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Aric Almirola through the years
By Staff Report | Monday, March 14, 2022
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Aric Almirola is celebrating his 38th birthday today, on March 14, 2022. To commemorate the occasion, take a look back at how the current Stewart-Haas Racing driver rose through the NASCAR ranks.
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Almirola jumped into NASCAR racing in 2005 with one ARCA Menards Series start, four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races and a qualifying attempt in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
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Almirola got his first full-time ride in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2006, driving for Spears Motorsports.
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Almirola gained the "journeyman" label from 2007-09, picking up part-time rides with several NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Cup Series teams. He captured three pole awards in part-time stints with Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2007-08. He was credited with his first win at the Milwaukee Mile in 2007 but replaced mid-race by Denny Hamlin.
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Almirola saw his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2007 and made 35 starts from 2007-10 in the sport's top series. Here, Almirola is seen with then-Dale Earnhardt, Inc., teammate Martin Truex Jr.
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In 2010, Almirola caught stride in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, capturing two wins and 21 top-10 finishes in 25 races. The consistency in Billy Ballew's No. 51 Toyota resulted in a second-place ranking on the year.
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The end of 2010 saw Almirola run the final five races in Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 9 Ford. He scored a fourth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the season finale.
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In 2011, Almirola drove for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. His fourth-place finish in the standings came in his lone full-time season in that series.
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From 2012-17, Almirola drove for Richard Petty Motorsports and seven-time champion Richard Petty. The duo are seen here at the 2015 Darlington Raceway throwback weekend.
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A look at one of the classic STP No. 43 paint schemes Almirola drove during his Richard Petty Motorsports tenure.
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Almirola scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win in 2014 in the summer race at Daytona International Speedway. While wet weather shortened the race, the victory placed Almirola in the NASCAR Playoffs and put him in a select club of drivers who have won in all NASCAR national series.
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Almirola, seen here in Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway after a NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2017, has two children -- son Alex (pictured here) and daughter Abby.
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At Kansas Speedway in 2017, Almirola was involved in a major wreck that sidelined him for seven races. He suffered a compression fracture of his T5 vertebra.
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A little more than two months after his Kansas Speedway accident, Almirola returned to action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The 2017 season would be the last for Almirola at Richard Petty Motorsports.
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Almirola joined Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2018 season, taking over the No. 10 car from Danica Patrick.
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In his first points-paying race with Stewart-Haas Racing, Almirola nearly won the Daytona 500. The veteran held the lead coming to the white-flag lap, but contact from eventual race winner Austin Dillon took him out of contention.
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Almirola reached the playoffs in 2018 thanks to consistency. His second NASCAR Cup Series win -- which came after several close calls in 2018 -- at Talladega Superspeedway locked him into the Round of 8.
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Almirola came up just a bit short in advancing to the Championship 4 in his first year with Stewart-Haas Racing. His fifth-place finish in the standings was the best of his career at the NASCAR Cup Series level.
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In fall of 2019, Almirola advanced to the Round of 16 and had a season-best second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway.
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In 2019, Almirola had 12 top-10 finishes and qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs. Almirola got a new crew chief for the 2020 season, Mike Bugarewicz.
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Although he went winless in 2020, Almirola posted career-best numbers in top fives (six), top 10s (18) and laps led (305).
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Almirola returned to Victory Lane in 2021, punching his ticket into the NASCAR Playoffs with a regular-season win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He ultimately finished 15th in the final standings -- same as 2020.
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Almirola announced on Jan. 10 that 2022 will be his final full-time season driving the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series. Almirola cited the desire to be more present for his wife and children as the reason for eventually stepping away. Smithfield Foods also revealed that it would continue on as a sponsor for the No. 10 Ford. Almirola entered the 2022 season with three wins, 26 top fives and 84 top-10 finishes at the Cup level.
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