Aric Almirola opens up about his potential retirement plans
Aric Almirola told the media Tuesday he has no timetable on a decision concerning his NASCAR Cup Series future and whether he will return in 2024.
“It’s still very fluid,” Almirola said, via Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. “I don’t have any timetable. By this time last year, what I thought was going to happen it ended up not happening… For me it’s still get up every morning and continue to work hard at being the best race car driver I can be. We’ll see where things shake out.”
Almirola, 39, is in his 12th full-time season in the Cup Series. He currently sits 25th in the points standings, having recorded just one top-10 finish this season — a P6 finish in the NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway. Almirola previously set out to retire after the 2022 season, before his sponsor, Smithfield, encouraged him to return for 2023.
“They’ve been a part of my life for 11 years and really my entire NASCAR Cup Series career,” Almirola said, via Racer. “They’re family to me. And, of course, it’s always nice to be wanted. Smithfield wanted me to continue representing them. Stewart-Haas Racing wanted me to continue driving their race cars. Everything just aligned, and it’s something we all embraced.
“The original decision to step away from full-time racing at the end of the season was a family one and so is this decision. Janice, Alex, and Abby are just as excited as I am to continue racing the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang.”
Aric Almirola, Bubba Wallace share disagreement at Charlotte
In the midst of another underwhelming run during last Monday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Almirola engaged in a brief altercation with Bubba Wallace on pit road. The incident occurred during a red flag rain delay, leading to Almirola shoving Wallace before NASCAR officials intervened. Almirola later explained what ticked him off and led to the shove.
“I felt like I raced him clean and he was racing me dirty. I let him go and then he shot me the bird,” Almirola told Alan Cavanna of Performance Racing Network. “So I went to ask him why he shot the bird and he started mouthing off and cussing me. I wasn’t gonna have that.”