DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY RACE REPORT
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger qualified the No. 43 Richard Petty Hall of Fame Ford Fusion in the eighth position for Sunday’s Autism 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. After team owner and NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Richard Petty gave the command to fire engines and the green flag fell, Allmendinger got to off to a good start maintaining his position for the opening laps of the 400-lap event.
The No. 43 found a good rhythm and was running in the top-10 as the first caution of the day came at Lap 54. Allmendinger brought his Ford down pit road during the caution period for four new Goodyear tires, fuel, and a very minor air pressure adjustment. Back to green at Lap 59, the No. 43 picked up right where it had left off battling for position among the top five. By Lap 63, the California native had the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports machine up to the fourth position and just as quickly, at Lap 74, took over the third position. The No.43, which featured a 1984 throwback “Petty Blue” and “Day-glo Red” paint scheme to honor The King Richard Petty and his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame next Sunday, May 23, was a car on the move. At Lap 92, the driver had the Ford in the second position and less than a second behind race leader Jimmie Johnson. As the race stretched past the 100-lap mark, Johnson and Allmendinger had put a large distance between them and the rest of the field. During a scheduled green flag pit stop at Lap 131, a lug nut issue caused the team to have a slower than usual stop. Crew chief Mike Shiplett kept his team calm and the driver back out to running in the top-five. A tough break came for the team at Lap 165. Allmendinger reported to his crew he was experiencing a vibration in the right rear. As he brought his No. 43 machine down pit road, the caution flag came out. The 43 went two laps down thanks to the ill-timed caution flag but again, Shiplett kept his team going. Allmendinger was able to put mind over matter and climbed through the field to put himself in position to be put back on the lead lap when the yellow came again at Lap 225. Allmendinger and team continued to fight for position among the top-15 competitors for the remainder of the 400-lap event. As time wound down and the checkered flag fell, Allmendinger and the No. 43 team walked away with a 14th-place result.
Allmendinger on the Dover Event: “It was a tough day but it was a good day for this No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team. It was so cool to be able to be up there battling for the lead, especially today with this special paint scheme honoring The King. We made some mistakes but the car was so fast and this team never quit. I’m so proud of them. We’ll just keep building and I know we’ll just keep getting better.”
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 Zecol/Menards Ford 30th
Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 19 Stanley Ford 21st
Next Race
Date: May 22, 2010
Race: Sprint All-Star Race
Track: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
Laps: 100 Laps/150 Miles
TV Information: 7 p.m. ET on SPEED
Radio Information: 7 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius/XM
Satellite Radio