MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY RACE REPORT
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger took off from the 21st position in the rain postponed Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Monday. The No. 43 Charter Ford Fusion was tight from the start. Crew chief Mike Shiplett took advantage of the first caution of the day at Lap 40 to make adjustments to the Richard Petty Motorsports Ford. The adjustments helped Allmendinger climb into the top-20. Two additional cautions came out within 30 laps of the first caution on Lap 40. The No. 43 stayed out on track during both cautions to maintain its 18th position in the field. As the race approached the 100-lap mark, Allmendinger reported the car was back to being really tight and felt they had lost both front and rear grip. The No. 43 Charter Ford came down pit road during the caution period at Lap 162 for more adjustments. As the field went back to green, Allmendinger felt the changes made would enable him to climb back through the field. But at Lap 171, the No. 43 was involved in a multi-car accident forcing the driver to the garage for repairs. The Richard Petty Motorsports crew worked quickly to make necessary repairs and was able to send Allmendinger back on track at Lap 234. Two laps later though, the engine expired due to some of the damage from the accident ending the day early for Allmendinger and the No. 43 Charter Ford team.
Allmendinger on the Martinsville Event: “When you’re at Martinsville the double-file restarts aren’t the most fun thing to have, especially when you’re starting mid-pack all day, because you’re bound to get wrecked. The accident was really nobody’s fault because everybody is fighting for the same space, but I got hit in the back and shoved into all the cars. That just tore the nose off of the Charter Ford Fusion. All of the oil lines were pinched and when we tried to go back out there we blew up. “
The following is the finish position of the other Richard Petty Motorsports drivers:
Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford 17th
Paul Menard, driver of the No. 98 NIBCO/Menards Ford 14th
Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 19 Stanley Ford 24th
Next Race
Date: April 10, 2010
Race: Subway Fresh Fit 600k
Laps: 375 Laps/375 Miles
TV Information: 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX
Radio Information: 7:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius/XM
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