambrose suffered from back spasms prior to the race, resulting in Trevor Bayne standing by in the team’s pit stall to relieve Ambrose if needed. Bayne was never called upon, as Ambrose never mentioned his condition after he got in the Stanley Ford and began racing.

The team worked with a “loose” handling car early in the race event, but Ambrose still broke into the top-10 by Lap 60.

Fighting the handling of the car, Ambrose was unable to hold his top-10 position, but never fell out of the top-20 until Lap 120. Crew Chief Todd Parrott made a variety of changes during the caution periods and kept Ambrose as close to the leaders as possible.

The Stanley team fell below the top-25 during the middle stages of the race, but the changes and strategy made the car better for Ambrose.

Ambrose gained nine positions in the second half of the race to finish 22nd only one lap down.

Unofficially, Ambrose sits in 22nd place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into Talladega next weekend.

Ambrose’s Thoughts After the Race: “That was a tough race for me, but I’ve got to thank the Stanley team for sticking behind me. We qualified well on Friday and had a pretty good car early. We fell off a bit, but did a good job of making the car better and gaining spots at the end. I’m going to focus on returning to complete strength for Talladega and have a better time there.”

RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY RACE REPORT
Aric Almirola
No. 43 Smithfield/Helping Hungry Homes Ford Fusion

Aric Almirola started the 400-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway from the 11th position. Almirola finished the Capital City 400 as follows:

26th—Aric Almirola, No. 43 Smithfield/Helping Hungry Homes Ford Fusion

Almirola had his second best qualifying effort of the season, starting 11th in his 44th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start.

The Smithfield/Helping Hungry Homes Ford was quickly up to ninth by Lap 40, but Almirola was fighting a lack of grip in the car.

Crew Chief Greg Erwin made multiple track bar adjustments to the car as most Ford teams struggled with forward grip.

Although the car was not handling well, Almirola raced hard and was able to stay in the top- 20 throughout the evening.

A late race caution on Lap 388, with Almirola running 20th, led to a decision to call Almirola to pit road. With just a few laps left in the event, Almirola ran time and was unable to gain back lost ground after the stop.

Almirola finished 26th and is now 24th in points.

Almirola’s Thoughts After the Race: “We had a good qualifying run and ran in the top-10 for the first 50 laps, but then we couldn’t get the car to handle the way we wanted. We fought really hard to stay in the top-20 and maybe try and gain some more spots at the end, but it didn’t turn out that way. We had a mistake at the end of the race and we’ll go back and discuss that. Our expectations are much greater than tonight’s result and we’ll make sure we keep working to meet them.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now heads to the Talladega Superspeedway for the Aaron’s 499, May 6, at 12:00 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast on FOX and MRN Radio.

Concord, N.C. (April 25, 2012) – Aric Almirola, Smithfield/Helping Hungry Homes® and Eckrich announced today that they will team up to race for charity. Almirola and Smithfield will compete this Thursday night in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at the Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The event is a 100-lap asphalt late model all-star race that will help raise awareness and funding for the specific needs of individuals afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis as well as other programs that support chronically ill children. The race is sanctioned by NASCAR.

Almirola will also compete in the Prelude to The Dream dirt late model event hosted by Tony Stewart at the famed Eldora Speedway dirt track located in Ohio on Wednesday, June 6th. Eckrich will adorn Almirola’s No. 43 dirt late model for the special that is televised live by HBO Pay-Per-View. The “Prelude” has grown to become one of the most seriously-challenged charity events motorsports stars compete in all year. The race benefits Feed The Children.

“Both of these charity events are important, because we’re raising monies for great causes,” said Almirola. “There may not be as much pressure as a NASCAR Sprint Cup race, but there sure is a lot of pride in running well and being the guy to help present the check to the charity. I’d love to win both events for Smithfield and Eckrich. Both companies always give back to the community and this is my chance to help them do more.”

Both Smithfield and Eckrich are in their first season as primary sponsors of Almirola and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team. They have now taken this next step to be more involved with Almirola and the charitable events of NASCAR.

“These two charitable events align with our philosophy of giving back,” said Will Brunt, Vice President of Marketing of Smithfield. “Having the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown in Virginia, our backyard, we felt this was a great opportunity to partner with Aric and race for a good cause.”

Eckrich, who will sponsor Almirola in three NASCAR Sprint Cup races later this summer, also feels this is a way to help give back.

“Helping charities and the community is something we have always believed in,” said Chuck Gitkin, Vice President Marketing, Innovation, and R&D, The John Morrell Food Group. “We’re proud to partner with Aric in one of the premier charitable events in the sport.”

Almirola will race with different race teams for the events, but will still adorn the familiar Petty No. 43 on the sides of each car.

