DARLINGTON RACEWAY RACE REPORT
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger was the first out in qualifying on Friday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and secured the 12th spot on the starting grid for Saturday night’s SHOWTIME Southern 500. As the sun on race night and brought cooler temperatures in the air, the action stayed hot on the track as the 11th race of the 2010 season got underway. Allmendinger found a good rhythm in the early laps rand raced among the top-15 until the first yellow flag was displayed at Lap 45. As the field slowed down for the caution, the driver reported his Ford was a little loose in Turns 1 and 2. Crew chief Mike Shiplett made the call to come down pit road for four tires, some Sunoco fuel, and a minor wedge adjustment. The crew also took a second to wipe the grille clean before sending the No. 43 Insignia/Best Buy machine out in the 14th position. As the 367-lap event reached halfway, Allmendinger felt his Ford was getting really loose and losing grip. With the caution flag flying at Lap 171, the driver reported the brake pedal was all the way to the floor and not working properly. Shiplett and crew jumped to action. As the Ford came down pit road, they had to help their driver stop accurately in his pit box. The crew checked the brakes and made significant changes. Back out on track, Allmendinger pumped his brakes to make sure they were back to working condition. The field went back to green flag racing at Lap 178 but just two laps later, the yellow waved again. This time Allmendinger was the one involved. As Allmendinger careened out of control, his Ford Fusion careened up the track and into oncoming traffic. The accident resulted in heavy damage to both cars involved and ended the night for the No. 43 Insignia/Best Buy team. Allmendinger was credited with a 37th-place finish.
Allmendinger on the Darlington Event: “The brake rotor exploded. The last 40 or 50 laps we were struggling with brake problems and just had no brakes. We took all the brake cooling off and thought maybe we were gonna fix it, and when that yellow came out I went to hit the brakes to slow down and the brake rotors exploded. I’m not sure which one, but I was just trying to aim for the bottom and try to miss everybody. I’m sorry to Jimmie (Johnson). It wasn’t his fault, but I had no brakes and couldn’t do anything about it.”
The following is the finish position of the other Richard Petty Motorsports drivers:
Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford 20th
Paul Menard, driver of the No. 98 Turtle Wax/Menards Ford 30th
Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 19 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford 21st
Next Race
Date: May 16, 2010
Race: Autism Speaks 400
Track: Dover (Del.) International Speedway
Laps: 400 Laps/ 400 Miles
TV Information: 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX
Radio Information: 1:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius/XM
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