Aric Almirola

Aric Michael Almirola (born March 14, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 10 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. A graduate of Hillsborough High School in Tampa,[1] Almirola attended the University of Central Florida to work on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to pursue a career in racing. His nickname is The Cuban Missile because of his Cuban heritage.[2]

Aric Almirola
Almirola at Richmond Raceway in 2018
Born	Aric Michael Almirola (1984-03-14) March 14, 1984 Eglin Air Force Base Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	160 lb (73 kg)
Achievements	2014 Coke Zero 400 winner
NASCAR Cup Series career
339 races run over 13 years
Car no., team	No. 10 (Stewart-Haas Racing)
2019 position	14th
Best finish	5th (2018)
First race	2007 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 (Las Vegas)
Last race	2020 Go Bowling 235 (Daytona)
First win	2014 Coke Zero 400 (Daytona)
Last win	2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 74 2
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
102 races run over 11 years
2018 position	98th
Best finish	4th (2011)
First race	2006 Circuit City 250 (Richmond)
Last race	2018 Zippo 200 at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
First win	2007 AT&T 250 (Milwaukee)
Last win	2017 Sparks Energy 300 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles 3 38 5
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
78 races run over 8 years
2012 position	90th
Best finish	2nd (2010)
First race	2005 O'Reilly 200 (Memphis)
Last race	2012 WinStar World Casino 350K (Texas)
First win	2010 Dover 200 (Dover)
Last win	2010 VFW 200 (Michigan)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 38 0
Statistics current as of August 9, 2020.

Racing career

Early career

Almirola was born on Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, of Cuban descent. He began racing go-karts when he was eight years old. At age 14, he began racing nationally. He won the pole position in his debut in the World Karting Association race and finished fourth in the standings that year. Two years later, he moved up into modifieds and won several Rookie of the Year awards.

NASCAR

In 2002, Almirola moved to the NASCAR Sun Belt Weekly Racing Division and finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings. He followed that up with five pole positions in 2003. In 2004, he became one of the first drivers to participate in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program.[3] He also signed with Joe Gibbs Racing as a development driver under a partnership with former NFL player Reggie White. Almirola ran the season at Ace Speedway, and won two races before finishing 11th in the points standings. He won five more races at the track in 2005, and made his Truck Series debut with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports and had two top-tens in four races.

2006–07

For 2006, Almirola drove the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing-sponsored Chevy for Spears Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, as part of the JGR development program. He started every race and had three Top 10 finishes, including a best finish of ninth, ending the season 18th. That season, he also drove nine races in the Busch Series for Gibbs in the No. 19 Husqvarna/Banquet Foods-sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo. His best finish was eleventh at Dover International Speedway. He also served as a test driver for Gibbs teammates J. J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin when their Nextel Cup and Busch Series schedules conflicted. He also scored his first career pole at the Milwaukee Mile,[4] qualifying the No. 20 car for Denny Hamlin, who competed in the race.

Almirola moved up to the Busch series on a regular basis in 2007, driving the No. 18 and No. 20 Chevys for Joe Gibbs, driving each car in ten races apiece. He won his second career pole award for the Orbitz 300 at Daytona. He won the pole again, for the second straight year, at the AT&T 250 at the Milwaukee Mile, but thought he was going to give up driving duties to Hamlin again; Hamlin's helicopter was unable to land in time for Hamlin to make it to the track, so Almirola started the race, leading the first 43 laps of the race.[5] On lap 59, during a caution period, because of sponsor commitments, Hamlin took over for Almirola while he was running in the third place. Hamlin went on to win the race, but Almirola was credited with his first NASCAR Busch Series win because he was the driver who started the race. Almirola did not participate in team victory celebrations after the race as he had already left the track.[5] He soon joined Dale Earnhardt, Inc. following the sale of Ginn Racing. He drove the No. 01 Chevrolet in five races in 2007, and had the best finish of 30th.

2008–09

Almirola's No. 8 Cup car in 2009

Almirola's No. 40 Nationwide car in 2009

Almirola was named co-driver of the No. 8 United States Army-sponsored Chevrolet for the 2008 Sprint Cup Series, sharing the ride with Mark Martin. His best finish during the season was an eighth-place finish in the 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol, and his best start in Sprint Cup was a third-place start at the 2008 Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville. Almirola was named the full-time driver of the No. 8 for the 2009 season.[6] Seven races into the 2009 season, Almirola lost his ride to a lack of sponsorship and horrendous performance. He later signed a five-race deal with Key Motorsports to drive their No. 40 Chevrolet Impala SS in the Nationwide Series. He returned to the Truck Series, driving part-time in the No. 15 Graceway Pharmaceuticals-sponsored Toyota Tundra for Billy Ballew Motorsports, and had a seven-race streak of finishes eighth or better. He also made one attempt and one race in the No. 09 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series. In October 2009, he filed paperwork in North Carolina Superior Court indicating that he has a breach-of-contract dispute with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. Almirola competed in seven Sprint Cup races in 2009 for the team before his No. 8 Chevy car was parked because of a lack of sponsorship. The lawsuit was dropped a month later after being settled out of court.

