Erica Stubbs, Official Fan Reporter @shedigzsportz
|
|
Get to know me -
click here |
Car Handling Woes Continue
May 29, 2016
The 13th points race of the season would be run at Charlotte Motor Speedway under a cloudy sky and mildly windy conditions. The chances of rain would make early movement very important.
Aric Almirola and the 43 US Air Force Ford team started the race in 20th position, which has been their average start all season. After communication checks between driver and crew, it was time to start engines!
"Alright fellas let's have a good night. 600 miles... It's a long race." Almirola told the crew right before the waving of the green flag.
By lap 4, Almirola had gained one position to find himself running in 19th place but within 2 short laps was passed by the 42 of Kyle Larson and back in 20th.
As predicted there was a lot of movement early. Tony Stewart in the 14 car was the biggest mover by lap 10 gaining 10 positions. Although this was a long race, the teams were racing with the looming rain in mind.
Early in the race, Almirola reported that his car was tight but he would try raising the trackbar to adjust. Despite that manual adjustment, complaints continued about the tightness of the car. Little did they know, these complaints would go on all night long.
The first pit stop came on the scheduled competition caution at lap 25 where Almirola's car got 4 tires and a right rear wedge adjustment. Almirola would restart in 30th position on lap 30. Despite the handling problems Aric made his way through the field and back into 24th place. Within a few laps, though, he was again reporting trouble to the 43 Crew Chief Trent Owens. "No front grip. No rear grip."
Aric continued reporting tight landing. But told Owens, "The longer I go the looser it gets but the problem is that it's too loose on exit." In fact, on lap 141 Aric said, "it literally feels like I have oil on my tires."
To make matters worse, Almirola was flagged with a speeding penalty on pit row during the stop he made after a caution on lap 341 causing him to have to restart at the back of the field in 30th position.
Ten pit stops, 40 tires and several adjustments later, Almirola ended his day 5 laps down and in 26th position.
“We definitely have a lot of work to do. Our No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion was just difficult for us to get a handle on tonight. And, it was hard for me to run consistent laps when it was all over the place and so snappy loose on exit. It was definitely a tough 600 miles for our team tonight, but we’ll continue to work hard and do what it takes to get our Ford Fusion back to the front of the pack. Our guys will analyze what we need to from tonight, but we’ll put this behind us and set our sights on Pocono next weekend.” (Richardpettymotorsports.com)
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
May 29, 2016
The 13th points race of the season would be run at Charlotte Motor Speedway under a cloudy sky and mildly windy conditions. The chances of rain would make early movement very important.
Aric Almirola and the 43 US Air Force Ford team started the race in 20th position, which has been their average start all season. After communication checks between driver and crew, it was time to start engines!
"Alright fellas let's have a good night. 600 miles... It's a long race." Almirola told the crew right before the waving of the green flag.
By lap 4, Almirola had gained one position to find himself running in 19th place but within 2 short laps was passed by the 42 of Kyle Larson and back in 20th.
As predicted there was a lot of movement early. Tony Stewart in the 14 car was the biggest mover by lap 10 gaining 10 positions. Although this was a long race, the teams were racing with the looming rain in mind.
Early in the race, Almirola reported that his car was tight but he would try raising the trackbar to adjust. Despite that manual adjustment, complaints continued about the tightness of the car. Little did they know, these complaints would go on all night long.
The first pit stop came on the scheduled competition caution at lap 25 where Almirola's car got 4 tires and a right rear wedge adjustment. Almirola would restart in 30th position on lap 30. Despite the handling problems Aric made his way through the field and back into 24th place. Within a few laps, though, he was again reporting trouble to the 43 Crew Chief Trent Owens. "No front grip. No rear grip."
Aric continued reporting tight landing. But told Owens, "The longer I go the looser it gets but the problem is that it's too loose on exit." In fact, on lap 141 Aric said, "it literally feels like I have oil on my tires."
To make matters worse, Almirola was flagged with a speeding penalty on pit row during the stop he made after a caution on lap 341 causing him to have to restart at the back of the field in 30th position.
Ten pit stops, 40 tires and several adjustments later, Almirola ended his day 5 laps down and in 26th position.
“We definitely have a lot of work to do. Our No. 43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion was just difficult for us to get a handle on tonight. And, it was hard for me to run consistent laps when it was all over the place and so snappy loose on exit. It was definitely a tough 600 miles for our team tonight, but we’ll continue to work hard and do what it takes to get our Ford Fusion back to the front of the pack. Our guys will analyze what we need to from tonight, but we’ll put this behind us and set our sights on Pocono next weekend.” (Richardpettymotorsports.com)
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
Image courtesy: aricalmirola.com
Early Movement, Late Disappointment
May 7, 2016
Aric Almirola and the Number 43 Smithfield Ford started the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway in the 19th position. The 43 team qualified well prior to the race, breaking the top 10 in the second round of qualifying. In the days leading up to the race, Aric commented on how the new downforce package would affect the race at a track like Kansas. “I think Kansas will be much different than what we’ve seen at other tracks so far. I’m really enjoying this package though. There’s definitely room to go further in the future, but it’s given us the ability to pass cars that you know you’re faster than. I’m looking forward to seeing what it will do at Kansas.” (RPM Website)
Early in the race, Almirola moved up through the field of racers peaking at 14th position. However, by lap 36, he had dropped out of the top 15 and was gradually falling back through the pack. By lap 87, he had fallen to P21 and was reporting some handling issues with the car, including, at one point reporting that he smelled something burning in the car. According to the Twitter account of Richard Petty Motorsports, it was thought that the AC was on fire in the #43 car. Aric Almirola cut it off and disconnected the helmet hose.
Things would not get much better as Almirola went a lap down as crew chief Trent Owens worked on a solution to help fix the loose car handling issue. The team hoped the air pressure adjustments would assist Aric as he directed the #43 around the track.
Despite being down 2 laps toward the end of the race and trying to manage a car that was loose, Aric Almirola and the #43 team ended the race in 18th place. As of the end of the Kansas race, Aric found himself in 22nd place in the Sprint Cup standings, with 203 points.
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
May 7, 2016
Aric Almirola and the Number 43 Smithfield Ford started the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway in the 19th position. The 43 team qualified well prior to the race, breaking the top 10 in the second round of qualifying. In the days leading up to the race, Aric commented on how the new downforce package would affect the race at a track like Kansas. “I think Kansas will be much different than what we’ve seen at other tracks so far. I’m really enjoying this package though. There’s definitely room to go further in the future, but it’s given us the ability to pass cars that you know you’re faster than. I’m looking forward to seeing what it will do at Kansas.” (RPM Website)
Early in the race, Almirola moved up through the field of racers peaking at 14th position. However, by lap 36, he had dropped out of the top 15 and was gradually falling back through the pack. By lap 87, he had fallen to P21 and was reporting some handling issues with the car, including, at one point reporting that he smelled something burning in the car. According to the Twitter account of Richard Petty Motorsports, it was thought that the AC was on fire in the #43 car. Aric Almirola cut it off and disconnected the helmet hose.
Things would not get much better as Almirola went a lap down as crew chief Trent Owens worked on a solution to help fix the loose car handling issue. The team hoped the air pressure adjustments would assist Aric as he directed the #43 around the track.
Despite being down 2 laps toward the end of the race and trying to manage a car that was loose, Aric Almirola and the #43 team ended the race in 18th place. As of the end of the Kansas race, Aric found himself in 22nd place in the Sprint Cup standings, with 203 points.
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
Image courtesy: aricalmirola.com
That’ll Put Hair On Your Chest!
