Aric Almirola 2019 season in review

Finishing 14th in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series standings, Aric Almirola put together a solid season handling the No. 10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing. Wrapping up back-to-back playoff appearances with the organization, scroll through some of Almirola’s most memorable moments of the season.

After a spectacular run in qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Almirola sped to his first Busch Pole Award since 2012 and the second of his Cup Series career.

The momentum continued for Almirola and the No. 10 team, as they put together a string of six straight races with a finish inside the top 10. Almirola finished the season with three top fives, 12 top 10s and 180 laps led -- second-best career numbers in each category.

His highest finish during the impressive streak came in the first trip to Phoenix, leading 26 laps and crossing the line in fourth place after starting 14th.

Though winless in 2019, Almirola secured enough points to make his second consecutive NASCAR Playoffs appearance. In spite of posting an average finish of 14.3 in the Round of 16 races, the No. 10 team fell just short of advancing to the next round.

Leading up to October’s race at Talladega, Stewart-Haas renewed its partnership with Almirola and primary sponsor Smithfield Foods for the 2020 season.

Almirola battled SHR teammates Kevin Harvick and Daniel Suarez for the win at Texas with just three races remaining in the season. Although he fell short to Harvick, Almirola’s runner-up finish was his best performance of the year and saw him lead a season-high 62 laps. SHR finished 1-2-3 for the first time since the 2018 June race at Michigan.