Catchfence

Budweiser Racing No. 9

No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion

AMP Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway

• Following a solid run at Martinsville Speedway, Aric Almirola will drive the No. 9 Budweiser Ford in this weekend’s AMP Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

• Almirola ran as high as seventh in last Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway and was headed for a top-15 finish before a cut right-front tire left the No. 9 Budweiser Ford two laps down in 21^st position.

• In three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Almirola’s best run at the track came in October 2008, when he started third, led three laps and finished 13^th.

• Last fall at Talladega Superspeedway, the No. 9 Budweiser team started 11^th and finished second. The team’s average finish in the fall race at the 2.66-mile track over the past six years is 16^th.

• In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford, Almirola will also race the No. 51 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry for Billy Ballew Motorsports on Saturday. Almirola is second in the Truck Series driver point standings and has scored two wins this season. He also finished second in last year’s Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Crew chief Kenny Francis discusses racing at Talladega:

What are the keys to having a good run at Talladega? “It’s all a matter of being in the right place at the right time with the right cars in front of you and behind you there. It can be a bit of a crap shoot. You’ve got to keep your car clean and find someone that you can draft with. Then hopefully the Budweiser Ford is up front at the end. It’s definitely an intense race.”

Talladega Superspeedway Track Facts

Track Length:                                     2.66 miles
Race Length:                                      188 laps/500 miles
Grandstand Seating Capacity:     131,866
First Race:                                           September 14, 1969
Banking in corners:                          33 degrees
Banking on frontstretch:               16.5 degrees
Banking on backstretch:                2 degrees
Frontstretch:                                     4,300 feet
Backstretch:                                       4,000 feet
TV:                                                         ESPN, 1 p.m. ET
Radio:                                                   MRN Radio, SIRIUS NASCAR Radio

- Elevation Group of Companies for Budweiser Racing, Press Release