About Richard Petty Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports (www.richardpettymotorsports.com), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, 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 and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.

About Smithfield Packing www.smithfield.com and facebook.com/CookingwithSmithfield
The Smithfield Packing Company, Inc., was founded in 1936 by Joseph W. Luter and his son, Joseph W. Luter, Jr. Primary lines of business include fresh pork, smoked meats, bacon, cooked hams and hot dogs for retail, foodservice, and deli channels. The company exports products to approximately 30 countries. In addition to the Smithfield brand, its Gwaltney, Esskay, and Cumberland Gap products are among the leaders in their respective markets.

About Helping Hungry Homes
Helping Hungry Homes is Smithfield Foods’ initiative focused on alleviating hunger across the country. In fiscal 2011, Helping Hungry Homes provided 2.1 million pounds of food through food banks, school nutrition programs, disaster relief, and community outreach programs. By partnering with other charitable initiatives such as Al Roker’s “Lend a Hand,” Helping Hungry Homes has had a positive impact on millions of families.

About The John Morrell Food Group
With over a century and a half of experience, John Morrell Food Group brands have become respected and well known for providing premium-quality meat products to families across the United States. With products ranging from lunchmeat and franks to smoked sausage, bacon and pepperoni, the John Morrell Food Group is an important part of consumers’ mealtimes. The John Morrell Food Group offers several national and regional brands including Armour®, Eckrich®, John Morrell®, Curly’s®, Patrick Cudahy®, Carando®, Healthy Ones®, Margherita® Kretschmar® and LunchMakers®.

About Eckrich
Founded by Peter Eckrich in 1894, Eckrich has a rich heritage starting from a small meat market in Fort Wayne, Ind. Through it all, Eckrich meats have been recognized for their great taste and supreme quality, craftsmanship, care and pride. For more information, visit www.eckrich.com.

Contact:
Jeff Dennison
E-Mail: jdennison@breakinglimits.net
Direct: 704-766-9061
Cell: 704-252-3356

Marcos Ambrose • No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion

Marcos Ambrose has made six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond
Ambrose’s best finish (fifth) at the .75-mile track came in the 2010 spring event
Ambrose enters the 400-lap race tied for 20th-place in the driver point standings

Ambrose on Racing at Richmond: “I enjoy short-track racing, so I’m really looking forward to going to Richmond. The fans there are some of the best in the country and it’s sure to be an action-packed night under the lights. Night racing always comes with a lot of excitement and beating and banging, so it will be interesting to see what happens at the end of the night. We’ve had a rough past couple of weeks, the cards haven’t seemed to fall in our favor and it’s time for me to bring home a solid finish for my Stanley team and the fans.”

Crew Chief Todd Parrott’s Thoughts on Racing at Richmond: “Richmond is a unique short-track and it’s a fun and exciting place for everyone, especially at night. It’s a tough little three-quarter-mile race track. It’s a place where Marcos has to carry good speed on entry and through the center of the corners. He needs to have good forward drive off without getting the car loose. Our engineering guys have worked really hard on the Stanley car this week and we should have a superfast setup. Marcos has had success in the past at Richmond, so we are hoping for more of the same this weekend. Saturday night we are going to go out and put on a good show for the fans and hopefully end up with the Stanley No. 9 in Victory Lane when it is all said and done.

Parrott on Qualifying and Pit Selection: “It’s important to qualify well so we can have good pit selection this weekend. The pit boxes are small so if we can choose early and get one next to an opening that would be ideal. We’ll work on our qualifying setup during our practice and hopefully get a spot up front for race day.”

Chassis History: The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 805 for this weekend’s race at Richmond International Raceway. This Stanley Ford was run previously this season at Phoenix.

Notes: Ambrose has six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Richmond International Raceway. His best finish (fifth) and his best start (13th) came in the 2010 spring event at the .75-mile track. Ambrose has completed 2,396 of 2,400 laps attempted in Cup Series competition at the track,. His average starting position is 15.2 and his average finishing position at Texas is 23.

Ambrose will have a different look this weekend as Stanley will return as the primary partner on the No.9 Ford Fusion.

Tune into Sirius XM Radio Channel 90 on Friday, at 10 a.m. ET for the Morning Drive with Pete Pistone and Mike Bagley, to listen to Marcos talk about the upcoming race on Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY RACE PREVIEW

Aric Almirola • No. 43 Smithfield/Helping Hungry Homes Ford

Aric Almirola will be making his first Sprint Cup start at Richmond this weekend
Almirola has one top-10 in the Nationwide Series at the track
The familiar Smithfield/Helping Hungry Homes colors will adorn the No. 43 this weekend
Almirola will compete in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown this Thursday night with Smithfield as a sponsor

Aric Almirola on the Richmond 400: “From a competition standpoint, I think we’re looking forward to getting back to a short track. We have proven to have fast cars and have been able to race up front on these tracks early in the season. Looking back, we left Phoenix, Bristol and Martinsville with some positive results. We are working on our mile-and-a-half program, but right now our short-track package has proven to be pretty competitive.

