Aric Almirola is 30/1 to win at Martinsville

 

ARIC ALMIROLA Martinsville Advance No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36) Time/Date:  2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 29 Location:  Martinsville (Va.) Speedway Layout: .526-mile oval Laps/Miles: 500 laps / 263 miles Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 130 laps / Stage 2: 130 laps / Final Stage: 240 laps TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

●  History at Martinsville: In 29 starts, Aric Almirola has earned eight top-10 finishes, one top-five and has led 75 laps on the .526-mile, paperclip-shaped Martinsville (Va.) Speedway oval. He has earned a top-five starting spot on eight occasions. Almirola has five starts there in the NASCAR Truck Series with a best finish of fifth.   ●  In April, Almirola and all of Stewart-Haas Racing executed their best Cup Series race as a team at Martinsville. After Ryan Preece earned the pole in the No. 41 Ford, Almirola, Chase Briscoe and Kevin Harvick ran inside the top-five during the race and three of the four cars led laps. Almirola started third and crossed the finish line sixth – his second-best finish of the year.    ●  Martinsville marks the penultimate race of the 2023 season. While the year was filled with ups and downs, Almirola managed to lead more laps this season than the previous two seasons while also earning two poles – the most he’s earned in a single season. His average start of 18.3 also bettered that of his previous two seasons – of 19.1 in 2021 and 19.4 in 2022.    ●  In Almirola’s last 10 races at venues less than a mile in length, he has captured four top-10 finishes and one pole, and led 36 laps.   ●  In July of 2021, the No. 10 driver brought home the win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, which has similar characteristics to Martinsville’s paperclip shaped oval.    ●  Driver Standings: Almirola arrives at Martinsville 22nd in the driver standings.   ●  Last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Almirola drove his Smithfield Ford Mustang from 30th to a ninth-place finish. It was his fourth top-10 of the season and fifth at Homestead.    ●  Almirola’s career: In 459 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 93 top-10s, five poles, and has led 1,068 laps.    ●  Smithfield has been a sponsor of Almirola’s for the entirety of his fulltime NASCAR Cup Series career – making it one of the longest-lasting partnerships in NASCAR. Smithfield is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Its 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” Smithfield is one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. The company has pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including its industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across its entire U.S. value chain by 2030. Smithfield believes in the power of protein to end food insecurity and has donated hundreds of millions of food servings to local communities.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You drove from 30th to ninth last weekend. How good did it feel to have something go your way after such an up-and-down season?   “It’s exactly what we needed. We missed it big in qualifying. I made a mistake on pit road and got us behind, but a caution came out and finally went in our favor for once. All year, I feel like we have been on the bad side of luck, so that caution kind of got us back in the game where I could restart 12th and pass some cars. I love Homestead, running up on the wall and just having options to pass cars. Track position was definitely important, but we made an air-pressure adjustment at the end that was exactly what we needed.”   You claim Martinsville earlier this year was the one that got away. Why is that?   “Well, we ran up front all day and had arguably the fastest car in the field for most of the day. The balance kind of shifted on us toward the middle of the race and got us a few spots back, but we stayed up in the top-five all day. I made the call to restart on the outside, hoping I could clear the inside car and sail off to a win, but we couldn’t clear him and we faded back a few spots before I could get back in line. I feel like it was one that got away, one that could have put us in the playoffs early and set us up for a successful season. We always have a good car at Martinsville as an organization. I enjoy this style of racing because it puts it in the driver’s hands. You get aggressive and have to muscle your way up there. Qualifying will always be extremely important at Martinsville, too, and running a clean race with no penalties to put you behind is key. Track position was so important in the spring and it’s going to be important again. I enjoy going to Martinsville this time of the year, when it’s cold and you’re up in the mountains. It’s just a fun time of the year with two races to go.”

