Aric Almirola

Aric Almirola Bio

Aric Michael Almirola is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. Born on March 14, 1984, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, he most recently competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. Across his career, Almirola has raced in the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the ARCA Menards Series family of divisions.

Early Life and Background

Aric Michael Almirola was born at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and raised in Tampa. He is of Cuban descent, and his grandfather Sam Rodriguez was a dirt sprint car driver, giving the family deep roots in motorsports. Almirola’s parents are Ralph Almirola and Emilda Almirola, who supported his early interest in racing.

Almirola began racing go-karts when he was eight years old. By age fourteen, he was competing nationally, winning the pole position in his debut at a World Karting Association event and finishing fourth in the standings that year. Two years later, he moved up into modifieds and collected several Rookie of the Year awards during his teenage development years.

He graduated from Hillsborough High School in Tampa and later enrolled at the University of Central Florida to study mechanical engineering before leaving school to chase a full-time racing career.

Path to NASCAR

In 2002, Almirola moved into the NASCAR Sun Belt Weekly Racing Division and finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings. He followed that with five pole positions in 2003 and, in 2004, became one of the first drivers to participate in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. That same year, he signed with Joe Gibbs Racing as a development driver through a partnership with former NFL player Reggie White.

Almirola ran the season at Ace Speedway, winning two races before finishing eleventh in points. In 2005, he added five more wins at the track, made his Truck Series debut with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports, and posted two top-tens in four starts, setting the stage for his move into NASCAR’s national touring series.

Aric Almirola Career

Early Career (2006-2009)

In 2006, Almirola drove the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing-sponsored Chevrolet for Spears Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series as part of the JGR development program, starting every race and posting three top-ten finishes with a best of ninth. He also ran nine Busch Series races for Gibbs in the No. 19 Husqvarna and Banquet Foods-sponsored Chevrolet Monte Carlo, with a best finish of eleventh at Dover International Speedway. During this period he served as a test driver for JGR teammates J. J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin, scoring his first career pole at the Milwaukee Mile in the No. 20 car for Hamlin.

Almirola became a regular in the Busch Series in 2007, splitting time between the No. 18 and No. 20 cars for Joe Gibbs Racing. He won his first career Busch Series race at the Milwaukee Mile in 2007 after Denny Hamlin took over during a caution period, with Almirola credited as the winner because he started the event. Later that year he joined Dale Earnhardt, Inc. following the Ginn Racing sale and drove the No. 01 in five races. In 2008 he was named co-driver of the No. 8 United States Army-sponsored Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series alongside Mark Martin, and in 2009 he was named the full-time driver of the No. 8 before losing the ride after seven races due to a lack of sponsorship.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2010)

For 2010, Almirola drove full-time in the Camping World Truck Series, piloting the No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals and AK Awareness-sponsored Toyota Tundra for Billy Ballew Motorsports. He won his first Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway and then won again at Michigan International Speedway, holding off Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch. Almirola finished second in the Truck Series standings to Bodine that season, the highest points result of his truck career.

NASCAR Nationwide and Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2007-2017, 2023-2025)

Almirola returned to the Nationwide Series in 2011 with JR Motorsports, driving the No. 88 and earning two poles with eighteen top-tens to finish fourth in points. That performance earned him a full-time Sprint Cup ride for 2012 at Richard Petty Motorsports. In July 2016, he returned to the Xfinity Series and won at Daytona in the No. 98 car, beating Justin Allgaier by 0.003 seconds in one of the closest finishes in series history.

Almirola ran a part-time Xfinity schedule in 2023 and became the first-ever winner in the Xfinity Series at Sonoma Raceway, giving RSS Racing their first win as an organization. In 2024 he returned to Joe Gibbs Racing on a part-time Xfinity schedule in the No. 19 and No. 20 cars, winning at Martinsville with the No. 20 team and earning a $100,000 bonus by winning the first Dash 4 Cash race of the season. Despite making only fourteen starts, he finished seventeenth in the final standings with three wins, six stage wins, eight top-fives, nine top-tens, and an average finish of 9.2.

Stewart-Haas Racing Era (2018-2022)

On November 8, 2017, Stewart-Haas Racing announced Almirola as the driver of the No. 10 Ford Fusion for the 2018 season. In his first year with the team he scored his second career Cup win at Talladega in the fall, locking himself into the Round of 8 and finishing fifth in the final standings, the highest points result of his career. He made the playoffs again in 2019, 2020, and 2021, reaching the Round of 12 in 2020 and earning his third career Cup win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2021 after a late pass on Ryan Blaney.