2010–2012: Resurgence in Truck and Nationwide

Almirola's No. 88 Nationwide car in 2011

For 2010, he was to drive full-time for Phoenix Racing's No. 09 Cup series Chevrolet Impala.[7] He also drove the No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals/AK Awareness-sponsored Toyota Tundra for Billy Ballew in the Camping World Truck Series. In April, Almirola parted ways with Phoenix Racing to focus on his Truck Series ride. Almirola attempted the Aarons 499 at Talladega in No. 35 Tommy Baldwin Racing/Mohawk-sponsored Chevrolet but failed to qualify after qualifying was rained out by NASCAR. Almirola won his first race in the Camping World Truck Series at Dover International Speedway and won again at Michigan International Speedway, holding off Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch. Almirola would finish second in points to Bodine.

Hendrick Motorsports named Almirola a standby driver for the No. 48 team in case Jimmie Johnson needed to leave for the birth of his daughter.[8] Almirola was not needed. In July 2010, Almirola was again a standby driver for Hendrick Motorsports at Pocono in case Jeff Gordon had to leave or miss the race due to the birth of Gordon's son. At Loudon, he was standby for a sick Scott Speed. He drove the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford at Martinsville Speedway in Fall 2010 after Kasey Kahne was released from his contract.[9] Almirola had his first Sprint Cup Top 5 finish at Homestead. At Talladega in the fall, he ended up in the closest finish in truck series history by ending up second to Kyle Busch in 0.002 of a second, who passed underneath Almirola below the yellow line. The 1-2 finish was the same as the previous race in 2009 but the finish was controversial because of the yellow line rules (as NASCAR rules state that a driver must not advance his position by going below the yellow line even if he is forced down there). But officials determined that Busch had the lead before going below the yellow line thus making Busch's winning move legal. In 2011, Almirola drove the No. 88 Nationwide Series car for JR Motorsports. He won two poles and had 18 top-10s to finish fourth in points. He was released from his contract after the season when he accepted a full-time Sprint Cup ride, driving for Richard Petty Motorsports in the No. 43 Ford.[10]

2012–2017: Return to Cup in the No. 43

Almirola's 2013 Sprint Cup car, in the same Air Force scheme he took to victory lane at Daytona in 2014

After only running one year's worth of Sprint Cup Series races in his career, Richard Petty Motorsports signed Almirola to a one-year contract, replacing the departing A. J. Allmendinger in the legendary 43 car.[11] Almirola earned a Pole start at Charlotte in May, and collected one top 5 and four top 10s en route to a 20th-place finish in points. Aric's best run of the year may have been at Kansas in October, where he qualified fifth and lead 69 laps after taking the top spot on lap 6. But on lap 121, Almirola blew a tire, sending his Farmland Ford into the wall. He spun on lap 172 racing for the lead and lost a lap on pit road. After getting his lap back and working his way up to 13th, Almirola hit the wall once again, setting the front of the car ablaze and ending the promising run.[12] Almirola also returned to the Truck Series in 2012 on a part-time basis driving for his old crew chief Richie Wauters' No. 5 Ford.

In 2013 Almirola returned to Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43 in the Sprint Cup Series; at Martinsville Speedway in October, the team ran the No. 41 to honor Maurice Petty's induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.[13] During the 2013 season from Texas to Talladega, he had the most consecutive Top 10s in the 43 car since Bobby Hamilton in 1996. After being fastest in practice in Talladega, his crew chief Todd Parrott was suspended for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy.[14] Almirola finished a career high 18th in points. In 2014, he received crew chief Trent Owens who is Richard Petty's nephew.

In January 2014, RPM announced a three-year contract extension with Almirola after working on one year deals the previous two seasons. This coincided with sponsor Smithfield Foods stepping up to fund 29 races in each the next three seasons with brands Smithfield, Farmland, Eckrich, and Gwaltney.[15] Almirola had a rather slow start to 2014, being involved in a 12 car wreck in the 2014 Daytona 500. At Bristol, Almirola posted his best cup finish to date, finishing 3rd.

