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ARIC ALMIROLA

Birth Date: March 14, 1984 Hometown: Tampa, FL
Team: No. 10 Ford Mustang / Stewart-Haas Racing

Aric Almirola didn’t waste any time in convincing car owners Tony Stewart
and Gene Haas made a smart decision to have him replace Danica
2018 FEATURED DRIVERS If fact, he came less than two miles away from the finish line last
Patrick in their No. 10 Ford.

February at the season-opening Daytona 500.

Despite being turned into the outside wall while leading on the final lap
and winding up 11th, Almirola continued to play a leading role with his
new team throughout the season.

After never finishing any better than 16th in the point standings during
his first six fulltime seasons, Almirola took advantage of the considerable
tools, resources and experience at Stewart-Haas to win a race and
finish fifth in points – the highest of any driver who didn’t qualify for the
Championship 4.

Disappointed he was eliminated after three rounds, Almirola was focused FOLLOW ONLINE
solely on what was ahead for his race team, not the past.

Just like he did 10 months earlier at Daytona. @Aric_Almirola AricAlmirola

“I’ve got a lot to be happy about,” Almirola said. “I’ve got a lot to look
forward to. My boss, Tony Stewart, came in the infield care center and he AricAlmirola.com
gave me a big hug and he said, ‘The good news is we have a whole lot
more of this to look forward to.’ until he and longtime sponsor Smithfield made the move to SHR.

Almirola was leading on the backstretch when Austin Dillon and Darrell Stewart and Almirola built a relationship several years earlier when
Wallace Jr. joined in tandem for a pass against the outside wall. Almirola Almirola slept on Stewart’s couch in the motorcoach when he was
moved to block and was struck by Dillon, sending Almirola into the wall – trying to break into the sport into what’s now knowns as the NASCAR
and Dillon to Victory Lane. GANDER OUTDOOR Truck Series.

“My heart is broken,” Almirola said. “It was the last lap and we’re all trying “He treated me like a nephew,” Almirola said. “He took me under his wing.”
to win the Daytona 500. It’s the biggest race of the year and it’s a career-
changing race, so we were just racing really aggressively. I put every The payback was impressive. A victory during the playoffs at Talladega
move I knew to try and stay in the lead and, unfortunately, I just wasn’t was part of a campaign that included 17 top-10 efforts. His best came
able to hold on. during the playoffs. The Talladega victory was part of seven top-10
finishes when the stakes were raised.
“He got to my back bumper and was pushing, and just hooked me.”
Along with teammates Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and SHR newcomer
But the foundation – and the speed – for a successful season already Daniel Suarez, Almirola said what was accomplished a year will only
was in full stride. serve as a springboard for a more-productive future.

Almirola’s paternal grandparents fled communist Cuba and Fidel Castro “We’ve got an awesome team,” Almirola said. “What we’ve
in 1966. The family settled in Tampa, FL, and he eventually gave up on accomplished in our first year of racing together … all those teams we
baseball to become a racer. At 23, he was signed to participate in the Joe were racing have four, five, seven years of working together, so we’ve
Gibbs Racing/Reggie White Driver Diversity Program and was already accomplished a lot in one year. The future of this team is so bright.
making selected starts in all three of NASCAR’s premier national series. That’s what has me the most fired up.

He spent six seasons at Richard Petty Motorsports, winning the rain- “We fight, claw, never give up. We’re not even close to max potential as
shortened summer race at Daytona in 2014, but his career didn’t launch a race team. We’re still learning each other. We’re growing. To have a
year under our belt. To have the season we had, it’s pretty awesome.”

58 THE OFFICIAL NASCAR 2019 PREVIEW & PRESS GUIDE