“Off the track, we’re going to have a lot of fun with the Smithfield folks. This is basically their hometown track and they are all coming out. They are going to partner with me this Thursday night in Denny’s race and I’m really looking forward to that. We’re all looking forward to a great weekend all around.”

Greg Erwin Comments on Richmond: “We feel that Richmond can be another good weekend for us. We came out of Martinsville with a top-10 and we were pretty close at Phoenix, too. Aric does a really good job on short tracks so we should run up front.

“We always have the desire to win races, but it’s always cool to have the Smithfield guys here. Everyone knows that we’ll be in their backyard so we’re excited about that, too.”

Chassis History: The No. 43 Smithfield Ford will be chassis number 804. This is the same chassis the team ran at Phoenix earlier this year.

Notes: Almirola is currently 20th in NASCAR championships points heading into Richmond.

Almirola and the No. 43 team will take part in the Goodyear tire test at Pocono Raceway this Wednesday on the track’s new surface.

Race Information
Date: April 28, 2012
Track: Richmond International Raceway
Laps: 400 Laps/300 Miles
TV Information: 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX
Radio Information: 7:30 p.m. ET on MRN
Qualifying: April 27 at 5:35 p.m. ET on SPEED

Be sure to follow Richard Petty Motorsports on Twitter @RPMotorsports for behind the scenes updates, driver appearance information and qualifying and race updates. You can also check us out on our Facebook page at Richard Petty Motorsports.

Marcos Ambrose started the 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway from the 28th position. Ambrose finished the STP 400 as follows:

16th—Marcos Ambrose, No. 9 DEWALT Ford Fusion

Sunday marked Ambrose’s 127th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and fifth top-20 finish of the season.

· Denny Hamlin claimed the victory Sunday afternoon in a race that saw the caution flag wave three times for a total of 18 laps. Matt Kenseth finished fourth and was the highest finishing Ford driver in today’s event.

In the early laps of the race, Ambrose fought a car that was tight in the middle of the corners and loose on exit. The Richard Petty Motorsports crew led by Crew Chief Todd Parrott made air pressure adjustments and added four fresh tires and fuel to the DEWALT machine during the first two pit stops of the day on Lap 44 and Lap 53, in an attempt to improve the car’s handling.

Continuing to struggle with a car that was tight during acceleration, Ambrose again came into the pits on Lap 95 for four tires, fuel and another air pressure adjustment. Shortly after the previous stop, Ambrose was running in the 18th position and relayed to the team that the Richard Petty Motorsports Ford had responded well to the changes and it was the best it had been all day.

Just past the halfway mark of the 400-mile event, Ambrose communicated to the crew that the DEWALT Ford’s handling was going away and he was again tight in the middle of the corners and loose off. The No. 9 team made an array of chassis adjustments on the ensuing four pit stops, but the changes didn’t seem to improve the car’s handling.

Running in the top-20 the entire race, the Australian native fought hard to pass cars and remain on the lead lap all day, but with less than 20 laps to go in the 267-lap event, Ambrose was unable to hold off a hard charging Denny Hamlin, and fell a lap down to the leader on Lap 251.

· Ambrose was scored in the 18th with just 12 laps remaining in the race and when the checkered flew on Lap 267 the No. 9 had gained two spots and was scored in the 16th position, one-lap down.

· Unofficially, Ambrose is tied with teammate Aric Almirola for 20th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading to Richmond next weekend.

Ambrose’s Thoughts After the Race: “It was a disappointing day, we struggled all weekend with the handling of the car and we never really seemed to get it fixed. It was a tough day for myself and the whole DEWALT crew. My crew guys did a great job in the pits today and we had quick pit stops, we just didn’t have a car that could run up front. All things considered, I’ll take a 16th– place finish today. We’re going to move on and go into Richmond with a positive attitude and I know everyone will do their best to get the No. 9 a good finish on Saturday night.”

KANSAS SPEEDWAY RACE REPORT
Aric Almirola
No. 43 STP Ford Fusion

Aric Almirola started the 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway from the 26th position. Almirola finished the STP 400 as follows:

23rd—Aric Almirola, No.43 STP Ford Fusion

After starting in the 26th position, Almirola raced his way up to 24th by Lap 5, but already reported that his car was “tight”.

Crew Chief Greg Erwin called Almirola down pit road on Lap 44 for a routine green-flag pit stop. The team made various adjustments to help Almirola.

