Almirola to Make Cup Debut
RacingOne Report
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C., – Three years ago, Aric Almirola was getting ready for a full season of late model stock car racing at the .4-mile Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C. Recently named to Joe Gibbs Racing's (JGR) driver development program via the diversity initiative created by JGR and the late Reggie White, Almirola was on the doorstep of opportunity.
After scoring two wins, six top-fives and 15 top-10s in 2004, Almirola began climbing the NASCAR ladder. The Tampa, Fla., native of Cuban descent traversed the Southeast in 2005 competing in regional late model races, and by the end of the year, was running a limited schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Two top-10 finishes in four Truck Series starts led to a full-time Truck Series ride and a nine-race Busch Series schedule in 2006.
The promise Almirola showed in 2004 continued in 2006, which led JGR officials to give him a slate of 18 Busch Series races and four NEXTEL Cup races in 2007.
That first NEXTEL Cup race comes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where on March 9 Almirola will attempt to qualify the No. 80 Joe Gibbs Driven Chevrolet for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.
If recent history is any indication, Almirola will be part of the 43-car field. After all, his first Busch Series race of the year started quite well, as Almirola scored his second career pole in just his 10th Busch Series race when he set the fastest time in qualifying for the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Almirola went on to log a respectable top-20 finish in the 120-lap race, something he couldn't do after winning his first pole last year at The Milwaukee Mile. There, Almirola was filling in for regular driver Denny Hamlin in practice and qualifying, as Hamlin was commuting from the NEXTEL Cup race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. When Almirola won the pole, it was a Pyrrhic victory, for Hamlin was the one tabbed for the race, something he did quite admirably, as he drove the No. 20 car to a strong second-place finish on the setup crafted by Almirola and crew chief Dave Rogers.
Almirola is no longer the setup man at JGR. He's the future. And to better understand Almirola's future, one must look at his past.
After being introduced to racing by his grandfather, Sam Rodriguez, Almirola wanted to be more than just a spectator. He began racing go-karts when he was eight, and after winning many races and local titles in and around his home state of Florida, he took his talent to the national karting scene in 1998. He quickly made his presence known, qualifying on the pole for the World Karting Association Grand Nationals at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium before finishing fourth in the season-ending point standings.
At 16, Almirola graduated to open-wheel modifieds – 2,750-pound race cars that put out over 700 horsepower. In 2000 he won the rookie of the year title in two separate modified divisions – Florida Modified and SARA (Southern Automobile Racing Association) Modified, while garnering his first career win in the Joslin Memorial 100 at Orlando Speedworld, beating the top drivers in Florida.
In March 2002, Almirola advanced from open-wheel modifieds to the Sunbelt Super Late Model Division, where he finished runner-up in the rookie of year standings. Almirola continued in that division in 2003, winning three poles at USA Speedway in Lakeland, Fla., two poles at New Smyrna Speedway and one pole at Bronson Speedway.
The rest, as they say, is history. After beating out nearly 200 applicants, Almirola caught his break with JGR’s diversity program in 2004.
With many opportunities successfully logged and completed now behind him, Almirola gears up for his toughest challenge yet – making the starting field of a NEXTEL Cup race.
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