Consecutive Top 10s Give Almirola Optimism

Consecutive Top 10s Give Almirola Optimism

It’s been a long dry spell for the No. 43 car at Richmond – 38 years since Richard Petty’s last of 13 victories in Virginia’s capital, if you’re counting – but this week The King’s team is arriving with momentum.
Aric Almirola posted his second consecutive top-10 finish, a career best, in Kansas and is looking for more. Almirola ranks 13th in the standings and is hopeful of giving Richard Petty Motorsports its second berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. Petty’s team has qualified for a single Chase, in 2009 with Kasey Kahne. The 29-year-old Almirola has competed twice in Sprint Cup competition at Richmond, finishing 26th in both races a year ago. The Tampa, Fla., native feels this time will be different.
Almirola’s No. 43 Ford finished 37th and 20th in the season’s two short track events at Bristol and Martinsville. He was fourth at Martinsville last fall.

RCR Rebound Ready At Richmond

Richmond may spell the end to a slow start by Richard Childress Racing.
RCR drivers have yet to score a top five in 2013, but that could change at RCR-friendly Richmond. Kevin Harvick won at Richmond in a Chevrolet in 2011, the only non-Toyota victory in the past eight Richmond races. In last year’s fall Richmond race, both Harvick and Virginia native Jeff Burton scored top-10 finishes.
Arguably the biggest surprise of the young season has been the performance of Paul Menard. Menard has won once in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, and it was a big one – the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2011. Thus far, he’s on pace for another major accomplishment – a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Currently ninth in points, Menard has scored four top-10 finishes through eight races this season. His career best is nine, last season. Menard has yet to score a top 10 at Richmond; his best finish was 13th last April.

NASCAR Hall Of Famers, Nominees Share Richmond Link

On Monday, the month-long countdown toward one of the most important – and fascinating – days on the NASCAR calendar began. On May 22, five new members will be voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. – and many of those on the ballot and already in the hall have a direct connection to this weekend’s host track, Richmond International Raceway.
First among them is two-time series champion Joe Weatherly. In 1955, Weatherly partnered with Paul Sawyer to purchase a small dirt track in Richmond, Va., then known as the Atlantic Rural Fairground. Eventually, that track grew to become one of the most exciting and beloved paved short tracks in NASCAR – Richmond International Raceway.
In all, 53 of the 113 Richmond races were won by NASCAR Hall of Famers; another nine were won by nominees who will be voted upon on May 22. That list: Weatherly (three wins), Benny Parsons and Dale Jarrett (two each), and Tim Flock and Rex White (one each). Five NASCAR HOF nominees hail from Virginia: H. Clay Earles (Martinsville), Rick Hendrick (Palmer Springs), Wendell Scott (Danville), Curtis Turner (Roanoke) and Joe Weatherly (Norfolk).
The overall NASCAR Hall of Fame vote once again includes a nationwide Fan Vote, which is currently open and will run through May 21 on NASCAR.com: http://nas.cr/g7MY. Those with a ticket for admission into the NASCAR Hall of Fame can watch the announcement on May 22.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Etc.

Milestone Watch: Jeff Gordon is still one top-five finish away from becoming the fourth driver to reach 300 top-five NSCS finishes. Gordon has two top fives in the last three Richmond races. … Kyle Busch is approaching two impressive laps-led milestones. With three more laps led, he’ll reach 9,000 laps led in the NSCS. He’s also nearing the 25,000 laps-led mark in his NASCAR national series career. He’s currently at 24,837, needing 163 laps led to reach 25K. … NSCS drivers Tony Stewart, Busch, Matt Kenseth, Michael Waltrip, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., along with NNS and NCWTS drivers Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith and NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduates Kyle Larson and Darrell Wallace Jr. will race in Thursday night’s Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown charity race at Richmond. … Tommy Baldwin Racing’s JJ Yeley joins The NASCAR Foundation as the industry celebrates the 10th Annual NASCAR Day on Friday, May 17.  Yeley is running a special ‘NASCAR Day’ paint scheme on his No. 36 Chevrolet SS in Saturday’s race at Richmond. Camping World, the Official Outdoor and RV Retailer of NASCAR, has joined the cause this year and will make available the limited-edition NASCAR Day pin, designed by NASCAR’s first officially licensed artist Sam Bass, until May 17 at Camping World SuperCenters nationwide for a $10 donation to The NASCAR Foundation. Visit CampingWorld.com/stores to find a location near you. NASCAR fans and supporters also can pick up their collectible pins at tracks during select race weekends or online at NASCAR.com/foundation.