Aric A. Almirola Cuban-American racing driver Date of Birth: 14.03.1984 Country: USA

Biography of Aric Almirola

Aric Almirola, a Cuban-American racing driver, was born at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He attended the University of Central Florida, where he pursued a degree in mechanical engineering but dropped out to pursue a career in racing.

At the age of eight, Almirola first tried his hand at racing on go-karts. By the age of 14, he was competing at a national level and even secured the pole position in his first race in the World Karting Association. Two years later, Almirola transitioned to racing modified cars and received several Rookie of the Year awards.

In 2002, Almirola joined the NASCAR Sun Belt Weekly Racing series, finishing fourth in the Rookie of the Year standings. The following year, he won five pole positions and became one of the first participants in the NASCAR "Drive for Diversity" program. In 2005, Almirola won five races and made his debut in the Truck Series.

In 2006, Almirola raced for Spears Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck series under the Joe Gibbs Racing project. He achieved top-ten finishes three times, with his personal best being ninth place, and finished 18th overall in the season standings. In the same season, he also competed in nine Busch Series races for Gibbs, with his best result being 11th place.

Moving on to the Busch Series full-time in 2007, Almirola drove for two Chevy teams. He secured his second pole position of this level in Daytona and later in Milwaukee. Initially, Almirola was supposed to be replaced by Denny Hamlin, but when Hamlin didn't arrive for the race, Almirola was given the opportunity to race. Eventually, Hamlin took over on lap 59 and went on to win. Despite not participating in the victory celebration, Almirola began his journey with Joe Gibbs Racing.

In 2007, Almirola raced in five events with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., but failed to finish higher than 30th place. In 2008, he achieved his personal best in the Food City 500 in Bristol, finishing eighth. The following year, Almirola participated in seven races but did not achieve notable results, partly due to the loss of sponsorship. He then signed a new contract with Key Motorsports and returned to the Truck Series, consistently finishing in the top eight for seven consecutive races.

In 2010, Almirola drove a Chevrolet Impala for Phoenix Racing but did not qualify for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. He returned to the Truck Series in April after parting ways with Phoenix Racing. He secured his first win of the season at Dover International Speedway and his second win at Michigan International Speedway. Almirola became a reserve driver for Hendrick Motorsports, but his services were not required as Jimmie Johnson did not miss any races.

In 2011, Almirola initially worked with JR Motorsports before joining Richard Petty Motorsports in the Sprint Cup. He briefly returned to the Truck Series in 2012, finishing fifth in the races in Atlanta.