WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — The next step for Aric Almirola’s racing career is still uncertain, the veteran driver told reporters Saturday at Watkins Glen International.
A Friday report from Motorsport.com indicated that Almirola is indeed due to return to the No. 10 Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2023 season. But Almirola, who announced retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series in January, affirmed Saturday nothing is final for next season.
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“A lot of thinking, a lot of praying about it,” Almirola said. “That’s something that’s been very instrumental for me throughout my entire career and especially the last four or five years, I’ve (put) God first in a lot of the decisions, and I’m working on getting there to where He’s first in all of these decisions. Sometimes, I have a bad habit of thinking that I know what’s best. But certainly have prayed a lot about it and continue to think about it and still don’t have a final decision.”
Almirola, a three-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series, noted a reliance on his faith to navigate the decision-making process while keeping an open mind.
“I think a lot of that just stems from being smart enough to never say never and to be open to what doors God may or may not open — and to be accepting to whatever doors close, right?” he said. “And I think back to my whole career. There’s plenty of times where I shouldn’t have had another opportunity, and I did. And the only way I can explain it is by God’s grace. And there’s plenty of times that I should have had a door close, and it didn’t.
“And when I think back to when I was 19 years old and got the opportunity to move from Florida to North Carolina, that is without a doubt God working in my life to allow that opportunity. Because I should have went to school and finished and got my mechanical engineering degree and moved to North Carolina and been an engineer on one of these teams in the garage area. But that wasn’t the case.”
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Instead, Almirola has gone on to accrue eight career wins across NASCAR’s three national series and currently finds himself as the second driver beneath the cut line for this year’s rendition of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The bad news is pointing his way into the postseason is mathematically impossible.
With two races remaining in the regular season, Almirola is 214 points outside the playoffs, meaning he must win either at Watkins Glen on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) or on Aug. 27 at Daytona International Speedway.
His eyes, he admitted, are already on Daytona.
“I think for all the drivers that aren’t currently locked into the playoffs, you go to Daytona with a certain level of pressure that’s really high, feeling like that’s your last shot,” Almirola said. “And every single year, when we start the season, our goal is to win races, make the playoffs, go run for a championship. So Daytona’s the last opportunity to make the playoffs.”