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[/media-credit]The last time that Aric Almirola had a Sprint Cup Series ride things went far from planned. The year was 2008 and Almirola had just signed with then Dale Earnhardt Inc. to share seat time with Mark Martin before eventually inheriting the ride full-time.
That time never came since prior to the 2009 season Almirola was informed that the team was being shut down, lack of sponsorship the cause. He landed back in the Camping World Truck Series then signed a multi-year deal with JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, the goal to win races and championships but that too didn’t go as planned.
In a good way however, because Almirola is now headed back to the Cup Series, looking for a second chance and a way to make things right. Wednesday afternoon he was officially announced as the new driver of Richard Petty Motorsports’ iconic No. 43 which had been vacated by AJ Allmendinger.
“I’m very, very excited about this opportunity to not only drive the historic and iconic 43 car, but to work with all the people here at Richard Petty Motorsports,” said Almirola.
“I had the privilege last year of sitting on the couch on Sundays and watching the races and I saw how competitive their racecars were on a weekly basis and that was a big factor in making the decision to come over here. Their competition on the race track was very, very high and that gives me an opportunity to get in a race car that I know is very competitive and where I’ve just got to go out and do my job and the results will come.”
A great opportunity for him but one that brings sadness because of the team he has to leave behind, JRM. This time last year he was talking about the contract that he had signed with them. Talking about how he wasn’t looking to jump back into the Cup Series too quick for fear of repeating what happened the last time.
This ride though, fits him better. While he admits he didn’t have the type of season with JRM that he anticipated – he did finish top five in points but failed to win a race – he grew as a driver. When he shows up in Daytona next month with his new it will be with a new attitude and a new sense of security behind the wheel.
“This is a great opportunity for me. You take the last couple of years, I felt like a few years ago I had the opportunity to go Cup racing but it wasn’t at this level,” Almirola said. “There were a lot of moving parts going on and it didn’t end up working out but I went back to Truck racing and ran very competitive in the Truck Series and won two races and finished second in points, and then that same year was the year I go to run five race in the 9 car and ran rather well for being my first time at a lot of those race tracks in a Cup car.”
According to RPM CEO Brian Moffitt it was the potential their organization saw in Almirola that put him on the top of the list when it came to finding a driver. The only thing they needed to figure out was sponsorship, which will be announced in the coming weeks. Everyone else involved, from Richard Petty himself to crew chief Greg Erwin, wanted Almirola from the get-go.
They looked past drivers like David Ragan and Brian Vickers, who have more Cup experience than Almirola. As well as wins on their resume. But it was the Florida native who continued to impress them throughout the 2011 season in the NNS, not making it surprising that they’re all aiming for the top in 2012.
“Our expectations and what we plan on moving forward with is top 20 and making the Chase this year,” said Moffitt of what RPM would like to see this year. “We set out goals last year with Marcos [Ambrose] and AJ to be in the top 20 and hopefully one of them make the Chase or top 15 and we actually hit that goal, and we expect the same with Aric and Marcos going into this year.”
On the other hand, this will be the first time that Almirola has run a full schedule in the Cup Series. He’s going to be a rookie all over again with “some growing pains” he says and plenty of learning ahead of him. They key though is to finish where the cars and the driver is capable of finishing. The points will take care of themselves after that, as long as Almirola is doing the job he and RPM feel he’s ready to do.
“I’ve always put more pressure on myself than anybody else has ever put on me,” said Almirola. “I’ve a very, very competitive person. I don’t like to lose a board game against my wife. I don’t like to lose playing cards and I don’t like to lose on the racetrack. My competitive spirit comes out when I’m on the racetrack and I don’t like to underperform by any means, so I put more pressure on myself than anybody else can put on me.”
Now, Almirola uses that pressure as motivation as finally moves forward to where he wants to be. Reflecting though on where he’s been and could have stayed. Comfortable and competitive with JRM, lucky to have landed on his feet after years of moving from team to team, series to series and wondering if he’d ever get another shot.
Back when he aimed for a car to be just his own, not one he shared with another driver. One that even while dominating races he was pulled out of in favor of a Cup driver. He was the next Joey Logano before Logano was even on the NASCAR map. Then fate got in the way, only to deliver him the driver seat of one of the most prestigious rides in racing.
He knows what he said a year ago, he knows that things won’t be easy. Then again, nothing about Almirola’s career has been easy. Except he isn’t about to let his dream get away because he wouldn’t take a chance and go make a career for himself.
“Every race car driver wants to race in the Cup Series,” said Almirola. “That’s just the fact of the matter. Nobody wants to compete at a lower level. Everybody wants to compete at the highest level that they can possibly compete at and I’m the same way. I got offered the opportunity to compete at the highest level in NASCAR with a great team that has very competitive equipment, so that made the decision a lot easier. Obviously, there are probably opportunities out there that I would have gladly stayed at [JRM], but this opportunity with this competitive equipment and this group of people was too hard to turn down.”