Aric Almirola is 250/1 to win 2023 Hollywood Casino 400

 

ARIC ALMIROLA Kansas Advance No. 10 Smithfield/Whataburger Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

●  Event:  Hollywood Casino 400  (Round 28 of 36) ●  Time/Date:  3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 10 ●  Location:  Kansas Speedway in Kansas City ●  Layout:  1.5-mile oval ●  Laps/Miles:  267 laps / 400 miles ●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps ●  TV/Radio:  USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

●  History at Kansas: In 22 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Almirola has seven top-10 finishes and has led 69 laps. He finished 13th at Kansas earlier this year.    ●  Driver Standings: Almirola arrives at Kansas 23rd in the driver standings.   ●  Almirola’s career: In 451 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 93 top-10s, five poles, and has led 1,068 laps.   ●  Last weekend at Darlington, Almirola ran in and around the top-10 for the majority of the race. A multicar stack-up during the Stage 2 restart caused unrepairable nose damage to his racecar, causing poor handling conditions for the remainder of the race. He finished 14th.    ●  Whataburger Appearance: At 2 PM CDT, on Saturday Sept. 9, Almirola will appear for a 15-minute Q&A followed by a 15-minute autograph session at the Whataburger location at 10780 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS 66109 – just across the street from Kansas Speedway.   ●  Smithfield has been a sponsor of Almirola’s for the entirety of his fulltime NASCAR Cup Series career – making it one of the longest-lasting partnerships in NASCAR. Smithfield is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Its 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” Smithfield is one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. The company has pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including its industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across its entire U.S. value chain by 2030. Smithfield believes in the power of protein to end food insecurity and has donated hundreds of millions of food servings to local communities.   ●  Whataburger is the hometown hamburger place that hasn’t compromised. Whataburger serves bold flavors and original recipes made to order, just like customers like it, and prides itself on extraordinary hospitality and meaningful connections in the communities. That’s what’s led fans to Whataburger since Harmon Dobson served its first customer in 1950. Headquartered in San Antonio, Whataburger stayed close to its roots while building sales of more than $3 billion annually across its 14-state footprint and more than 930 locations.   ●  Beyond the 10 YouTube Series:In 2023, Almirola is continuing to share his life beyond the No. 10 Ford with season five of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and the show gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/Whataburger Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Your 13th-place finish in the May race at Kansas is your best intermediate-track finish this year. Why is that?   “You know there’s something about Kansas that I have always enjoyed and brought a lot of confidence at. It’s statistically one of my best intermediate tracks and we always seem to find ourselves with speed even though the results don’t always show it. It will be great to improve on our top-15 finish earlier this year because we still have Texas and Miami coming up to work off of.”   Do you feel like you made a statement as a team after your solid run at Darlington?    “Absolutely. I know we finished 14th, but that was with damage to the nose and splitter we couldn’t fix. All of our cars showed speed. Kevin (Harvick) had one of the fastest cars up there in clean air, too, and Chase (Briscoe) ran around the top-10, too. Our organization hit on something and I think you’re going to see more of that for the rest of the season.”    What are your thoughts about racing at Kansas?   “I know that I did have a really bad accident there, but in my mind I just view that as a bad accident. It just happened at a place. It just so happened to be at Kansas. It could have happened anywhere. I don’t really put that on Kansas and so, every time I’ve been back since then, it’s never really been a thought that’s crossed my mind. I actually enjoy going to Kansas. I have friends in Kansas City who I enjoy spending time with that makes it even more enjoyable to be there and, on top of that, I love the racetrack. The racetrack is a really fun racetrack to run at for me and I’ve had a lot of success there and had a lot of really good runs there.”

Any takers on Aric Almirola at 300/1 to win at Watkins Glen?

