| | | | | | | 8 - Aric Almirola | Tampa, Fla. |
| | Primary Sponsor: U.S. Army
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Car Owner: Teresa Earnhardt
Team: Dale Earnhardt Incorporated One word can describe the career ascent of Aric Almirola: speedy.
The Tampa, Florida native will join Dale Earnhardt Inc. for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, splitting the famed No. 8 Chevrolet Impala SS with veteran Mark Martin. Almirola looks to upgrade from a decorated Busch Series tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007 to the most competitive racing series in the world. The wide-eyed racer is ready.
The Beginning
Almirola’s racing career began at age 8, in go-karts, collecting local and state championships. The 1998 season saw Almirola advance to national competition, sitting on the pole for the WKA Grand Nationals in Daytona and finishing fourth in the national standings.
He continued with stints in open-wheel modifieds. In 2000, he earned Rookie of the Year honors by the Florida Modified division and the Southern Automobile Racing Association modified division after grabbing his first win in the Joslin Memorial 100 feature at the Orlando Speedworld.
In 2002, Almirola took his act to the Florida Sunbelt Series, the most competitive super late model series in the state, where he finished runner-up in the Rookie of the Year standings. Almirola blossomed the following year, winning a total of six poles in the series.
The 2003 racing season also acted as a turning point for Almirola, who became one of the original members of the Joe Gibbs Racing/Reggie White Driver Diversity Program. Of Cuban descent, Almirola began his NASCAR career in 2004 piloting late models at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, North Carolina, collecting two wins, six top-five finishes, and 15 top-ten finishes. The schedule for 2005 was more of the same before Almirola got the call up for a four-race stint in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports before the end of the season. In those four races, he scored two top-ten finishes, including an eighth place finish at New Hampshire International Speedway.
Taking on NASCAR’s Premier Divisions
The Truck Series was a full-time home for Almirola in 2006. In association with Joe Gibbs Racing, Almirola competed for Spears Motorsports, scoring three top-ten finishes, including a season-best ninth place finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
2007 was Almirola’s most historical to date, competing in both the NASCAR Busch Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for Dale Earnhardt Inc. While he only ran six Cup events (with a best finish of 26th at Phoenix International Raceway), his Busch Series efforts were stellar—after 18 races, he accumulated one top-five finish, five top-ten finishes, and three poles. The season-long performance earned him a ride in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Dale Earnhardt Inc.
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