Aric Almirola Bio
Aric Michael Almirola (born March 14, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver of Cuban descent. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. Standing 6 feet tall and weighing around 160 pounds, Almirola built a long career across NASCAR’s three national series and is best known for his breakthrough win in the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.
Over nearly two decades in stock car racing, Almirola became a steady presence in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, earning a reputation as a consistent, late-career race winner. He is also remembered for his work with younger drivers as a mentor and for ties to the historic No. 43 car once driven by the legendary Richard Petty.
Early Life and Background
Aric Michael Almirola was born on March 14, 1984, on Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and was raised in nearby Tampa. His family is of Cuban descent, and his grandfather, Sam Rodriguez, was a dirt sprint car driver, giving Almirola an early connection to motorsports through family storytelling and weekend trips to local short tracks.
He began racing go-karts at the age of eight and quickly showed promise. By fourteen, Almirola was competing nationally in karting, winning the pole in his World Karting Association debut and finishing fourth in the national standings. Two years later he moved up into modifieds, where he collected several Rookie of the Year awards and built the foundation for a professional career.
Almirola graduated from Hillsborough High School in Tampa and later attended the University of Central Florida, where he studied mechanical engineering before stepping away from school to chase a full-time racing opportunity.
Path to NASCAR
Almirola’s first steps into NASCAR came through grassroots short tracks. In 2002, he ran the NASCAR Sun Belt Weekly Racing Division and finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings. He added five pole positions the following year, and in 2004 he became one of the first drivers selected for NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program.
That same year, Joe Gibbs Racing signed him as a development driver through a partnership with former NFL star Reggie White. Almirola won two races at Ace Speedway in 2004 and five more in 2005, while also making his Craftsman Truck Series debut with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports. The combination of diversity initiative support and a top development deal put him on a clear path toward NASCAR’s national series.
Aric Almirola Career
Early Career (2005-2007)
In 2006, Almirola drove the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet for Spears Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series as part of the JGR development program, posting three top-ten finishes and an eighteenth-place points result. He also ran nine Busch Series races in the No. 19 Husqvarna-sponsored car for Joe Gibbs Racing and served as a test driver for teammates J. J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin.
The following year, Almirola moved up to the Busch Series on a regular basis, splitting time between the No. 18 and No. 20 cars for Joe Gibbs. He earned his first career Busch Series pole at Daytona and another at the Milwaukee Mile, where he started the AT&T 250 and led the first 43 laps. Denny Hamlin later took over the car under sponsor arrangements, but Almirola was credited with his first NASCAR Busch Series victory. He finished the year driving the No. 01 for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. after leaving JGR.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2009-2010)
After a difficult 2009 season that included losing his Cup ride with Dale Earnhardt Inc. due to sponsorship issues, Almirola found new life in the Camping World Truck Series with Billy Ballew Motorsports. Driving the No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals-sponsored Toyota Tundra, he strung together a seven-race streak of finishing eighth or better and showed the consistency that would become his trademark.
In 2010, Almirola broke through with his first two Truck Series wins, taking the Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway and the VFW 200 at Michigan International Speedway, where he held off Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch. He finished second in the final Truck Series standings, his best result in any NASCAR national series championship at that point in his career.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2007, 2011, 2016)
Almirola’s first Xfinity Series victory came in the 2007 AT&T 250 at the Milwaukee Mile under the unusual circumstances that saw him credited with the win after starting the race for Denny Hamlin. In 2011, he drove the No. 88 for JR Motorsports, scoring two poles and eighteen top-ten finishes on his way to a career-best fourth in the final Xfinity Series points standings.
He returned to victory lane in dramatic fashion in 2016, winning the July Xfinity Series race at Daytona by a margin of 0.003 seconds over Justin Allgaier. The win came after a final-lap caution allowed NASCAR to review the order, and Almirola openly called it his first true Xfinity Series win given the shared-drive nature of his 2007 victory.
Richard Petty Motorsports and the No. 43 (2012-2017)
Almirola took over the iconic No. 43 Ford at Richard Petty Motorsports beginning in 2012, replacing A. J. Allmendinger. He earned early recognition with a pole at Charlotte and a top-five run at Kansas, then developed into a weekly top-fifteen threat. In 2014, he added crew chief Trent Owens and secured a long-term sponsorship deal with Smithfield Foods, the team’s cornerstone partner for years to come.
That summer, Almirola scored his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory by winning the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. The rain-shortened triumph ended a long winless streak for the legendary No. 43, dating back to 1999, and clinched Almirola’s first berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He added further highlights in 2015 and 2016, including consistent top-fifteen runs and a near-miss at Richmond that nearly earned him a second playoff spot.