The next week at Auto Club Speedway during the 2014 Auto Club 400, Almirola got involved in an accident with Brian Scott. Almirola made a pass on Scott for 4th place. Scott controversially moved into the back of Almirola to wreck himself and Almirola. In a post-race interview, an angry Almirola retorted "The 33 was obviously a dart without feathers and coming across the race track. He ran right into me. Man, he came from all the way at the bottom of the race track and ran into me. He's not even racing this series for points. He's out there having fun because his daddy gets to pay for it and he wrecked us. That's frustrating."

At the 2014 Coke Zero 400, Almirola would earn his first career win in the Sprint Cup Series after avoiding two major wrecks, and leading the field when the race was called off after 112 laps due to rain. His win also marked the first victory by the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 since 1999, and 30 years to the day Richard Petty won his 200th race.[16][17] On his big victory Almirola said "The good Lord was watching out for us today and we were meant to win. It's real special for me to win here. This is not only the 30th anniversary of this team's last win at Daytona, it is my hometown and I remember growing up watching Daytona 500s and Firecracker 400s here. To win is real special."

Despite only scoring better than 20th only four times in the next few races, Almirola's win clinched a berth in the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup, his first Chase appearance and the first for a Cuban driver. Almirola was eliminated from the championship chase after round 1 of the Chase.

Almirola racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2015

Almirola had a more successful year in 2015 despite missing the Chase barely. He had only six Top 10s but he was mainly in the Top 15 and was consistent all year long. he barely missed the chase by almost winning the Fall Richmond race with a strategy call and finished 4th. He finished 17th in the standings, the highest for a non-chaser.

He returned to the No. 43 in 2016 with Brian Scott as his new teammate.

In July 2016, Almirola, in the No. 98 car, won the Xfinity Series race at Daytona, for his first Xfinity Series win since 2007. He barely beat Justin Allgaier by 0.003 seconds to win the race. A final lap caution came out, with Almirola being declared the winner on review. In victory lane, an ecstatic Almirola said that he considered the race to be his first Xfinity Series win as he had won the 2007 Milwaukee race while Denny Hamlin drove 75% of the race. Almirola had a dismal 2016 season with just only collecting a top ten finish.

Almirola started the 2017 season without a teammate and finished 4th at the 2017 Daytona 500. Almirola was hit with a 35-point penalty loss after the Talladega race. During the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 13, Almirola was involved in a violent crash along with Joey Logano and Danica Patrick. After Logano's brake rotor exploded, he collided with Patrick, sending both straight into the wall. Almirola attempted to avoid the wreck but instead slammed into Logano. Although he was conscious, Almirola was cut out of his car, placed onto a stretcher and airlifted to the University of Kansas Hospital.[18] Almirola was diagnosed with a compression fracture of his T5 vertebrae, released from the University of Kansas Hospital after overnight observation and traveled back to North Carolina, where he had a follow-up consultation with his doctors in Charlotte. Almirola was also reported to have the ability to walk the day after his violent wreck. It was expected that he would miss 8–12 weeks.[19] He was replaced by Regan Smith for the Monster Energy Open, which led up to the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600, and the AAA 400 Drive for Autism.[20] Darrell Wallace Jr.[21] and Billy Johnson also substituted for Almirola.[22] On June 29, Almirola stated he would undergo track tests in Charlotte or Darlington before being medically cleared to race in low-banking tracks like Indianapolis or New Hampshire to decrease stress on his back.[23] On July 12, he announced he had been cleared to return to racing at Loudon's Overton's 301.[24]

In September 2017, after sponsor Smithfield Foods announced that they would be leaving the team at season's end, Almirola announced his departure from Richard Petty Motorsports.

2018–present: Stewart-Haas Racing

Almirola's No. 10 car at Sonoma Raceway in 2019

On November 8, 2017, Stewart-Haas Racing announced Almirola as the driver of the No. 10 Ford Fusion for the 2018 season.[25] Almirola was leading the 2018 Daytona 500 when on the race's last lap Almirola and eventual race winner Austin Dillon collided, resulting in Almirola crashing into the outside wall and finishing 11th.[26] His consistency throughout the regular season brought him to the playoffs. At the inaugural Charlotte Roval race, Almirola was barely able to advance to the Round of 12 with a 19th-place finish after slamming the outside wall while avoiding William Byron, who cut a tire in front of him. He had a strong running at the fall Dover race until he got loose exiting the turn and collided with Brad Keselowski, which caused a multi-car pileup on a that took out Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and Alex Bowman. One week later, Almirola and Stewart-Haas Racing dominated the fall Talladega race. On the final lap, Almirola was running 2nd until his teammate Kurt Busch ran out of gas. Almirola scored his second career cup win, locking him into the Round of 8.[27] Despite finishing fourth at Phoenix, Almirola was eliminated in the Round of 8. He finished the season fifth in the points standings, the highest finish of his career.

