Aric A. Almirola (born March 14, 1984) is an American professional racing car racer. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series Energy Monster, driving a Ford Fusion No. 10 for Stewart-Haas Racing, and part-time at NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving a Ford Ford No. 1. 98 for SHR in an alliance with Biagi-DenBeste Racing. Graduated from Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Almirola attended the University of Central Florida to work on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to pursue a career in racing. He was nicknamed "The Cuban Missile" because of his Cuban heritage.
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Almirola was born at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, of Cuban descent. He started racing go-karts when he was eight years old. At 14, he started the national race. He won a pole position in his debut at the World Karting Association race and finished fourth in the standings that year. Two years later, he moved to a modification and won several Rookie of the Year awards.
NASCAR
In 2002, Almirola moved to NASCAR's Sun Belt Weekly Racing Division and finished second in the Rookie of the Year. He followed it with five pole positions in 2003. In 2004, he became one of the first riders to participate in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. He also signed a contract with Joe Gibbs Racing as a driving force for development under partnership with former NFL player Reggie White. Almirola ran the season on Ace Speedway, and won two races before finishing 11th in the points standings. He won five more races on track in 2005, and made his debut in the Truck Series with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports and has two top-tens in four races.
2006-07
For 2006, Almirola drove the No. 2 Chevy Motors. 75 Spears for Spears Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, as part of the JGR development program. He started every race and finished three of the top ten, including the ninth best finish, ending the 18th season. That season, he also rode nine races in the Busch Series for Gibbs in No. 1. 19 Husqvarna/Banquet Foods Chevrolet Monte Carlo. His best performance was the eleventh at Dover International Speedway. He also served as a test driver for the Gibbs J. J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin teams when their Nextel Cup and Busch Series schedules were in conflict. He also scored his first career pole at Milwaukee Mile, No. 1 car qualification. 20 for Denny Hamlin, who competed in the race.
Almirola climbed into the Busch series regularly in 2007, driving a No. Chevy. 18 and No. 20 for Joe Gibbs, driving every car in ten races each. He won his second pole career award for Orbitz 300 in Daytona. He won the pole again, for the second year in a row, at AT & amp; T 250 at the Milwaukee Mile, but thinks he'll let go of driving to Hamlin again; The Hamlin helicopter could not land in time for Hamilin to reach the track, so Almirola started the race, leading the first 43 laps of the race. On lap 59, during the warning period, due to sponsoring commitments, Hamlin took over for Almirola as he ran in third place. Hamlin went on to win the race, but Almirola was credited with his first NASCAR Busch Series victory as he was the driver who started the race. Almirola did not participate in the team's victory celebrations after the race because he had already left the track. He soon joined Dale Earnhardt, Inc. after the sale of Ginn Racing. He drove the No. Chevrolet. 01 in five races in 2007, and has the best finish in the thirtieth.
2008-09
Almirola was named co-driver of the US Army's Chevrolet No. 8 for the Sprint Cup 2008 Series, sharing a trip with Mark Martin. His best performance during the season was his 8th finish at Food City 500 in 2008 at Bristol, and his best start at the Sprint Cup was 3rd place starting from Goody Cool Orange 500 in 2008 in Martinsville. Almirola was named the full-time driver of No. 8 for the 2009 season. Seven races in the 2009 season, Almirola lost his trip due to a lack of sponsorship and a horrendous performance. He then signed a five-race agreement with Key Motorsports to drive a Chevrolet Impala SS No. 40 of them in the Nationwide Series. He returned to the Truck Series, driving part-time at No. 15 Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra to Motorsports Billy Ballew, and had seven successive eighth or better race races. He also made one attempt and one race at No. 09 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet in Sprint Cup Series. In October 2009, he filed documents at the High Court of North Carolina showing that he had 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 No. 1. 8 Chevy Cars parked for lack of sponsors, filed a notice in Charlotte court. The lawsuit was dropped a month later after being settled out of court.
2010-2012: Resurrection in Trucks and Worldwide
For 2010, he drives full-time for the No. 4 Cup series. 09 Chevrolet Impala from Phoenix Racing. He also drove the Toyota Tundra. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals/AK for Billy Ballew in the World Truck Camping Series. In April, Almirola split with Phoenix Racing to focus on his journey with the Truck Series. Almirola tries Aarons 499 at Talladega at No. 35 Tommy Baldwin Racing/Mohawk Chevrolet but failed to qualify after qualifying rain by NASCAR. Almirola won his first race at the World Camping Truck Series at Dover International Speedway and won again at Michigan International Speedway, holding Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch. Almirola will be second on points to Bodine.