March 20, 2016
In a recent interview with Arizona news station ABC 15's Jason Snavely, Wes Evans, Jackman for the 43 team, revealed that the Pit Crew's nickname is the "Hairy-Chested Beast Men". Beasts they would have to be to get through the 400 miles of D-shaped heated asphault known as the AutoClub Speedway. Track temperatures reached over 115 degrees on Sunday afternoon in Fontana, California.
The 39-car field was lead by pole winner Austin Dillon (#3). Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Brian Scott and Aric Almirola started the race in 21st and 25th positions, respectively. As is customary with the 43 race team, just prior to the green flag, lots of reminders are handed back and forth. “We will fight hard all day like we do every week." Almirola reinforces to his crew. “10-4” is the response. Then came a reminder from Crew Chief Trent Owens, “Just take care of your tires the best you can." As simple of a comment as that appeared to be, it would truly take hairy-chested beast men to handle the tires as they were an issue all race long.
Aric started the race well moving up 9 spots by lap 6. Shortly thereafter, he began complaining about the car’s handling. The issues started early and never really got remedied. "Way too loose there! Loose, loose, loose!" Almirola announced. "Way too loose, I can't fix this." Almirola tried to do as much as he could while he fought with the car prior to bringing the car down pit road during the first caution, which came at lap 22. The 43 took tires and made adjustments and restarted in 20th position.
By lap 38, the 43 Ford was in 12th place but starting to get loose again. Almirola also started reporting problems with the clutch pedals. There was no middle ground. They were either not engaged at all or completely engaged. After being told that the crew would take a look at it, he said, “It was fixed at Phoenix”. At lap 152, Almirola had dropped back to 22nd position. At one point in the late laps of the race, Aric radioed “I can not drive it! It feels like I don't have a spoiler!” Despite serious handling issues, Almirola was able to break into the top 10 challenging Kyle Busch briefly. However, by the end of the race, Almirola had dropped back in the field and on the last lap, after hitting the wall and blowing a tire, he crossed the line in 21st place.
Clearly there’s some work to do before Martinsville. Almirola alluded to it on the RPM blog. “I’m of course disappointed with our finish today,” said Almirola. “We started off the afternoon with a much stronger car than where we finished. We struggled with a loose No. 43 Smithfield Ford Fusion through the first part of the race, and then, as the track cooled down, our car tightened up. We ended up losing the front downforce on our car, and we never could find a solution that would get it driving for me. But, I’m proud of how hard my team fought this weekend, and I know that we’ll bounce back in Martinsville.” (Courtesy: RPM)
Hopefully this break will give the 43 team a chance to put the pieces back together and get back into Beast Mode! However, hats off to Brian Scott on his 12th place finish, his best placement this season!
Next Race:
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
March 20, 2016
In a recent interview with Arizona news station ABC 15's Jason Snavely, Wes Evans, Jackman for the 43 team, revealed that the Pit Crew's nickname is the "Hairy-Chested Beast Men". Beasts they would have to be to get through the 400 miles of D-shaped heated asphault known as the AutoClub Speedway. Track temperatures reached over 115 degrees on Sunday afternoon in Fontana, California.
The 39-car field was lead by pole winner Austin Dillon (#3). Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Brian Scott and Aric Almirola started the race in 21st and 25th positions, respectively. As is customary with the 43 race team, just prior to the green flag, lots of reminders are handed back and forth. “We will fight hard all day like we do every week." Almirola reinforces to his crew. “10-4” is the response. Then came a reminder from Crew Chief Trent Owens, “Just take care of your tires the best you can." As simple of a comment as that appeared to be, it would truly take hairy-chested beast men to handle the tires as they were an issue all race long.
Aric started the race well moving up 9 spots by lap 6. Shortly thereafter, he began complaining about the car’s handling. The issues started early and never really got remedied. "Way too loose there! Loose, loose, loose!" Almirola announced. "Way too loose, I can't fix this." Almirola tried to do as much as he could while he fought with the car prior to bringing the car down pit road during the first caution, which came at lap 22. The 43 took tires and made adjustments and restarted in 20th position.