In the 2019 season, Almirola once again made the playoffs, but was eliminated in the Round of 16 after finishing 14th at the Charlotte Roval.[28] 5 weeks later, Almirola contended with teammate and pole-setter Kevin Harvick for the win at Texas before finishing in 2nd-place, his best finish of the season. He fell to 14th in the final points standings. On December 4, 2019, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Mike Bugarewicz will replace Johnny Klausmeier as the crew chief of the No. 10 team in 2020.[29]

Almirola finished 3rd at the 2020 GEICO 500 despite crossing the finish line nearly all the way backwards after being spun by Ricky Stenhouse Jr.[30] Almirola led the most laps and won the second stage at Pocono the following week, and looked to be in position to win until a poor final pit stop cost him the lead. Almirola finished 3rd.[31] Almirola led 128 of the first 137 laps at Kentucky but his car did not do as well in lap traffic and he was unable to regain the lead; Almirola's teammate Cole Custer won the race.[32]

Personal life

Aric Almirola was born as the youngest of four boys at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and raised in Tampa.[33] His family members are Cuban and Almirola is a US citizen. His grandfather Sam Rodriguez was a dirt sprint car driver.

Almirola is married to Janice Almirola, with whom he has two children: a son named Alex (born September 2012) and a daughter named Abby (born November 2013).[34] Almirola is a Christian.[35]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	NCSC	Pts	Ref
2007	Joe Gibbs Racing	80	Chevy	DAY	CAL	LVS 41	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	NHA	DAY	CHI	IND	POC	GLN	MCH														52nd	357	[36]
	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	01	Chevy																								BRI 36	CAL 31	RCH	NHA	DOV	KAN	TAL 30	CLT	MAR 43	ATL	TEX	PHO 26	HOM
2008		8		DAY	CAL	LVS	ATL	BRI 8	MAR 42	TEX	PHO	TAL 33	RCH	DAR	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON 25	NHA	DAY	CHI	IND	POC	GLN 35	MCH	BRI 13	CAL 30	RCH	NHA 18	DOV	KAN	TAL 13	CLT	MAR 20	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM 35	42nd	1075	[37]
2009	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing			DAY 30	CAL 35	LVS 39	ATL 21	BRI 35	MAR 37	TEX 33	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	NHA	DAY	CHI	IND	POC	GLN	MCH														46th	527	[38]
	Phoenix Racing	09	Dodge																								BRI DNQ	ATL	RCH	NHA 29	DOV	KAN	CAL	CLT	MAR	TAL	TEX	PHO	HOM
2010			Chevy	DAY DNQ	CAL 43	LVS 43	ATL DNQ	BRI 39	MAR 41	PHO DNQ	TEX																													48th	704	[39]
	Tommy Baldwin Racing	35	Chevy									TAL DNQ	RCH	DAR	DOV	CLT	POC	MCH	SON	NHA	DAY	CHI	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	ATL	RCH	NHA	DOV	KAN	CAL	CLT
	Richard Petty Motorsports	9	Ford																																MAR 21	TAL 20	TEX 21	PHO 27	HOM 4