Before the changes could be evaluated, the first of only three cautions waved on Lap 53. The team pitted for four fresh tires and restarted 25th. On Lap 75 Almirola moved up to 22nd.

The next pit stop, under green, for the team proved to be the story of their day. A miscommunication led Almirola to bypass his pit stall on Lap 96. It forced the No. 43 STP Ford to take an extra lap around the track before coming down pit road again for service. It eventually cost the team two laps to the leaders.

Almirola and the rest of the STP team continued to fight, and Almirola raced as high as possible on his lap from Laps 100 to 200.

The team eventually lost another lap, but still advanced back to 23rd at the end of the event.

The teams ability to fight through their adversity helped them gain two positions in championship points. Almirola is now 20th in points heading into Richmond.

Almirola’s Thoughts After the Race: “The issue on pit road really hurt our chances today. That, and the timing of the caution there, just put us a few laps down and out of contention for a better finish. As a team, we’re going to go back and discuss that and make sure that doesn’t happen again. We still have more work to do on the mile-and-a-half tracks too. We’ll do our homework and be better once we get back to the next track like this again.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now heads to the Richmond International Raceway for a 400-lap event, April 28, at 7:00 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast on FOX and MRN Radio.

Kansas City, MO (April 21, 2012)—Farmland Foods today announced a partnership with the legendary Richard Petty Motorsports NASCAR team. Farmland will appear on the iconic No. 43 Ford Fusion as the primary sponsor in four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in Chicago, Kansas, Texas and Phoenix.

“Farmland is proud to partner with ‘The King’ and NASCAR’s first family,” said George Richter, President and Chief Operating Officer of Smithfield Foods Pork Group. “Richard Petty Motorsports is an ideal team to help raise awareness of the good work our company is doing.”

Through the partnership, Farmland will bring greater awareness to hunger relief efforts in its hometown of Kansas City. As part of Farmland’s “Bacon a Difference” initiative, Farmland will feature Harvesters—The Community Food Network on the famous No. 43 Ford, unveiled today, for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Kansas Speedway in October.

“Farmland is privileged to showcase our partnership with Harvesters in the fight against hunger when the need for nourishment among Kansas City area residents is at an all-time high,” said Mike Brown, President and Chief Operating Officer of Farmland.

During the “Bacon A Difference” promotion, which runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend (May 26—September 3), Farmland will donate 4.3 cents to Harvesters for each bacon product sold at participating grocery stores in Kansas City. When the No. 43 Ford featuring Farmland and Harvesters returns to the Kansas Speedway for the Sprint Cup Series event in October, Farmland will present Harvesters with a check for no less than $43,000.

“Farmland is just the kind of company we like to call our partner,” indicated Richard Petty, NASCAR legend and co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports. “We’re excited to have Farmland and Harvesters on the No. 43 Ford at the Kansas Speedway this fall. That’s a victory in itself.”

Farmland’s focus on hunger relief includes a long-standing partnership with Harvesters. In 2011, Farmland donated 1.3 million servings of protein to Harvesters, exceeding Farmland’s goal to provide at least 1 million meals annually to people in need.
“The donations we receive from Farmland through the ‘Bacon A Difference’ partnership will put much needed food on the table for Kansas Citians at a time when one in four children in Missouri and one in five kids in Kansas are at risk of being hungry,” said Harvesters President and Chief Executive Officer Karen Haren. “We’re honored to be the recipient of Farmland’s generous donation and are thrilled to see the No. 43 Ford spread the word about this important cause on the track this fall.”

About Farmland Foods
Farmland Foods, Inc., based in Kansas City, Mo., provides a broad selection of pork products to retail and foodservice customers in the U.S. and abroad across a variety of categories, including bacon, fresh pork, hams, fresh sausage, hot dogs and lunchmeat. Farmland Foods has a large and growing international business, exporting products to more than 60 countries across six continents. Since its founding in 1959, the company has maintained a proud heritage of working side by side with American farm families. Farmland Foods, which reached over $4 billion in sales in 2011, is a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods.

About Harvesters—The Community Food Network
Harvesters is this area’s only food bank and is Feeding America’s 2011 Food Bank of the Year. Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, Harvesters provides food and related household products to more than 620 not-for-profit agencies including emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, children’s homes and others. Agencies in Harvesters’ network provide food assistance to as many as 66,000 different people each week. Harvesters, which was founded in 1979, is a certified member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, serving all 50 states. For more information, visit www.harvesters.org.

About Richard Petty Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports (www.richardpettymotorsports.com), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, 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 and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partner Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Farmland Foods
Robb Yagmin │ (913) 908-0028
Robb.yagmin@global-prairie.com

Richard Petty Motorsports
Jeff Dennison │ (704) 252-3356
jdennison@breakinglimits.net