By lap 38, the 43 Ford was in 12th place but starting to get loose again. Almirola also started reporting problems with the clutch pedals. There was no middle ground. They were either not engaged at all or completely engaged. After being told that the crew would take a look at it, he said, “It was fixed at Phoenix”. At lap 152, Almirola had dropped back to 22nd position. At one point in the late laps of the race, Aric radioed “I can not drive it! It feels like I don't have a spoiler!” Despite serious handling issues, Almirola was able to break into the top 10 challenging Kyle Busch briefly. However, by the end of the race, Almirola had dropped back in the field and on the last lap, after hitting the wall and blowing a tire, he crossed the line in 21st place.
Clearly there’s some work to do before Martinsville. Almirola alluded to it on the RPM blog. “I’m of course disappointed with our finish today,” said Almirola. “We started off the afternoon with a much stronger car than where we finished. We struggled with a loose No. 43 Smithfield Ford Fusion through the first part of the race, and then, as the track cooled down, our car tightened up. We ended up losing the front downforce on our car, and we never could find a solution that would get it driving for me. But, I’m proud of how hard my team fought this weekend, and I know that we’ll bounce back in Martinsville.” (Courtesy: RPM)
Hopefully this break will give the 43 team a chance to put the pieces back together and get back into Beast Mode! However, hats off to Brian Scott on his 12th place finish, his best placement this season!
Next Race:
- STP 500, Martinsville Speedway
- Sunday, April 3, 2016, 1:00 PM EST, FS1
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
Image Courtesy: Jeff Zelevansky/GettyImages
Another Top 15 Finish
March 13, 2016
Aric Almirola and the number 43 team started the Good Sam 500 race in Phoenix in the 14th position. After several solid races, Almirola was ready to move forward in the field. He has expressed several times that he can race with the best of them. He wants to get to the front of the field and feels like if he does, he can definitely make a strong effort for a top 5 finish if not a win.
All race long Aric stayed in 14th or better position. He danced around the 10th - 13th spots for the last several laps. After a caution came out on lap 225, Almirola pitted and restarted the race in 15th position which was the furthest spot back in the field he would experience all race. When the checkers waved, Aric found himself crossing the line in 13th position.
Afterward Aric commented on the handling of his car as well as his teams performance on pit road. "We never could get the proper handle on the car and fought the balance all day. We also struggled on pit road. That has been our Achilles heel all year, and it was again today. We can’t lose five spots on pit road, especially at a place like Phoenix where it’s too hard to make it up." Almirola received a B grade from NASCAR after the Phoenix 13th place finish. NASCAR acknowledged the team's constant improvement and noted that this is the 3rd time they finished in the top 15.
Almirola and the 43 Smithfield Ford team are looking forward to the final stop on this early West Coast Swing, namely Fontana, California to run the 200 lap Auto Club 400. "Fontana is so fun to race at; you can race all over that track. The tar that holds the race track together gets so hot and slimy that the tire just doesn’t stick very well when you go across it. You can bust your butt really quick if you’re not careful crossing the seams. But, it’s a really cool race track, and I hope they never repave it. I hope we race on that track until it just falls apart."
Aric will be racing in both the Xfinity and Sprint Cup races this weekend.
Hoping for a great finish for the 43 Team!
(All quotes courtesy: Richard Petty Motorsports Website)
Next Race:
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
March 13, 2016
Aric Almirola and the number 43 team started the Good Sam 500 race in Phoenix in the 14th position. After several solid races, Almirola was ready to move forward in the field. He has expressed several times that he can race with the best of them. He wants to get to the front of the field and feels like if he does, he can definitely make a strong effort for a top 5 finish if not a win.
All race long Aric stayed in 14th or better position. He danced around the 10th - 13th spots for the last several laps. After a caution came out on lap 225, Almirola pitted and restarted the race in 15th position which was the furthest spot back in the field he would experience all race. When the checkers waved, Aric found himself crossing the line in 13th position.