Hendrick Motorsports named Almirola the standby driver for the No. team. 48 if Jimmie Johnson has to go to give birth to his daughter. Almirola is not needed. In July 2010, Almirola again became a standby rider for Hendrick Motorsports in Pocono in case Jeff Gordon had to leave or miss the race due to the birth of Gordon's son. At Loudon, he was alert for Scott Speed ​​who was ill. He drives Ford Motors No. No. 9 Richard Petty at Martinsville Speedway in the fall of 2010 after Kasey Kahne was released from her contract. Almriola has five first Sprint Cup Top finishes in Homestead. In October at the Mountain Dew 250 truck race he ended up at the nearest finish in the history of the truck series by ending second in Kyle Busch in 0.002 seconds, which pass under Almirola below the yellow line. The 1-2 finish is the same as the previous race in 2009 but the finish is controversial because of the yellow line rule (as NASCAR rules state that the driver should not advance his position by going under the yellow line even if he is forced down there). But officials determined that Busch took the lead before going under the yellow line so as to make the Busch winning move legal. In 2011, Almirola drove the No. Series car. Nationwide 88 for JR Motorsports. He won two poles and had 18 top-10s to finish all four points. He was released from his contract after the season when he received the full ride of the Sprint Cup, driving to Richard Petty Motorsports at Ford No. 1. 43.
2012-2017: Back to Cup at 43
After just running the series of Sprint Cup Series for a year in his career, Richard Petty Motorsports signed Almirola on a one-year contract, replacing A. J. Allmendinger who departed in the legendary 43th car. Almirola gets the Pole started in Charlotte in May, and collects one top 5 and 4 top 10 on his way to the 20th point finish in points. Aric's best rate of the year may be in Kansas in October, where he qualified fifth and leads 69 laps after taking the top spot on lap 6. But on lap 121, Almirola blew a tire, sending Farmland Ford to the wall. He spun on lap 172 to take the lead and lose a lap in the pit road. After getting his lap back and walking towards the 13th, Almirola hit the wall once again, making the front of the car turn on and end a promising leap. Almirola also returned to the Truck Series in 2012 on a part-time basis to drive the old crew head cruiser owned by Richie Wauters. 5 Ford.
In 2013 Almirola returns to Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43 in the Sprint Cup Series; at Martinsville Speedway in October, the team runs No. 41 to honor Maurice Petty's induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. During the 2013 season from Martinsville to Darlington, he has the most consecutive Top 10 in 43 cars since Bobby Hamilton in 1996. After training fastest in Talladega, his crew chief Todd Parrott was suspended for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy. Almirola completed a career-high 18 points. By 2014, he will receive the head of Trent Owens crew who is Richard Petty's nephew.
In January 2014, RPM announced a three-year contract extension with Almirola after working on a year handling the previous two seasons. This coincides with the sponsorship of Smithfield Foods stepping up to fund 29 races in each of the next three seasons under the Smithfield, Farmland, Eckrich, and Gwaltney brands. Almirola has a rather slow start in 2014, engaging in 12 car accidents in Daytona 500 2014. At Bristol, Almirola posted his best career until the 3rd, just behind winners Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The following week at Auto Club Speedway during the 2014 Auto Club 400, Almirola was involved in an accident with NNS nemesis Brian Scott. Almirola made a pass for Scott for 4th place. Scott controversially moved to the back of Almirola to destroy him and Almirola. In a post-race interview, angry Almirola responded loudly, "It was a dartless arrow and came on a race track, he ran up to me, Man, he came from all the way at the bottom of the race track and ran." to me. He did not even race this series for points. He's out there having fun because his father has to pay for it and he's destroying us. It was frustrating. "
In 2014 Coke Zero 400, Almirola will earn his first career victory in the Sprint Cup Series after avoiding two major accidents, and led the field when the race was canceled after 112 laps due to rain. His victory also marked the first win by Richard Petty Motorsports No. 1. 43 since 1999, and 30 years into the day Richard Petty won the 200th race. On his big win, Almirola said, "A good God is watching us today and we are destined to win. It's really special for me to win here. It's not just the 30th anniversary of the team's last victory in Daytona, it's my hometown and I remember growing up watching Daytona 500s and Firecracker 400 here. Winning is a very special thing. "
Despite scoring just better than 20 just four times in the next few races, Almirola's victory took place at Chase 2014 for the Sprint Cup, his first Chase appearance and a first for the Cuban driver. Almirola crashed out of the championship after a round of 1 from Chase.
