ARIC ALMIROLA
Nashville Advance
No. 10 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing
Event Overview
● Event: Ally 400 (Round 17 of 36)
● Time/Date: 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 26
● Location: Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 1.333-mile concrete oval
● Laps/Miles: 300 laps/399 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 90 laps / Stage 2: 95 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Notes of Interest
● After 16 races this season, Almirola is the only driver in the NASCAR Cup Series without a DNF (Did Not Finish). He has completed all but five laps of the 4,350 run this year – a 99.9 percent completion rate.
● 2021 marked the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, which was new for most everyone involved. This weekend, Almirola and the No. 10 team will head back to the 1.333-mile concrete oval with a little extra confidence. Not only did Almirola earn the inaugural Cup Series pole at Nashville a year ago, but he piloted his No. 10 machine to a fourth-place finish after a string of terrible luck to kickstart his season at its midpoint.
● Almirola is one of the few drivers in this weekend’s Ally 400 field who has raced at Nashville Superspeedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series. In four Xfinity Series starts at the track, Almirola has three top-10 finishes and one top-five with a best finish of fifth. In four Truck Series starts, Almirola has earned two top-10s and a top-five with a best finish of third.
● Points: Almirola arrives at Nashville 11th in the driver standings with 423 points, 113 out of first.
● Haas Automation, founded by Gene Haas in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are constructed in the company’s 1.1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.
● Almirola’s career: In 404 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has earned three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 89 top-10s, three poles, and has led 899 laps.
● One More Time: On Jan. 10, Almirola released a video on his YouTube channel announcing his retirement from fulltime NASCAR Cup Series racing after the 2022 season to spend more time with his family. His opening remarks were attributed to his grandfather’s mentorship. This year marks Almirola’s 11th fulltime Cup Series season. The official press release can be viewed here.
● Beyond the 10 YouTube Series: In 2022, Almirola is once again sharing his life beyond the No. 10 Smithfield Ford with season three of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and it gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.
● Almirola was the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to finish in the top-10 in this year’s opening three races. He finished fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, sixth at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and sixth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Almirola’s top-10 streak ended with a 12th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway despite running inside the top-10 throughout the race.
Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What is your outlook heading to a track for just the second time, and first in the NextGen car?
“Yeah I’m excited to get back to Nashville. Last year, Nashville was a big turning point for us. We went to a track that was new in the Cup Series for everyone and ended up getting the pole and a top-five. That gave us so much momentum because it was a terrible season up to that point. I have always felt good at Nashville. We’ve already shown what we can do at a new track in this NextGen car this year at St. Louis. This team is resilient and works their tails off to get the car where it needs to be when we show up at a new venue. On top of that, we’re going to get a full day of practice and qualifying, so we’ll have even more time to adjust.”
Where would you evaluate your season so far?
“We’ve had ups and downs, but there are a lot of positives to take away. Even last race at Sonoma, we had a plan and executed it. We finished 14th, but gained a ton of points and kept ourselves ahead of the playoff bubble. Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) and I have really connected and I hope we’re in the beginning of a hot streak heading into the summer.”
No. 10 Team Roster
Primary Team Members
Driver: Aric Almirola
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Hometown: Decatur, Illinois
Car Chief: Jerry Cook
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Engineer: Davin Restivo
Hometown: Asheboro, North Carolina
Engineer: James Kimbrough
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
Spotter: Joel Edmonds
Hometown: Dobson, North Carolina
Over-The-Wall Members
Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder
Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa
Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard
Hometown: King, North Carolina
Jack Man: Sean Cotton
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener
Hometown: Fortuna, California
Road Crew Members
Mechanic: Chris Trickett
Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia
Mechanic: Robbie Fairweather
Hometown: Westbrookville, New York
Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller
Hometown: Monroe, New York
Tire Specialist: Rusty Davidson
Hometown: Mount Juliet, Tennessee
Transporter Co-Driver: Steven Casper
Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina
Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy
Hometown: Augusta, Georgia