 

ARIC ALMIROLA  Watkins Glen Advance  No. 10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

●  Event: Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 25 of 36) ●  Time/Date:  3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 20  ●  Location:  Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International  ●  Layout:  Seven-turn, 2.45-mile road course ●  Laps/Miles:  90 laps / 220.5 miles ●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 20 laps / Stage 2: 20 laps / Final Stage: 50 laps ●  TV/Radio:  USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

●  Go Bowling, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), and Aric Almirola have teamed up yet again to present one of the largest bowling activations of the year – at one of the largest motorsports events of the year. Almirola will pilot the Go Bowling paint scheme on his No. 10 Ford Mustang and race for the win in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. While Almirola’s partnership with Go Bowling dates back to 2013, the partnership at SHR is stronger than ever with new activations and strategic campaigns to continue to drive NASCAR fans and bowlers to the No. 1 participatory sport in the world. Race fans will get the opportunity to see Almirola bowl at the Go Bowling hospitality tent located in the fan zone Sunday at 12:10 p.m. EDT.   ●  Almirola has 38 road-course starts in the NASCAR Cup Series with two top-10 finishes and a best of eighth at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in 2018. His road-course results include five top-20s at Watkins Glen with a best finish of 12th in 2019, three top-20s on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval with a best of 14th in 2019, and a 12th-place finish in the non-points Busch Clash in 2020 on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course. While Almirola is seeking a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series to catapult him into the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs, he raced his way to victory lane June 10 in the Xfinity Series race at Sonoma.   ●  Almirola has qualified in the top-10 at Watkins Glen in three out of his last four attempts, with a best starting spot of seventh in 2018.   ●  Last weekend on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Almirola qualified 33rd and ran inside the top-20 until the No. 10 Ford ran out of fuel with just two laps to go.    ●  Driver Points: Almirola arrives at Watkins Glen 24th in the driver standings.   ●  Almirola’s career: In 448 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 93 top-10s, five poles, and has led 1,068 laps.   ●  GoBowling.com is the destination for bowling fans and enthusiasts seeking news and information about one of America’s favorite pastimes and the nation’s No. 1 participatory sport. With more than 67 million people taking to the lanes each year, GoBowling.com is a one-stop location where people of all ages can satisfy their love of bowling.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You just raced on the Indianapolis road course and now you’re headed to Watkins Glen to make it back-to-back road-course races. Does it seem like the competition is tougher as drivers have more opportunities than ever to hone their road-course skills?   “The Indianapolis road course is such a different feel, but we don’t typically race road courses back-to-back. You can bet the competition is going to be tight this weekend, both from a driver standpoint and teams honing in their road-course program. I think it will be a good weekend for us. I like Watkins Glen, where anything can happen. We had a new winner last weekend with Michael McDowell who is usually the underdog with a smaller team so, with the cars so close, you could see another new winner this weekend.”   You have been with Go Bowling since 2013 and have continued to help grow the sport through racing. Why has it been so successful?   “It’s a mix of the hard work from everyone at Go Bowling, Strike Ten Entertainment and the race team, and the NASCAR fans being the perfect demographic to market to. NASCAR fans are the most sponsor-loyal fans in the world with American values and, in this case, the sponsorship is a sport that every single one of them can participate in. When you look at all of the creative activations Go Bowling does, like bringing the lanes to the racetrack, setting up appearances to talk to fans about racing and bowling, and the fun opportunities that are provided through sweepstakes, you see a heightened level of excitement at the lanes. Not to mention, there are millions of fans at home watching the No. 10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang at the Go Bowling at The Glen. It’s a win for everyone – especially race fans.”   Have you enjoyed the road-course racing at Watkins Glen?   “Watkins Glen is one of my favorite road courses. It’s so flowy and fast and you get in such a rhythm going through the bus stop. It’s unlike anything we do anywhere else. It’s incredible to drive a racecar to its limits and go through that chicane at 120 to 130 miles per hour. I remember before I ever went and made a lap at Watkins Glen, I walked back there to the backstretch and stood and watched Cup practice before I went out in an Xfinity car. And I watched the Cup cars go through there and was like, ‘Whoa! You want me to do that? Like, I don't know if I can do that.’ But it’s just an awesome place. It’s a really great racetrack. We have a great fan base there up in New York and it’s always a packed house.”

