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Aric Almirola
Aric Almirola punched his ticket to the 2014 chase by winning a rain-shortened race at Daytona in July. Had that event gone the distance it’s very likely that Almirola would not have won the event but that’s a moot point. Almirola exited the 2014 chase nearly as fast as he made it when he was unable to advance out of the first round.
While it’s always possible for Almirola to win another restrictor-plate race in 2015, I certainly wouldn’t put my money on it. If you take away the win at Daytona in 2014, Almirola only finished six other races inside of the top-10. Over the last eight races of 2014 (all chase events) Almirola’s best finish was 18th. Almirola will also be dealing with some internal changes over at Richard Petty Motorsports as his 2014 teammate Marcos Ambrose is no longer racing in the series. With Ambrose out and Sam Hornish Jr. now driving the No. 9 machine, Almirola is now the senior driver at RPM.
While teammates do not necessarily equate to wins on the track, having an experienced teammate like Ambrose is certainly a perk. Hornish Jr. is a quality driver but he isn’t going to provide the same in-garage presence that Ambrose did. Almirola and the No. 43 team are certainly on the rise but their berth in the 2014 chase might have been a bit premature, as a result you will see them take a step back and miss the 2015 chase.