On January 10, 2022, Almirola announced his retirement from full-time racing after the 2022 season. On August 19, 2022, he reversed course and confirmed he would continue in the No. 10 for 2023. On October 28, 2023, Almirola announced he would not return to SHR in 2024, closing a six-year chapter with the organization.

Joe Gibbs Racing Return (2024-2025)

In 2024, Almirola returned to Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series on a part-time schedule, driving the No. 19 and No. 20 Toyota GR Supra entries. His three-win campaign included victories at Martinsville, Kansas, and a return trip to Martinsville during the playoffs. In 2025, he partnered with Joe Gibbs Racing and the Christian organization Young Life to compete part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, running nine scheduled events behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra.

Driving Style and Strengths

Almirola is widely recognized as a steady, consistent plate racer and superspeedway threat, with strong drafting skills at Daytona and Talladega. He pairs that superspeedway strength with disciplined fuel and tire management, which has produced late-race wins at New Hampshire and Bristol. His veteran experience and calm radio manner have made him a reliable partner for crew chiefs managing long-run strategy.

Notable Races and Milestones

Signature moments include his first Cup win in the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, which ended a long drought for the iconic Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43. He added a 1000Bulbs.com 500 win at Talladega in 2018, captured the Bluegreen Vacations Duel in both 2021 and 2023, and won the NASCAR All-Star Open in 2021. His 2024-2025 Xfinity resurgence at tracks like Martinsville, Kansas, Bristol, Las Vegas, and Phoenix has cemented his reputation as a clutch late-race finisher.

Aric Almirola Career Wins

Across NASCAR’s three national series, Aric Almirola has built a versatile résumé that includes Cup Series victories, a long list of Truck Series highlights, and a late-career Xfinity Series surge with Joe Gibbs Racing. Verified Cup wins include the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, the 2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega, and the 2021 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Cup Series Highlights

Almirola has three career NASCAR Cup Series wins, beginning with the rain-shortened 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, where he led when the race was called after 112 laps. He added the 2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega to lock himself into the playoff Round of 8, and collected his third Cup win at New Hampshire in 2021, passing Ryan Blaney with 57 laps to go before rain shortened the event by eight laps.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights

Almirola’s Xfinity Series career includes the 2007 Milwaukee Mile win credited in his name after Denny Hamlin took over mid-race, the 2016 Daytona win by 0.003 seconds over Justin Allgaier, and the historic 2023 Sonoma victory that made him the first-ever Xfinity winner at the track. His 2024-2025 part-time surge produced additional Xfinity wins at Martinsville, Kansas, Bristol, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, including a 0.045-second photo-finish victory over Alex Bowman at Phoenix.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Highlights

Almirola’s Truck Series career peaked in 2010 with Billy Ballew Motorsports, when he won at Dover International Speedway and Michigan International Speedway and finished second in the final standings to Todd Bodine. He also posted a seven-race streak of finishing eighth or better during a part-time Truck Series return with Billy Ballew Motorsports earlier in his career.

Aric Almirola Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Aric Almirola comes from a Cuban-American family with deep motorsports roots. His grandfather, Sam Rodriguez, was a dirt sprint car driver who helped inspire Aric’s path into racing. His parents, Ralph Almirola and Emilda Almirola, raised him in Tampa, Florida, where he first discovered karting as a young boy.

Personal Life

Aric 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 in a public service announcement with his children for the Administration for Children and Families as part of the Responsible Fatherhood media campaign, reflecting his well-known commitment to family life alongside his racing career.

2025 Season Performance

In 2025, Aric Almirola partnered with Joe Gibbs Racing and the Christian organization Young Life to run a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule, competing in nine events behind the wheel of the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra. His late-race form was once again the story of the season, including a dramatic last-lap pass of Alex Bowman at Phoenix to win by 0.045 seconds, the 26th closest finish in Xfinity Series history.

Almirola also produced a hard-fought victory at Bristol and a playoff win at Las Vegas during the 2025 Xfinity postseason. He was intentionally right-rear hooked into the outside wall by Austin Hill at Indianapolis, an incident that resulted in Hill being penalized five laps and suspended the following week. Almirola closed the season with a second-place run at Phoenix, helping the No. 19 car secure the Xfinity Series owners’ championship.

Looking ahead, Almirola continues to balance part-time Xfinity duty with his broader role as a senior driver and mentor within Joe Gibbs Racing, with Toyota continuity and Young Life sponsorship anchoring his 2025 program.