The 2017 season brought a major setback at Kansas Speedway, where a violent crash during the Go Bowling 400 left Almirola with a compression fracture in his T5 vertebrae. He was airlifted to a Kansas hospital but recovered quickly enough to return to racing by July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Stewart-Haas Racing Era (2018-2023)
On November 8, 2017, Stewart-Haas Racing announced Almirola as the driver of the No. 10 Ford Fusion beginning in 2018, giving him his first full multi-year opportunity in top equipment. He opened the year by leading the Daytona 500 on the final lap before a collision with Austin Dillon ended his chance at the win, but he carried that momentum into a strong regular season and qualified for the playoffs.
At the fall 2018 Talladega race, Almirola scored his second career Cup Series win when teammate Kurt Busch ran out of fuel on the last lap, locking him into the Round of 8. He finished the year fifth in the standings, the best result of his career. He added his third Cup victory in 2021 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, passing Ryan Blaney with 57 laps to go to take the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. After announcing his retirement from full-time racing in 2022, Almirola reversed course and returned for one more Cup season in 2023 before stepping away from the No. 10 at the end of that year.
Driving Style and Strengths
Almirola built his reputation on smooth, mistake-free driving and the ability to post consistent top-fifteen finishes week after week. He was particularly strong on intermediate tracks and superspeedways, with his breakthrough wins at Daytona and Talladega highlighting his comfort in pack racing. His partnerships with veteran crew chiefs such as Trent Owens at Richard Petty Motorsports helped him mature into a steady playoff threat during the Stewart-Haas years.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, the 2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega, the 2021 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire, the 2016 Xfinity Series win at Daytona, the 2021 Bluegreen Vacations Duel, and the 2021 NASCAR All-Star Open. Each of these races marked a turning point that pushed his career to a new level, including his first Cup playoff berth and his career-best fifth-place points finish in 2018.
Aric Almirola Career Wins
Aric Almirola collected victories across NASCAR’s three national series, including three NASCAR Cup Series wins, ten NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, and two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins. He also scored a single ARCA Menards Series East victory, giving him a versatile resume built over more than fifteen years in stock car racing.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
Almirola’s first Cup Series win came in the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, where he inherited the lead when the race was called for rain after 112 laps. He added the 2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega and the 2021 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with the Talladega victory lifting him into the Round of 8 of the playoffs. He also won the Bluegreen Vacations Duel in both 2021 and 2023 and the NASCAR All-Star Open in 2021.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
Almirola scored his first official Xfinity Series win in the 2007 AT&T 250 at the Milwaukee Mile and later added a dramatic overtime victory at Daytona in 2016. He returned to the series on a part-time basis in 2023, becoming the first winner of the Xfinity Series race at Sonoma, and in 2024 he collected three wins for Joe Gibbs Racing at Martinsville, Kansas, and Martinsville again during the playoffs.
Other Wins and Performances
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Almirola won twice in 2010, at Dover International Speedway and Michigan International Speedway, on his way to a runner-up finish in the final standings. He also captured the 2008 Sunoco 150 at Dover in the ARCA Menards Series East, his first win in any NASCAR or ARCA-sanctioned event.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 3 | 96 | 6 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 10 | 59 | 5 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 2 | 38 | 0 |
Aric Almirola Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Almirola was raised in a close-knit family of Cuban descent in Tampa, Florida. His father Ralph Almirola and mother Emilda Almirola supported his early racing, traveling to karting events and short tracks as he developed. His grandfather, Sam Rodriguez, raced dirt sprint cars, giving the family a direct lineage in motorsports that helped spark Aric’s love for racing.
Personal Life
Almirola is married to Janice Almirola, and the couple has two children, a daughter named Abby and a son named Alex. In 2019, he appeared with his family in a public service announcement for the Administration for Children and Families as part of the Responsible Fatherhood media campaign, highlighting his role as a dedicated husband and father.
2025 Season Performance
In 2025, Aric Almirola partnered with Joe Gibbs Racing and the Christian organization Young Life to compete part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, contesting nine events behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra. He opened the year with a thrilling victory at Phoenix, making a last-lap pass on Alex Bowman by 0.045 seconds to steal the win from Justin Allgaier in a photo finish.
His part-time campaign continued with a strong run at Indianapolis, where Austin Hill intentionally hooked him into the outside wall, an incident that cost Hill a five-lap penalty and a one-week suspension. Almirola later added two more wins during the Xfinity Series playoffs at Bristol and Las Vegas, showcasing the speed that had marked his earlier Joe Gibbs Racing efforts.
He closed the season with a runner-up finish at Phoenix, and the No. 19 car ultimately captured the Xfinity Series owners’ championship, capping one of the most efficient part-time schedules in recent series history. With momentum, veteran experience, and the backing of Joe Gibbs Racing still in place, Almirola remains a valuable asset for future Xfinity Series and select Cup opportunities.