Aric Almirola is 100/1 to win at Pocono Raceway

 

ARIC ALMIROLA   Pocono Advance No. 10 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Highpoint.com 400 (Round 21 of 36) ● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 23 ● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle ● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles ● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps ● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

●  History at Pocono: Aric Almirola will make his 21st NASCAR Cup Series start at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend. He has four top-10s, two top-fives and 67 laps led at the 2.5-mile triangle. His best results came during the 2020 doubleheader weekend, when he earned finishes of third and fifth in the Saturday and Sunday races, respectively.   ●  Almirola has one start at the “Tricky Triangle” in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which came in June 2016 and resulted in an 11th-place finish. He’s also made one start in the NASCAR Truck Series in July 2010 and earned a fourth-place finish.    ●  Last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, Almirola ran inside the top-five and led four laps to bring his laps-led total at the mile oval to 85. He was leading on lap 169 when a loose right-rear wheel came off his racecar and sent him into the turn two wall, ending his day.   ●  While Almirola is seeking a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series to catapult him into the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs, the 39-year-old veteran raced his way to victory lane June 10 in the Xfinity Series race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.    ●  Driver Points: Almirola arrives at New Hampshire 27th in the driver standings, 340 points out of first.    ●  Almirola’s career: In 444 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 92 top-10s, five poles, and has led 1,068 laps.    ●  The No. 10 Ford Mustang will sport a new Ford Motor Company livery this weekend at Pocono. Almirola has been a Ford driver for the entirety of his 12-year fulltime Cup Series career. Ford is one of the most successful global racing programs and is the only car manufacturer to win the world’s most prestigious races, including the Daytona 500, the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Rolex 24 at Daytona, the NHRA’s U.S. Nationals, the Baja 1000, Rally Great Britain, the Bathurst 1,000, and even the Rallycross competition at the X Games. Ford has 722 all-time wins in the NASCAR Cup Series by 88 different drivers, including all three of Almirola’s career victories. Additionally, Ford has won 10 Cup series championships and 17 manufacturer titles.     ●  Beyond the 10 YouTube Series:In 2023, Almirola is continuing to share his life beyond the No. 10 Ford with season five of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and the show gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What is your best memory of Pocono over the years?    “My best memory of Pocono would be that doubleheader weekend we had in 2020 during the pandemic. I ran really well and led a lot of laps. We finished third in the first race, then we had to invert the field, which put me in the middle of the pack, and we ran really well that next race. It was my best weekend at Pocono. That weekend, I was like, ‘Yes I finally figured out Pocono.’”   What makes the “Tricky Triangle” so tricky?   “It is just the fact that the corners are all so different. You go into turn one and it’s a high-speed and high-banked corner. Then in turn two, it’s really high-speed, flat and quick 90-degree corner, and then turn three is a long, slow, sweeping corner. Trying to hit all of your marks and consistently hit all your corners perfectly is hard to do lap after lap. Then, for the engineers and crew chief, to set the car up for three different corners is such a challenge.”    You had a shot to win last weekend at New Hampshire. Is it encouraging to know your No. 10 team can bring cars capable of winning?   “It’s certainly encouraging, but at the same time so frustrating. We deserve better as a race team. We have had multiple races this year where we had bad luck from the lead. You have to have a short-term memory here in this sport and just move on, but it’s so frustrating knowing we should be locked into the playoffs and contending for more wins. We know what we have to do heading to the next few races. I know we can do it. I just hope this bad luck runs out at some point. It has to.”

