Almirola looks to strike a win in Pocono 400

CONCORD, N.C. (July 30, 2013) - Aric Almirola will head back to Pocono (Penn.) Raceway this weekend in the No. 43 GoBowling.com 400. After a successful two-day test last week, Almirola looks to strike a win at the 'Tricky Triangle.'

In the June race, Almirola started from the 12th spot and raced in the top-10 and top-15 most of the day. Two on-track incidents in the final 30 laps of the race marred the team back in the field, and he finished 21st. He posted his best finish of 18th-place last August in his second start at the Pennsylvania track. Almirola also has one start in the truck series where he started fifth and finished fourth at the track.

Veteran Crew Chief Todd Parrott brings 31 races of experience to Pocono. He tallied two wins (2002, 1997), 12 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. In those 31 races at the 'Tricky Triangle,' he has an average finish of 14.6.

Comments from GoBowling.com Ford Fusion Driver Aric Almirola:

"We were pretty good at Pocono last race. Our car handled decent in the top-15, but once we fell back, it was really difficult to drive in 'dirty air.' I think last week's test will really help us with that. We showed speed in Indy last week but also struggled when we were deep in the field. We'll work hard this weekend to get a good starting spot and stay up front.

"We're still in the hunt for the Chase, but we are going to need some top-five finishes or even a win to get there. I think our team can do it. We're going to work really hard in the next six races to make something happen and make up some ground in the points."

Comments from GoBowling.com Ford Fusion Crew Chief Todd Parrott:

"Pocono is a very unique track. With all three turns different, we'll focus on getting the handling in Turn Three so we can get some speed off the corner. We ran pretty well in June but need to work on finding some speed for qualifying so we can start up front and stay there. We made some gains at our two-day test last week. Hopefully, we can come out that much better this time around. We need a solid finish this week to stay in the hunt for the Chase."

Chassis History:

The No. 43 team will bring back chassis No. 837. The team raced the chassis in the Pocono race in June.

Richard Petty Motorsports