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At only 27 years of age Aric Almirola has seen nearly every rung of the racing ladder. He’s climbed his way to the top,
settled back to the bottom, and then climbed it again. But one thing’s for sure, he’s found a home at JR Motorsports for
the foreseeable future. Beginning in 2011, he’ll pilot the team’s flagship No. 88 Chevrolet in the quest for JRM’s initial
championship.
Early Days
Almirola’s journey to racing’s limelight began in 1992, when he began go-kart racing at the age of eight. He quickly
collected championships at both the state and local levels, and advanced to national competition in 1998. Almirola
solidified his racing talents in the World Karting Association when he earned the pole for the series’ prestigious Grand
National event in Daytona. He finished the year fourth in the national standings.
In 2000 after climbing behind the wheel of an open-wheel modified, Almirola earned Rookie
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of the Year honors in the Florida Modified division and the Southern Automobile Racing Association. Almirola then took
his racing smarts to the Florida Sunbelt Series, the most competitive super late model series in the state, where he finished runner-up in the
Rookie of the Year standings. He followed suit with more success the following year, winning a series-high six poles.
The Chance of a Lifetime
The 2003 racing season was a turning point for Almirola, who became one of the original members of the Joe Gibbs
Racing/Reggie White Driver Diversity Program. Almirola took his first step into NASCAR competition in 2004, piloting
late models at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., collecting two wins, six top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes.
Continuing to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005, Almirola took his skills to the southeast, racing in several esteemed
late model events. Almirola went on to win seven races and notched 11 poles that year. His performance behind the wheel
of late models earned him a chance in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports. Almirola
piloted the team’s No. 47 Silverado for four races, scoring two top-10 finishes.
The Next Level
In 2006-07, he competed in the Nationwide Series, earning three poles and six top-10s. Almirola is credited with one
victory—the June 23, 2007, race at Milwaukee Mile—in which he and Denny Hamlin shared seat time in the victorious No.
20 car. That performance was part of a successful 2007 campaign, which opened doors to a lifelong dream of racing in
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Dale Earnhardt Inc. signed Almirola to a part-time driving deal in 2008 with the unique
task of splitting seat time with one of NASCAR’s all-time greats, Mark Martin. Most of Almirola’s Sprint Cup starts
came with DEI (later to become Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing).
Almirola continued racing in sporadic Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races in 2009 and 2010, but the opportunity to
compete full-time this yearwith Billy Ballew Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series was too good to pass up.
Almirola earned two wins on the season, and finished second in the championship point standings.
Joining JRM
In 2010 at O’Reilly Raceway Park, Almirola joined JRM’s heralded No. 88 team, in what was at the time, a one-race
stint. He started the Kroger 200 in sixth position, led one lap, ran among the top-five all night, and finished third
in his debut in the No. 88 GT Vodka Chevrolet. A month later, JR Motorsports cemented an integral part of its future
by signing Almirola to drive the company’s flagship No. 88 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry fulltime starting in 2011.
However, before the 2010 season concluded, Almirola drove the No. 88 in six more races. He earned three top-10 finishes
and led 15 laps before the season’s end.
As the team looks enters the 2011 season, Almirola will be paired with a proven winner in crew chief Tony Eury Sr.
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