Driver of the No. 10 @SmithfieldBrand car for @StewartHaasRcng
Nothing is quite as entertaining to the undersigned than a NASCAR Driver battling for P1 at the checkered flag, only to get spun and cross the Start/Finish backwards still on podium!!! Well that is what racing veteran Aric Almirola accomplished yesterday in the ‘GEICO’ 500 at the 2.66 mile Oval, Talladega Superspeedway.
Yeah, so close with our Smithfield Ford Mustang. We had the strategy of kind of riding around surviving most of the race. We didn't race very aggressively early on in the race. As the laps wound down, I got to the front, then I got shuffled. Right there on that restart we found ourselves back in position. We had a really fast Ford Mustang.
I thought when everybody started getting stacked up on the front straightaway, I was shooting for whatever hole was open, kind of ping-ponging, weaving my way through there. I got all the way to the front row. I saw the 12 and 20 side-by-side side drafting, had a big head of steam on them. Honestly thought that I was going to get to the start/finish line before them.
When I crossed through the tri-oval, I thought we were going to win the race, I was going so much faster than they were. I just barely got clipped by I think the 47 and spun across the start/finish line, ended up third.
I'm happy to finish top five another week in a row. Felt like we were really close to winning that one. #10 Aric Almirola
Aric started the race fifteenth on the grid and finished third in race thirteen of thirty-six. He stands twelfth in the points.
Almost! If we just barely clear the 47, we win. Oh well... It was fun, exciting, and a memorable day for our sport. Congrats to @Blaney, @FordPerformance, and @RoushYates.#SmithfieldRacing pic.twitter.com/gIDbaaZXzG— Aric Almirola (@Aric_Almirola) June 23, 2020
Race Cap:
Stage 1 (Laps 1-60):- ● Aric Almirola started 15th and finished 25th.
- ● After racing three wide in the first 10 laps, Almirola decided to drop out of the lead pack to avoid potential contact.
- ● He pitted the No. 10 Smithfield Ford after the competition caution on lap 27 for four tires, fuel and adjustments.
- ● The red flag was waved on lap 57 due to inclement weather.
- ● When racing resumed, Almirola pitted at the end of the stage for four fresh tires and fuel.
Stage 2 (Laps 61-120):
- ● Almirola started 19th and finished 25th.
- ● The No. 10 Ford Mustang driver raced back to the top-10 on lap 65.
- ● Almirola raced his way to the top-five on lap 75.
- ● Almirola moved to the high line on lap 85, but was demoted out of the lead pack with no push from behind.
- ● He pitted under caution on lap 97 for four tires and fuel to restart 20th.
- ● Almirola pitted on lap 115 for four tires and fuel. He pit again to restart 31st for the two-lap shootout. He pitted for fuel only at the end of the stage and gained 17 positions.
Final Stage (Laps 121-191):
- ● Almirola started 11th and finished third.
- ● Almirola pitted after a lap-133 caution for four tires and fuel to restart 21st.
- ● The No. 10 Ford pitted again on lap 145 under another caution for fuel only. He restarted 11th.
- ● Almirola raced up to third after the restart.
- ● He charged towards the lead with six laps to go, but was left in the outside lane with no help and fell to 21st.
- ● The caution was called with three laps to go. Almirola was told he was good on fuel and stayed out of the pits to restart 11th.
- ● The caution was called on lap 187 to put the race in overtime. Almirola did not pit.
- ● On the final overtime lap, Almirola wedged his Smithfield Ford into the middle lane and had a run to potentially take the checkered flag. When he turned to block the No. 47 car he was contacted in the left rear, sending the car spinning and crossing the finish line backwards.
Keeping tabs. ✅ If @Aric_Almirola scores his eighth straight top-10 at Dega on Sunday, he'll match the track record of most consecutive top-10 finishes which was set by 2021 @NASCARHall of Fame class member @DaleJr.— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) June 19, 2020
Here's to #Almirolling all the way into the record books. 💪 pic.twitter.com/xkVXrs3LiA
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