Aric Almirola is really 20/1 to win at New Hampshire

 

ARIC ALMIROLA   New Hampshire Advance No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event:  Crayon 301 (Round 20 of 36) ● Time/Date:  2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 16 ● Location: New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon ● Layout: 1.058-mile oval ● Laps/Miles: 301 laps/318.46 miles ● Stage Lengths: Stages 1: 70 laps / Stage 2: 115 laps / Final Stage: 116 laps ● TV/Radio: USA / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

●  Aric Almirola won the July 2021 NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After a two-hour rain delay, he and the field battled daylight. With darkness closing in on the 1.058-mile oval, Almirola sprung to life late and pulled off the surprise victory. The win catapulted him from 27th in the standings to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time in his career. Almirola is in the exact same points position heading into this weekend’s race.   ●  History at New Hampshire: While the 2021 win was his first at New Hampshire, Almirola has been on a hot streak there since joining SHR. In the last five races at “The Magic Mile,” he’s ranked fourth overall. In his first start at New Hampshire with SHR in 2018, he finished third, then 11th the following year. In 2020, he started from the pole and finished seventh before returning the next year for his first career victory at the track. Last year, Almirola started seventh and raced in and around the top-five before a mechanical issue ended his day, putting him 19 laps down. In 20 starts at New Hampshire, he has five top-10 finishes and three top-fives with 81 laps led.   ●  Last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Almirola earned his second pole position at the 1.5-mile oval and his fifth pole of his career. In Sunday’s rain-shortened race, he led the first 46 laps of the 185 run before handling issues demoted the No. 10 driver to the middle of the pack. He finished 18th.   ●  While Almirola is seeking a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series to catapult him into the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs, the 39-year-old veteran raced his way to victory lane June 10 in the Xfinity Series race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.   ●  Driver Points: Almirola arrives at New Hampshire 27th in the driver standings, 311 points out of first.   ●  Almirola’s career: In 443 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 92 top-10s, five poles, and has led 1,064 laps.   ●  Smithfield has been a sponsor of Almirola’s for the entirety of his fulltime NASCAR Cup Series career – making it one of the longest-lasting partnerships in NASCAR. Smithfield is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Its 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” Smithfield is one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. The company has pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including its industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across its entire U.S. value chain by 2030. Smithfield believes in the power of protein to end food insecurity and has donated hundreds of millions of food servings to local communities.   ●  Beyond the 10 YouTube Series: In 2023, Almirola is continuing to share his life beyond the No. 10 Ford with season five of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and the show gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

What is it about New Hampshire that you love?   “New Hampshire is a special place to me. It was one of my very first touring series starts in the Truck Series – I think my third start in a Truck, and I ran really well. From that point forward, I just really love going there. I love going up there for the people. I think the race fans are some of the biggest race fans in our sport. It’s such a good vibe coming to the New England area in the summer and it’s just a beautiful part of the country.”   Does it give you a lot of confidence knowing you won at New Hampshire in 2021?   “It certainly does give me a lot of confidence going back to New Hampshire and to know that we are capable of winning. I get really excited about going to a place where I have notoriously run well at and, every time I show up to New Hampshire, I have just a tremendous amount of confidence. I know what I need out of my racecar. I know what I want it to feel like and so, because of those things, I just show up with the right mindset. And, if we have the car and we execute, I know we’re capable of winning. I do get excited and fired up about going to New Hampshire. It was an awesome day in 2021, and holding that lobster in victory lane and celebrating with all my team guys and knowing that that catapulted us into the playoffs gives me a lot of good memories as I get ready to go to New Hampshire this weekend, knowing that we can do that again.”   You earned your second pole at Atlanta last weekend and led the most laps of your career there. Were you disappointed that the race was cut short by the weather?   “Early in the race, we lost track position after leading the first 46 laps and then, from that point forward, we just couldn’t get the handling of the car to be where I needed it to be to get back up and battle for the lead. So we kept working on it, and then we were playing the whole lightning and rain strategy game and trying to figure out when that was going to come. We got off sequence trying to position ourselves for when the rain was going to come in and then the rain came a little bit earlier than we anticipated, and that kind of messed up our strategy. So we finished 18th with a car that was plenty capable of running the top-10 and, if we would’ve made the right adjustments and the race plays out all the way to the end, maybe we find ourselves with a shot to win.”