NASCAR driver literally pulls a ‘Tom Brady’
By Asher Fair
Aric Almirola was once set to retire at the conclusion of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Now he is slated to return to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2023.
To say that silly season has been chaotic across the world of motorsport this summer would be the understatement of the year. We have seen drivers sign contracts with multiple teams, teams put out conflicting press releases, teams sue their own drivers, and drivers sign with rival teams/manufacturers not for next year but for the year after that.
Now we’ve literally seen a NASCAR Cup Series driver pull a “Tom Brady”.
Before the season started, Aric Almirola announced that it would be his 15th and final season competing in the Cup Series and that it would bring to an end a five-year run at Stewart-Haas Racing behind the wheel of the #10 Ford.
But when we spoke to him about his decision back in June, he admitted that a return was possible, stating that he would “never say never” to a Brady-like situation.
Brady, of course, announced after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were eliminated from last season’s playoffs that he would be retiring after a 22-year career as an NFL quarterback. But less than six weeks later, he decided to unretire, culminating a retirement period that didn’t actually see him miss any games.
Rumors began to swirl that Almirola, a Bucs fan himself, was considering a return in 2023, and the rumors quickly evolved into the credible idea that an announcement was imminent.
Despite Almirola initially denying a Motorsport report that he had made the decision to return, the 38-year-old Fort Walton Beach, Florida native is indeed set to return for at least two more seasons behind the wheel of the #10 Ford, and set to return along with him is longtime primary sponsor Smithfield.
Almirola confirmed the announcement of his new multi-year deal on Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
Like Brady, his retirement and unretirement announcements came in such a way that he won’t actually miss any time. He hasn’t missed a race since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018.
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Almirola is in a must-win situation entering Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida. A win would give him five consecutive playoffs berths, while anything less than that will leave him out of the postseason for the first time as a Stewart-Haas Racing driver. Tune in to NBC at 7:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast. Start a free FuboTV trial now!