2012	Richard Petty Motorsports	43	Ford	DAY 33	PHO 12	LVS 24	BRI 19	CAL 25	MAR 8	TEX 22	KAN 23	RCH 26	TAL 12	DAR 19	CLT 16	DOV 6	POC 28	MCH 17	SON 28	KEN 26	DAY 19	NHA 28	IND 19	POC 19	GLN 18	MCH 20	BRI 35	ATL 32	RCH 26	CHI 17	NHA 23	DOV 19	TAL 19	CLT 12	KAN 29	MAR 4	TEX 15	PHO 16	HOM 7	20th	868	[40]
2013				DAY 13	PHO 15	LVS 16	BRI 37	CAL 14	MAR 20	TEX 7	KAN 8	RCH 8	TAL 10	DAR 20	CLT 33	DOV 18	POC 21	MCH 17	SON 20	KEN 15	DAY 38	NHA 5	IND 17	POC 20	GLN 37	MCH 18	BRI 15	ATL 20	RCH 20	CHI 13	NHA 21	DOV 22	KAN 10	CLT 23	TAL 22		TEX 27	PHO 19	HOM 16	18th	913	[41]
		41																																		MAR 20
2014		43		DAY 39	PHO 15	LVS 25	BRI 3	CAL 43	MAR 8	TEX 12	DAR 24	RCH 17	TAL 13	KAN 8	CLT 11	DOV 12	POC 22	MCH 31	SON 23	KEN 39	DAY 1	NHA 23	IND 21	POC 35	GLN 18	MCH 20	BRI 41	ATL 9	RCH 10	CHI 41	NHA 6	DOV 28	KAN 31	CLT 22	TAL 39	MAR 21	TEX 24	PHO 18	HOM 19	16th	2195	[42]
2015				DAY 15	ATL 11	LVS 26	PHO 19	CAL 11	MAR 12	TEX 19	BRI 13	RCH 20	TAL 15	KAN 11	CLT 17	DOV 5	POC 43	MCH 22	SON 14	DAY 34	KEN 12	NHA 15	IND 38	POC 18	GLN 16	MCH 14	BRI 17	DAR 11	RCH 4	CHI 10	NHA 43	DOV 5	CLT 10	KAN 24	TAL 16	MAR 16	TEX 18	PHO 10	HOM 41	17th	940	[43]
2016				DAY 12	ATL 15	LVS 24	PHO 13	CAL 21	MAR 40	TEX 24	BRI 34	RCH 21	TAL 27	KAN 18	DOV 31	CLT 26	POC 20	MCH 26	SON 27	DAY 15	KEN 20	NHA 19	IND 25	POC 39	GLN 27	BRI 14	MCH 24	DAR 32	RCH 17	CHI 32	NHA 17	DOV 16	CLT 15	KAN 40	TAL 8	MAR 15	TEX 22	PHO 22	HOM 40	26th	638	[44]
2017				DAY 4	ATL 27	LVS 14	PHO 17	CAL 19	MAR 18	TEX 18	BRI 22	RCH 9	TAL 4	KAN 38	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	DAY	KEN	NHA 24	IND 13	POC 38	GLN 21	MCH 12	BRI 37	DAR 20	RCH 17	CHI 24	NHA 26	DOV 25	CLT 24	TAL 5	KAN 9	MAR 18	TEX 15	PHO 9	HOM 18	29th	502	[45]
2018	Stewart-Haas Racing	10	Ford	DAY 11	ATL 13	LVS 10	PHO 7	CAL 12	MAR 14	TEX 32	BRI 6	RCH 17	TAL 7	DOV 11	KAN 9	CLT 13	POC 7	MCH 11	SON 8	CHI 25*	DAY 27	KEN 8	NHA 3	POC 25	GLN 22	MCH 7	BRI 31	DAR 14	IND 23	LVS 6	RCH 5	CLT 19	DOV 13	TAL 1	KAN 10	MAR 11	TEX 8	PHO 4	HOM 9	5th	2354	[46]
2019				DAY 32	ATL 8	LVS 7	PHO 4	CAL 9	MAR 9	TEX 7	BRI 37	RCH 23	TAL 9	DOV 16	KAN 12	CLT 11	POC 10	MCH 17	SON 9	CHI 16	DAY 7	KEN 14	NHA 11	POC 12	GLN 12	MCH 33	BRI 29	DAR 17	IND 14	LVS 13	RCH 16	CLT 14	DOV 17	TAL 4	KAN 23	MAR 37	TEX 2	PHO 22	HOM 22	14th	2234	[47]
2020				DAY 22	LVS 21	CAL 8	PHO 8	DAR 12	DAR 7	CLT 15	CLT 20	BRI 29	ATL 17	MAR 33	HOM 5	TAL 3	POC 3*	POC 5	IND 3	KEN 8*	TEX 10	KAN 6	NHA 7	MCH 16	MCH 6	DAY	DOV	DOV	DAY	DAR	RCH	BRI	LVS	TAL	CLT	KAN	TEX	MAR	PHO	-*	-*	[48]

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
2009	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet	11	30
2010	Phoenix Racing	Chevrolet	DNQ
2012	Richard Petty Motorsports	Ford	27	33
2013			26	13
2014			13	39
2015			33	15
2016			34	12
2017			13	4
2018	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	37	11
2019			8	32
2020			5	22

Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	NXSC	Pts	Ref
2005	Joe Gibbs Racing	20	Chevy	DAY	CAL	MXC	LVS	ATL	NSH	BRI	TEX	PHO	TAL	DAR	RCH	CLT	DOV	NSH	KEN	MLW	DAY	CHI	NHA	PPR	GTY	IRP	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	DOV	KAN	CLT	MEM QL^†	TEX	PHO	HOM	N/A	–	[49]
2006		19		DAY	CAL	MXC	LVS	ATL	BRI	TEX	NSH	PHO	TAL	RCH 32	DAR	CLT	DOV 11	NSH	KEN							IRP 38	GLN	MCH 27	BRI 20	CAL	RCH 18	DOV	KAN 39	CLT 15	MEM	TEX	PHO 13	HOM	51st	833	[50]
		20																		MLW QL^†	DAY	CHI	NHA	MAR QL^†	GTY
2007		18		DAY 19	CAL	MXC	LVS	ATL 27				PHO 43			DAR 41	CLT 14	DOV						CHI 38	GTY										CLT 4	MEM	TEX	PHO	HOM 18	29th	1959	[51]
		20							BRI 32	NSH 19	TEX		TAL 20	RCH				NSH 10	KEN 6	MLW 1	NHA	DAY 28			IRP 6	CGV 11	GLN	MCH	BRI 10	CAL	RCH	DOV	KAN
2009	Key Motorsports	40	Chevy	DAY	CAL	LVS	BRI	TEX	NSH	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT	DOV	NSH	KEN	MLW 11	NHA	DAY	CHI	GTY	IRP 14	IOW 34	GLN	MCH	BRI	CGV	ATL	RCH	DOV	KAN	CAL						76th	394	[52]
	Smith-Ganassi Racing	42	Dodge																															CLT 27	MEM	TEX	PHO	HOM
2010	JR Motorsports	88	Chevy	DAY	CAL	LVS	BRI	NSH	PHO	TEX	TAL	RCH	DAR	DOV	CLT	NSH	KEN	ROA	NHA	DAY	CHI	GTY	IRP 3	IOW	GLN	MCH	BRI	CGV	ATL			KAN 22	CAL 6	CLT 8	GTY	TEX 16	PHO 6	HOM 32	44th	1021	[53]
		7																												RCH 11	DOV
2011		88		DAY 19	PHO 13	LVS 15	BRI 10	CAL 9	TEX 12	TAL 8	NSH 10	RCH 14	DAR 28	DOV 9	IOW 17	CLT 9	CHI 4	MCH 15	ROA 22	DAY 9	KEN 20	NHA 5	NSH 5	IRP 4	IOW 5	GLN 8	CGV 20	BRI 5	ATL 8	RCH 7	CHI 4	DOV 15	KAN 12	CLT 15	TEX 19	PHO 25	HOM 8		4th	1095	[54]
2013	Richard Petty Motorsports	43	Ford	DAY	PHO 9	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX	RCH	TAL	DAR	CLT	DOV	IOW	MCH	ROA	KEN	DAY	NHA	CHI	IND	IOW	GLN	MOH	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	KAN	CLT	TEX	PHO	HOM			111th	0^1	[55]
2014	Biagi-DenBeste Racing	98	Ford	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX	DAR	RCH	TAL	IOW	CLT	DOV	MCH	ROA	KEN	DAY	NHA	CHI	IND	IOW	GLN	MOH	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI 14	KEN	DOV 13	KAN	CLT	TEX	PHO	HOM			99th	0^1	[56]
2015				DAY 7	ATL	LVS 11	PHO	CAL	TEX	BRI	RCH 15	TAL 10	IOW	CLT 19	DOV	MCH 8	CHI	DAY 35	KEN	NHA	IND 14	IOW	GLN	MOH	BRI	ROA	DAR	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	CLT	KAN	TEX	PHO	HOM 12			93rd	0^1	[57]
2016				DAY 11	ATL	LVS 12	PHO	CAL 11	TEX 17	BRI 10	RCH	TAL 10	DOV	CLT	POC 11	MCH	IOW	DAY 1	KEN	NHA	IND	IOW	GLN	MOH	BRI	ROA	DAR	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	CLT	KAN	TEX	PHO 12	HOM 10			92nd	0^1	[58]
2017				DAY 23	ATL 19	LVS 17	PHO	CAL	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL 1	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	IOW	DAY	KEN	NHA	IND	IOW	GLN	MOH	BRI 38	ROA	DAR	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	CLT	KAN	TEX	PHO	HOM			93rd	0^1	[59]
2018	Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste			DAY 35	ATL	LVS	PHO	CAL	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL	DOV	CLT	POC	MCH	IOW	CHI	DAY	KEN	NHA	IOW	GLN 5	MOH	BRI	ROA	DAR	IND	LVS	RCH	CLT	DOV	KAN	TEX	PHO	HOM			98th	0^1	[60]
^† – Qualified for Denny Hamlin

