Aric Almirola has been the primary driver of the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing's NASCAR Xfinity Series team this year, and at least by now, we all saw what happened after he moved Austin Hill out of the way late in Saturday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
After Hill, who has since been suspended and stripped of his playoff points, right-hooked the No. 19 car into the short chute between turns three and four at the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Speedway, Indiana oval, Almirola was sore, but fine; he avoided major injury, unlike the last time he suffered such a massive impact (Kansas Speedway in 2017) and broke his back.
The silver lining of it all is that Almirola wasn't slated to compete in this weekend's race at Iowa Speedway anyway, so he should have plenty of time to rest up.
Aric Almirola replacement confirmed by Joe Gibbs Racing for Iowa
Justin Bonsignore is set to be back behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota for Saturday's 250-lap race around the four-turn, 0.894-mile (1.439-kilometer) Newton, Iowa oval.
The four-time Whelen Modified Tour champion has struggled in his select starts with Joe Gibbs Racing going back to last year. In six career starts, including five this year, his best finish is a 16th place effort at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
He is also lined up to compete in the playoff races at Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas in September, as well as the season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.
Almirola, who leads all drivers with nine appearances behind the wheel of the "star car" this year, does not currently have any other starts lined up for the 2025 season, though because the car is still without a driver for seven remaining races on the calendar, that is still subject to change.
Almirola has rediscovered himself at the Xfinity level since joining Joe Gibbs Racing last year and winning three races, two at Martinsville Speedway and one at Kansas, before adding a win at Phoenix earlier this year. He has recorded three other top three finishes this year after recording three others last year as well.
Last season, he made a total of 14 starts for the team, so don't be surprised to see him add to his schedule in the weeks to come.
The Hy-Vee PERKS 250 is set to be shown live on the CW Network from Iowa Speedway starting at 4:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, August 2. If you have not yet had the chance to begin a free trial of FuboTV, do so now and don't miss any of the action!