It didn’t take long for Richard Petty Motorsports to name Aric Almirola to takeover the No. 43 Ford after losing A.J. Allmendinger last week to Penske Racing’s No. 22 Dodge team.
Almirola, who last season drove the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the Nationwide series will drive all 36 Sprint Cup races starting in February in the Daytona 500.
“One of the things I am most excited about is to have the chance to drive a car as iconic as the No. 43,” Almirola said. “There is so much history surrounding that number and to have my name above the door will be really special for me.”
It is expected that Cole Whitt will drive the No. 88 JRM Chevy next season in the Nationwide series.

NEW RACE BOSS AT INDYCAR

The IZOD IndyCar Series has named American Le Mans Series race boss Beaux Barfield to replace Brian Barnhart as race director.
Barfield previously worked as a Champ Car race steward from 2003-08) and as race director of the Champ Car-sanctioned Atlantic and Trans Am series.
He will be replaced in the ALMS by Paul Walter, who will take over as the lead official for the series, starting with the 2012 opener at Sebring.