Afterward Aric commented on the handling of his car as well as his teams performance on pit road. "We never could get the proper handle on the car and fought the balance all day. We also struggled on pit road. That has been our Achilles heel all year, and it was again today. We can’t lose five spots on pit road, especially at a place like Phoenix where it’s too hard to make it up." Almirola received a B grade from NASCAR after the Phoenix 13th place finish. NASCAR acknowledged the team's constant improvement and noted that this is the 3rd time they finished in the top 15.
Almirola and the 43 Smithfield Ford team are looking forward to the final stop on this early West Coast Swing, namely Fontana, California to run the 200 lap Auto Club 400. "Fontana is so fun to race at; you can race all over that track. The tar that holds the race track together gets so hot and slimy that the tire just doesn’t stick very well when you go across it. You can bust your butt really quick if you’re not careful crossing the seams. But, it’s a really cool race track, and I hope they never repave it. I hope we race on that track until it just falls apart."
Aric will be racing in both the Xfinity and Sprint Cup races this weekend.
Hoping for a great finish for the 43 Team!
(All quotes courtesy: Richard Petty Motorsports Website)
Next Race:
- Auto Club 400, Auto Club Speedway (Fontana, California)
- Sunday, March 20, 2016, 3:30 PM EST, FOX
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
Image Courtesy: GettyImages
Solid Season Start
February 21, 2016
The excitement in the air was palpable. The countdown to the green flag was on. Time moved slowly while hearts were racing… And that was just in my house. Imagine what the 40 drivers felt as they waited to embark on the 2.5 mile track at Daytona for the “Great American Race”.
Whether you are a NASCAR fan or not, it’s hard to be anywhere on Daytona Day and not hear something about this race. There were several story lines moving into the start of the race. Chase Elliott – youngest driver to win the pole for a NASCAR race, EVER. Joey Logano – Would he snatch a repeat win at Daytona and become the 4th driver to accomplish that feat and the first in over 20 years?
Drivers were introduced by starting field position from row 20 to 1 to the epic sounds of “Fortuna Imperatix Mundi” by Orquesta Lírica de Barcelona. (You may not know the name but you have for sure heard the music!)
Aric Almirola, in the 43 Ford Fusion, started the race in the 34th position. Aric’s team spent a lot of time on the radio during the race. Before the green flag, though, Aric told his spotter, “Stevie, I’m gonna stay pretty committed to the middle and the top today.” Spotter Stevie Reeves was given the okay to clear Almirola, but he had made up his mind. Almirola was sure to thank everyone from the Smithfield team and all the supporters. “Thank you guys for all your hard work all winter. I’m looking forward to a good 2016 season.” He ended his pre-race comments with, “See ya in 200 laps. Have a good one.”
And then…. It was time to go racing!!!
February 21, 2016
The excitement in the air was palpable. The countdown to the green flag was on. Time moved slowly while hearts were racing… And that was just in my house. Imagine what the 40 drivers felt as they waited to embark on the 2.5 mile track at Daytona for the “Great American Race”.
Whether you are a NASCAR fan or not, it’s hard to be anywhere on Daytona Day and not hear something about this race. There were several story lines moving into the start of the race. Chase Elliott – youngest driver to win the pole for a NASCAR race, EVER. Joey Logano – Would he snatch a repeat win at Daytona and become the 4th driver to accomplish that feat and the first in over 20 years?
Drivers were introduced by starting field position from row 20 to 1 to the epic sounds of “Fortuna Imperatix Mundi” by Orquesta Lírica de Barcelona. (You may not know the name but you have for sure heard the music!)
Aric Almirola, in the 43 Ford Fusion, started the race in the 34th position. Aric’s team spent a lot of time on the radio during the race. Before the green flag, though, Aric told his spotter, “Stevie, I’m gonna stay pretty committed to the middle and the top today.” Spotter Stevie Reeves was given the okay to clear Almirola, but he had made up his mind. Almirola was sure to thank everyone from the Smithfield team and all the supporters. “Thank you guys for all your hard work all winter. I’m looking forward to a good 2016 season.” He ended his pre-race comments with, “See ya in 200 laps. Have a good one.”