Almirola has a more successful year in 2015 despite not having Chase. He only has 6 Top 10 but he is mainly in the Top 15 and is consistent throughout the year. he could barely catch up with almost winning the Richmond Fall race with a strategy call and finished 4th. He finished 17th in the standings, the highest for non-chasing.
He returned to No. 43 in 2016 with the irony of Brian Scott as his new teammate.
In July 2016, Almirola, in the No. car. 98, won the Xfinity Series race in Daytona for his first Xfinity Series win since 2007. He almost defeated Justin Allgaier by 0.003 seconds to win the race. The last lap warning came out, with Almirola being declared the winner when reviewed. On the winning track, the excited Almirola said that he regarded the race as his first Xfinity Series win when he won the 2007 Milwaukee race while Denny Hamlin drove 75% of the race. Almirola experienced a bleak 2016 season with only collecting the top ten.
Almirola started the 2017 season without a teammate, and finished 4th in 2017 Daytona 500. Almirola was beaten with a whopping 35 points after the Talladega race. During Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 13, Almirola was involved in a collision with Joey Logano and Danica Patrick. After Logano's brake rotor exploded, he collided with Patrick, sending both directly to the wall. Almirola tried to avoid the accident, but instead ran into Logano. Although he was aware, Almirola was cut from his car, placed on a stretcher and flown to the University of Kansas Hospital. Almirola was diagnosed with a compression fracture of his T5 vertebra, which was removed from the University of Kansas Hospital after overnight observation and traveled back to North Carolina, where he conducted follow-up consultations with his physician in Charlotte. Almirola is also reported to have the ability to walk the day after his accident. He is expected to spend 8-12 weeks. He was replaced by Regan Smith for the Open Energy Monster, leading to the NASCAR All-Star Energy Race Monster of Coca-Cola 600, and AAA 400 Drive for Autism. Darrell Wallace Jr. and Billy Johnson also replaced Almirola. On June 29, Almirola declared he would undergo a trailing test at Charlotte or Darlington before being medically cleared for racing on a low banking path like Indianapolis or New Hampshire to reduce stress on his back. On July 12, he announced that he had been cleared to return to racing at Loudon's Overton's 301.
In September 2017, after sponsor Smithfield Foods announced that they would leave the team at the end of the season, Almirola announced his departure from Richard Petty Motorsports.
2018-present: Stewart-Haas Racing
On November 8, 2017, Stewart-Haas Racing announces Almirola as a Ford Fusion driver. 10 for the 2018 Series Cup season. Almirola took the lead on Daytona 500 2018 when on the last lap of the race he tried to block the eventual winner of Austin Dillon's race, so Almirola hit the outside wall and ended 11.
Maps Aric Almirola
Personal life
Aric Almirola was born as the youngest of four boys at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and grew up in Tampa. His family members are Cuba and Almirola is a US citizen. His grandfather, Sam Rodriguez, was the driver of a ground sprint car. Almirola is married to Janice Almirola, with whom she has two children: a son named Alex (born September 2012) and a daughter named Abby (born November 2013).
Almirola is a Christian; on the path of victory in Daytona in 2014 he praised God and said, "Good Lord watches me today as He always does."
Motorports career results
NASCAR
(lock) ( Bold Ã, - Pole position is given by qualifying time. Italics - Pole positions received by points standings or practice time. * Ã, - Most lead round. )
Monster Energy Cup Series
Daytona 500
Xfinity Series
World Truck Camping Series
Camping World East Series
K & amp; N Pro Series West
ARCA Series Re/Max
(lock) ( Bold Ã, - Pole position is given by qualifying time. Italics - Pole positions received by points standings or practice time. * Ã, - Most lead round. )
* Season still in process for 1 Not qualified for series points
See also
- List of Cuban Americans
- List of NASCAR drivers
- List of people from Tampa, Florida
References
External links
- Official website
- Aric Almirola driver statistics in Racing-References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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