NASCAR: Is Aric Almirola racing for a new contract?
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season is a contract year for Aric Almirola at Stewart-Haas Racing. Does he need to step it up to earn a new contract with the team?
Going into the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Aric Almirola continues to drive #10 Ford Stewart-Haas Racing. This will be his third year behind the wheel of the #10 Smithfield Ford.
But Almirola’s new contract, which was extended in October, does not extend through the 2021 season. While teammates Kevin Harvick and Cole Custer are set for the next few years, his ride is not secure at Stewart-Haas Racing beyond 2020.
If Stewart-Haas Racing want to keep a four-car stable, they may have to make some decisions to keep those cars competitive. With Chase Briscoe gaining experience in the Xfinity Series, he may be ready to make the jump to the Cup Series in 2021.
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If Briscoe does get promoted to the Cup Series, he will replace either Almirola or Clint Bowyer. Briscoe is the only driver in the Xfinity Series for Stewart-Haas Racing, so he is the only driver eligible for a potential promotion to the Cup team. With that being said, they could also very well sign a free agent driver, and there are slated to be several.
Almirola started his tenure at Stewart-Haas Racing with a great season in 2018. In 2018, he won at Talladega Superspeedway. Along with that win, he recorded career-highs in top five finishes (four), top 10 finishes (17), laps led (181) and average finish (12.8). After making it to the round of 8, he capped off the season with a career-high fifth place finish in the championship standings.
The expectations were high for Almirola going into the 2019 season. Many people expected him to go out and compete for more wins and finally win a race at a track other than a superspeedway.
This did not happen, and his statistics dipped across the board. He failed to win a race, recorded only three top five finishes and 12 top 10 finishes, led only 180 laps and recorded an average finish of 15.4. He failed to make it past the Round of 16.
2019 was not the season that he and the #10 team were hoping for. Bowyer also struggled last year, so the organization made a crew chief swap between the #10 and #14 teams. Mike Bugarewicz made the move to the #10 team with Almirola and Johnny Klausmeier made the move to the #14 team with Bowyer.
Almirola needs to be better than he was last year if he wants to secure a spot with Stewart-Haas Racing for 2021 and beyond. He has shown that he can run up front, but he needs to get back up there this year. If he does not outrun Bowyer, he may be searching for a new ride in 2021.
The one thing that has been like a security blanket for Almirola is long-time sponsor Smithfield. Smithfield have been with Almirola since 2012, and they have been on the car for most of his Cup Series starts. If he can win a race this year, they could very well sign a new contract to allow him to stay with Stewart-Haas Racing.
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With the crew chief swap, the struggles of 2019, and Chase Briscoe coming, Aric Almirola will need to have a big year to keep his ride in the #10 Smithfield Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing for beyond the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.