Camping World Truck Series

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	NCWTC	Pts	Ref
2005	Morgan-Dollar Motorsports	47	Chevy	DAY	CAL	ATL	MAR	GTY	MFD	CLT	DOV	TEX	MCH	MLW	KAN	KEN	MEM 30	IRP 10	NSH	BRI	RCH	NHA 8	LVS	MAR	ATL	TEX 34	PHO	HOM	48th	410	[61]
2006	Spears Motorsports	75	Chevy	DAY 32	CAL 21	ATL 18	MAR 18	GTY 10	CLT 9	MFD 30	DOV 12	TEX 32	MCH 36	MLW 13	KAN 18	KEN 22	MEM 18	IRP 21	NSH 22	BRI 32	NHA 29	LVS 10	TAL 22	MAR 16	ATL 30	TEX 20	PHO 22	HOM 23	18th	2471	[62]
2007	Billy Ballew Motorsports	51	Chevy	DAY	CAL	ATL	MAR	KAN	CLT	MFD	DOV	TEX	MCH	MLW	MEM 17	KEN	IRP												60th	273	[63]
	Morgan-Dollar Motorsports	47	Chevy															NSH 23	BRI	GTW	NHA 32	LVS	TAL	MAR	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM
2008		46		DAY	CAL	ATL	MAR	KAN	CLT	MFD	DOV	TEX 17	MCH	MLW	MEM	KEN	IRP	NSH	BRI	GTW	NHA	LVS	TAL	MAR	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM	78th	112	[64]
2009	Billy Ballew Motorsports	15	Toyota	DAY	CAL	ATL	MAR	KAN	CLT	DOV	TEX 16	MCH	MLW 20	MEM 4	KEN 5	IRP 3	NSH	BRI 6	CHI 8	IOW 2		NHA 21		MAR 12	TAL 2	TEX 14	PHO 3	HOM 14	20th	2301	[65]
		51																			GTW 4		LVS 8
2010				DAY 12	ATL 3	MAR 6	NSH 8	KAN 7	DOV 1	CLT 7	TEX 12	MCH 1	IOW 28	GTY 8	IRP 31	POC 4	NSH 3	DAR 9	BRI 2	CHI 6	KEN 3	NHA 8	LVS 6	MAR 5	TAL 2	TEX 7	PHO 5	HOM 5	2nd	3730	[66]
2011	Vision Aviation Racing			DAY 22	PHO	DAR	MAR	NSH	DOV	CLT	KAN	TEX	KEN	IOW	NSH	IRP	POC	MCH	BRI	ATL	CHI	NHA	KEN	LVS	TAL	MAR	TEX	HOM	104th	0^1	[67]
2012	Wauters Motorsports	5	Ford	DAY	MAR	CAR	KAN	CLT	DOV	TEX	KEN	IOW	CHI	POC	MCH	BRI	ATL 5	IOW	KEN	LVS	TAL 26	MAR	TEX 9	PHO	HOM				90th	0^1	[68]

Camping World East Series

NASCAR Camping World East Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	NCWEC	Pts	Ref
2008	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	8	Chevy	GRE	IOW	SBO	GLN	NHA	TMP	NSH	ADI	LRP	MFD	NHA	DOV 1	STA	149th	185	[69]

K&N Pro Series West

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	NKNPSWC	Pts	Ref
2018	Stewart-Haas Racing	41	Ford	KCR	TUS	TUS	OSS	CNS	SON 2	DCS	IOW	EVG	GTW	LVS	MER	AAS	KCR	30th	43	[70]

ARCA Re/Max Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Re/Max Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	ARSC	Pts	Ref
2005	Joe Gibbs Racing	2	Chevy	DAY	NSH	SLM	KEN	TOL	LAN	MIL	POC	MCH	KAN	KEN	BLN	POC	GTW	LER	NSH	MCH	ISF	TOL	DSF	CHI	SLM	TAL 37	171st	45	[71]
2008	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	29	Chevy	DAY	SLM	IOW	KAN	CAR	KEN	TOL	POC	MCH	CAY	KEN	BLN	POC 34	NSH	ISF	DSF	CHI	SLM	NJE	TAL	TOL			143rd	70	[72]

* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

See also

• List of Cuban Americans
• List of NASCAR drivers
• List of people from Tampa, Florida