And then…. It was time to go racing!!!
|
The first caution of the race came out on lap 20 after a spin out by the 24. After pitting, Almirola restarted at position 12. He had been telling the crew for most of the race that drivers were having trouble with handling and even said it resembled the old Daytona. He emphasized that he was doing an okay job handling the car but had no help to move from the back half of the field.
As usual Aric ran a respectable race. He shuffled back and forth between 12 and the mid 20’s for most of the race despite a penalty for an uncontrolled tire in his pit. He did break into the top 10 twice during the race, but when the checkered flag waved, Almirola found himself finishing in 12th. |
|
After the race, Almirola posted to his Twitter account.
Looking forward to qualifying and seeing Aric and the rest of the RPM team in Atlanta!
Next Race:
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
Looking forward to qualifying and seeing Aric and the rest of the RPM team in Atlanta!
Next Race:
- Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway
- Sunday, February 28, 2016, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
Image Courtesy: RPMotorsports (via Twitter)
|
Image Courtesy: RPMotorsports (via Twitter)
|
Dry Run Before Daytona 500
February 14, 2016
“We’re In It.”
With those words, Aric Almirola’s night was over.
On Saturday, February 13, Aric, in the #43, ran in the 75 lap Sprint Unlimited exhibition race in Daytona. He started the race in the 17th position, after having recorded the 3rd fastest practice time, and for most of the race found himself in the middle of the pack. He made it into the top 10 after the lap 24 mandatory caution, but that was the only time he’d break the top 10.
Midway through the race, it was clear that Aric and his spotter, Stevie Reeves had some communication issues to work on prior to the Daytona 500. Almirola assured Reeves that he was doing a good job but told him that he needed more details about what was happening behind the car. Reeves replied with a simple “10-4”. Between the communication troubles, the wrecks on the track, the temporary loss of dashboard electronics, and annoying frequency coming from a crew member’s radio, there’s plenty to calibrate before next week’s race.
Aric finished in 18th place after a wreck on lap 73, during which he uttered the words at the beginning of the article and was forced to take the car straight to the garage. Despite the race results, Aric said, “I feel like we sorted out some issues that we had and went over some stuff with our digital dash and things like that, which will be important to get all those bugs worked out before the Daytona 500. It was a good night for us even though we ended up in the garage.”
Next Up:
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
February 14, 2016
“We’re In It.”
With those words, Aric Almirola’s night was over.
On Saturday, February 13, Aric, in the #43, ran in the 75 lap Sprint Unlimited exhibition race in Daytona. He started the race in the 17th position, after having recorded the 3rd fastest practice time, and for most of the race found himself in the middle of the pack. He made it into the top 10 after the lap 24 mandatory caution, but that was the only time he’d break the top 10.
Midway through the race, it was clear that Aric and his spotter, Stevie Reeves had some communication issues to work on prior to the Daytona 500. Almirola assured Reeves that he was doing a good job but told him that he needed more details about what was happening behind the car. Reeves replied with a simple “10-4”. Between the communication troubles, the wrecks on the track, the temporary loss of dashboard electronics, and annoying frequency coming from a crew member’s radio, there’s plenty to calibrate before next week’s race.
Aric finished in 18th place after a wreck on lap 73, during which he uttered the words at the beginning of the article and was forced to take the car straight to the garage. Despite the race results, Aric said, “I feel like we sorted out some issues that we had and went over some stuff with our digital dash and things like that, which will be important to get all those bugs worked out before the Daytona 500. It was a good night for us even though we ended up in the garage.”
Next Up:
- 2016 Daytona 500 Qualifying
- Daytona International Speedway
- 1:15 pm ET, FOX
Send me a tweet: @shedigzsportz
Sprint Unlimited Race, Feb 13, Image Courtesy: jayski.com
