Almirola trying to keep perspective heading to Martinsville
By Rea White - Associate Editor
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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Right now, Aric Almirola is just trying to keep things in perspective.
In his opening race of the season - which came March 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway - the Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver finished eighth. Now he’s heading to Martinsville Speedway, another half-mile oval, for his second consecutive race in the team’s No. 8 Chevrolet that he shares with veteran Mark Martin.
Almirola is working to stay focused on Sunday's Goody’s Cool Orange 500 and his second Cup race at Martinsville. Almirola ran in the fall Cup race at the track, finishing 43rd after his car caught fire just 111 laps into the race.
"You don't look in reverse in this sport; it's all about going forward," the 24-year-old said. "What happened in Bristol was good, but that was last week. We need to maintain the consistency."
Almirola will be making just his eighth career Cup start this weekend, and his eighth-place finish at Bristol is his top in the series to
date. Almirola said that kind of run can do a lot for a team that is learning to work together.
"Bristol was a huge confidence builder for both myself and the team," he said. "We need to continue what we started in Bristol, and I have all the confidence we will keep on improving."
After the finish, he quickly heard from Martin.
"Mark called me immediately after the race to offer his congratulations," Almirola said. "He is my mentor, and that was a big lift to get his feedback."
He didn’t sit around relishing the win, though, over the off weekend. Instead, he and his team tested at Tri-Country Motor Speedway, the 0.416-mile flat track located in Hudson, N.C.
"Our team chemistry is really good, and we're having a lot of fun working and being together,” Almirola said.
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Aric Almirola
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