References

1. Fennelly, Martin (25 February 2012). "Almirola keeping racing in the family". tbo.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
2. "Meet the Cuban Missile: Driver Aric Almirola is Taking NASCAR By Storm | Sports". Remezcla. 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
3. Fennelly, Martin (February 25, 2012). "Almirola keeping racing in the family". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, FL. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
4. "Almirola wins pole for Busch stop in Milwaukee". ESPN. June 24, 2006. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
5. "Hamlin takes checkered flag at Milwaukee, but Almirola wins". USA Today. June 23, 2007. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
6. Aric Almriola in No. 8 full-time in 2009
7. Almirola to attempt full season in No. 09
8. Defending champ has baby backup plan
9. "Kahne released from Richard Petty Motorsports". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. October 20, 2010. Archived from the original on October 24, 2010.
10. Livingstone, Seth (January 4, 2012). "Aric Almirola to take over Allmendinger's Cup ride at Petty". USA Today. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
11. Pearce, Al (January 3, 2012). "NASCAR: Richard Petty Motorsports signs Aric Almirola for 2012 season". autoweek.com. Autoweek, Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
12. "Kansas Race Report". aricalmirola.com. Kansas Speedway: Aric Almirola, Breaking Limits. October 22, 2012. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
13. Pockrass, Bob (October 22, 2013). "Petty to change 43 to 41 for Martinsville in honor of brother". Sporting News. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
14. Ryan, Nate (October 17, 2013). "Crew chief Todd Parrott suspended indefinitely". USA Today. McLean, VA. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
15. Pockrass, Bob (January 15, 2014). "Aric Almirola lands three-year deal with RPM, sponsor Smithfield". sportingnews.com. Sporting News. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
16. "Aric Almirola wins Coke Zero 400 under red flag". USA Today. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
17. "Aric Almirola Gets First Sprint Cup Series Victory In Rain Shortened Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
18. "Aric Almirola alert, conscious after crash involving Joey Logano, Danica Patrick". ESPN. May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
19. http://richardpettymotorsports.com/news/aric-almirola-released-from-kansas-hospital/
20. Bruce, Kenny (May 17, 2017). "Regan Smith to sub for Aric Almirola in Monster Energy Open". NASCAR. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
21. Spencer, Lee (June 5, 2017). "Darrell Wallace Jr. to make NASCAR Cup debut in RPM's iconic No. 43". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
22. "Richard Petty Motorsports secures road course ringer in No. 43 for Sonoma". NASCAR. June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
23. NASCAR (2017-06-29), Aric Almirola gives update on recovery, when he may return, retrieved 2017-06-30
24. Weaver, Matt (July 12, 2017). "Aric Almirola set for NASCAR return at New Hampshire Motor Speedway". Autoweek. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
25. "Aric Almirola named Danica Patrick's replacement at Stewart-Haas Racing". Fox News. Associated Press. November 8, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
26. Weaver, Matt (February 18, 2018). "'Heartbroken' Aric Almirola doesn't blame Austin Dillon for Daytona 500 punt". Autoweek. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
27. Spencer, Reid (October 14, 2018). "Almirola wins in NASCAR Overtime as Kurt Busch runs dry on final lap at Talladega". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media LLC. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
28. "NASCAR Playoffs: Round of 12 set after Charlotte Roval". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
29. Page, Scott (December 4, 2019). "Stewart-Haas Racing announces 2020 crew chief lineup". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1iH4Q7R-JM&t=187s
31. https://www.racing-reference.info/race/2020_Pocono_Organics_325/W
32. https://www.racing-reference.info/race/2020_Quaker_State_400_Presented_by_Walmart/W
33. Diaz, George. "Aric Almirola embraces Cuban heritage, family ties on trip to island". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
34. See how some NASCAR drivers celebrated Thanksgiving | NASCAR.com
35. Mercer, Kevin. "NASCAR driver Aric Almirola shares video devotional: 'Put the focus on God'". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
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37. "Aric Almirola – 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
38. "Aric Almirola – 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
39. "Aric Almirola – 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
40. "Aric Almirola – 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
41. "Aric Almirola – 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
42. "Aric Almirola – 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
43. "Aric Almirola – 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
44. "Aric Almirola – 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
45. "Aric Almirola – 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
46. "Aric Almirola – 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
47. "Aric Almirola – 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
48. "Aric Almirola – 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
49. "Aric Almirola – 2005 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
50. "Aric Almirola – 2006 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
51. "Aric Almirola – 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
52. "Aric Almirola – 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
53. "Aric Almirola – 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
54. "Aric Almirola – 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
55. "Aric Almirola – 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
56. "Aric Almirola – 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
57. "Aric Almirola – 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
58. "Aric Almirola – 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
59. "Aric Almirola – 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
60. "Aric Almirola – 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
61. "Aric Almirola – 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
62. "Aric Almirola – 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
63. "Aric Almirola – 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
64. "Aric Almirola – 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
65. "Aric Almirola – 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
66. "Aric Almirola – 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
67. "Aric Almirola – 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
68. "Aric Almirola – 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
69. "Aric Almirola – 2008 NASCAR Camping World East Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
70. "Aric Almirola – 2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
71. "Aric Almirola – 2005 ARCA Re/Max Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
72. "Aric Almirola – 2008 ARCA Re/Max Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 19, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Aric Almirola driver statistics at Racing-Reference