NASCAR top-tier ride: Making the case for Aric Almirola

By Asher Fair | Sep 4, 2017

BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 19: Aric Almirola, driver of the #43 Smithfield Ford, wrecks during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 19, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

There are several NASCAR Cup Series drivers who deserve better rides. Aric Almirola is one of them. Will he ever get a ride with a top-tier team?

Aric Almirola, 33, began his NASCAR Cup Series career began back in 2007 when he drove one race for Joe Gibbs Racing and a few races for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. In 2008, he drove a few races for Dale Earnhardt Inc. before making the transition to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to drive a few races in 2009.

Also in 2009, Almirola drove for Phoenix Racing. However, he only ended up qualifying for one of the two races he attempted to qualify for, and he only finished in 29th place in the race he actually got to compete in.

In 2010, he started out driving for Phoenix Racing before making the transition to Tommy Baldwin Racing for one race, a race he failed to qualify for. He wrapped up 2010 driving for Richard Petty Motorsports before becoming a full-time Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series driver in 2011. He did not drive in the Cup Series at all in 2011, but he returned the following season.

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In 2012, Almirola picked up where he left off at Richard Petty Motorsports, and he has been driving for the team ever since. He is now in his seventh season with the time, the sixth of which as a full-time driver. He has now driven in 233 career Cup Series races, and he has one career victory to his name at Daytona in 2014.

In those 233 career races, Almirola has racked up 10 top 5 finishes and 29 top 10 finishes. So far this season, he has finished as high as 4th place twice at the Daytona 500 and at Talladega, and he still sits in 30th place in the championship standings despite the fact that he missed seven races with a back injury he suffered in a crash at Kansas. His one other top 10 finish this season was a 9th place finish at Richmond.

While he currently trails all of the drivers who drive for top-tier teams in the championship standings, Almirola definitely deserves a better ride than he has right now. He has driven in just 18 of the 25 races contested so far this season yet is still higher in the standings than a number of full-time drivers.

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Do you believe Aric Almirola deserves a Cup Series ride with a top-tier organization? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter.