Aric Almirola withdraws retirement, signs multi-year deal with Stewart-Haas Racing

     

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     Stewart-Haas Racing revealed Friday afternoon (August, 26th, 2022) that Aric Almirola has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the team to drive the No. 10 full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Almirola originally announced earlier this year that he would be retiring from racing after the 2022 NASCAR season, now it seems he will continue to compete for the foreseeable future. 

Aric Almirola, who is currently 38 years of age, began racing in NASCAR’s National Series’ in 2005. With 593 starts under his belt, Almirola was ready to call it a career and spend more time with his family… that was until he changed his mind. With his family’s support Aric Almirola will continue to compete for championships and race wins.

“I’ve learned a lot this year and perhaps the biggest learning was to never say never,” said Almirola in a team release. “I came into this year ready to soak everything up, and I have. I already knew I had the coolest job in the world, but being with my family and being there for Janice and Alex and Abby was really important. My desire to compete and win never wavered, but I didn’t want it to come at the expense of family. We found a way to accommodate both and I’ve never been happier.”

Also announced at this time is that Smithfield will return to the No. 10 team in 2023, sponsoring Aric Almirola for an unspecified number of races. This may have been a big re-signing factor for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Almirola explained, “… 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.”

Although it is far from clear, one of the unknowns in this equation may have been the introduction of NASCAR’s Next Gen/ Generation 7 car. With a stock car coming onto the scene in 2022, unlike anything NASCAR had ever raced, many veteran drivers reported being unsure or uninterested in the car, and it’s competition. Now, with the better half of a season participating in NASCAR newest technical and competition advancements, these reports seem to have fallen silent. Is it possible that Aric Almirola’s recent decision has to do with his adjustment to the new car. I would speculate and say, there’s a good possibility. 

Almirola heads into the NASCAR Cup Series “Coke Zero Sugar” 400 at Daytona International Speedway in 18th place, a some 194 points below of the playoff cut-line. If Almirola wants in, he will have to pull a surprise victory at the superspeedway. With the recent speed for Stewart-Haas Racing as an entire organization, and the competitive nature of Daytona, Aric Almirola just might become an upset winner this Saturday night.