Aric Almirola to retire after 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season

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    It was announced early Monday morning (1/10/22) that Stewart-Haas Racing driver Aric Almirola will be retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition after the of 2022 season. The news came shortly after the announcement of his return to the organization for the upcoming season, which we now know will be his his last. Smithfield will join him as he makes one last attempt at winning the NASCAR Cup Series championship. 

For his first few seasons in NASCAR, Almirola would ride with multiple different teams, essentially taking whatever part-time ride he could get his hands. Almirola had a very rough start. After Joe Gibbs Racing dumped a young Almirola, he made the move to a quickly declining organization of Dale Earnhardt Inc, a team which would soon disappear from the NASCAR scene. 

His first ever NASCAR National Series start came at Memphis International Raceway during the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, scoring a 30th place finish after crashing out of the race. 2006 would bring a full-time ride in that series, becoming Almirola's first of two full-time rides in the Truck Series, he would later return in 2010. The Truck Series overall yielded Almirola two victories total, both during the 2010 season.

The NASCAR Busch Series and later the Nationwide Series would not bring any better luck for Aric Almirola. The driver joined the Joe Gibbs Racing camp as a part-time driver for their Busch Series operation. Unfortunately, as with most of their young drivers, Joe Gibbs Racing let him go before he could prove his worth in the sport. Almirola's only opportunity for a full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series ride was in 2011 for JR Motorsports, the team that possibly put Almirola's racing career back on the right track. They would help him land a full-time NASCAR Cup Series ride in the next season. 

A freshly formed Richard Petty Motorsports, which in 2009 was created from the merge of Petty Enterprises and Evernham Motorsports, would pick up the unwanted driver for the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series season. He had made a handful of starts for the team in 2010, but would sit out with no ride at the top level of NASCAR in 2011. Finally in 2012, as AJ Allmendinger left Richard Petty Motorsports, Aric Almirola would get his time to shine, driving Richard Petty's iconic No. 43 full time.

Over the next several seasons Aric Almirola would perform well, scoring one victory with the team, as well as 30 top-10 finishes and 11 top-five finishes. Aric Almirola would finish out his time at Richard Petty Motorsports on a bad note, as Almirola was involved in a terrifying wreck at Kansas Speedway in the fall. Almirola plowed full speed into Joey Logano and Danica Patrick who just happened to be wrecking in front of him. After destroying his car, he was air lifted from the track a local hospital and would miss seven weeks of racing.

The 2018 started off the next journey of Almirola's career, and it started off on a good note. As Aric Almirola joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018, he brought his loyal sponsor Smithfield Foods along to the No. 10 car, and won a race. Almirola won the Superspeedway race at Talladega Superspeedway, and would score an impressive 4 top-five finishes, and 17 top-10 finishes that season. Continuing to drive for the team, the next couple of seasons Aric Almirola would go win-less, but would have comparable performance overall. Surpisingly in 2021, as Stewart-Haas Racing's performance faltered immensely, Aric Almirola would score the only victory for the team that season. Stewart-Haas Racing, coming off a strong season in 2020 with 10 wins, fell to only one win in 2021, and that win was scored by Almirola at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After rain delayed the races finish, Aric Almirola would keep the No. 10 car out front, and just barely won as NASCAR made the called the race due to dark conditions. 

Now with the 2022 season, Aric Almirola will retire, likely embarking on his final starts in NASCAR whatsoever. His sponsor Smithfield will remain loyal in these final races for the driver, as they remain the anchor sponsor for the team.

Aric Almirola's career may not stack up next to some of the greats of the racing world, although Almirola has shown NASCAR fans for years that he can perform, even when the odds are against him. Stock Car Media congratulates Aric Almirola on a successful career, and hope he can finish his career out strong.

Almirola has had an intriguing racing career in NASCAR, with a fair share of good and bad luck alike: yet a career that would satisfy most small-team drivers following their racing dream. However, it did not come easy. 

At the end of the 2022 season, @Aric_Almirola is set to retire.

Ready to strap in and drive hard one last time. pic.twitter.com/2T9tOuKCEq

— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) January 10, 2022

#NASCAR: @Aric_Almirola to retire at the end of season to spend more time with family, made his announcement at SHR this morning. https://t.co/AaecESwOKK

— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) January 10, 2022