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Earnhardt Ganassi’s Aric Almirola awaiting next opportunity
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's Aric Almirola is looking to get back into a race car.
LaDon George
NASCAR Scene
CONCORD, N.C. – Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Aric Almirola roamed the Lowe’s Motor Speedway garage Friday aching for a return to the Sprint Cup Series and uncertain of his future.
Almirola said he is committed to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and knows there have been several discussions with sponsors to get the No. 8 car back on the track, but when that will happen, he still doesn’t know.
Starting the year in the No. 8 car, Almirola competed in the first seven races but the team was parked when sponsorship couldn’t be found. He has missed the last four events.
“It’s been disappointing to say the least,” the 25-year-old Almirola said. “I feel like I’m a better race-car driver today than I was six months ago, a year ago. I feel like there’s potential out there. I’ve talked to sponsors and I’ve talked to other people about driving other race cars. I want to race. I don’t look at this as a job, I look at this as something I love to do and I’m missing out on something I eat, sleep and breathe.
“I’m in a hurry to get back to the race track and drive a race car.”
Almirola knows that now is not only the time he needs to be in a race car to get better, now is the time when sponsors also begin talking about 2010.
“Every year in the summertime, people are starting to plan out what they’re going to do for the following year, trying to get sponsors, trying to line up everything,” Almirola said. “It’s definitely time to start thinking about that. I’m committed 100 percent to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. I want the 8 car to be back on the race track.
“But at the end of the day, it’s still an uncertainty whether that’s going to happen or not. [EGR President] Steve Lauletta, [team owner] Chip [Ganassi], and everybody at Earnhardt Ganassi is working really hard on getting sponsorship but we don’t have anything concrete. It’s tough right now. I want to be in a race car and I want to be racing. I love to race.”
Even though EGR runs Chevrolets, Almirola said he is not limited to driving a Chevrolet even this year.
“I would love for it to be a Chevrolet – that’s all I’ve ever driven,” Almirola said. “That’s pretty important to me. I feel like that’s something I’m kind of fond of is that I’ve driven a Chevrolet since the beginning of my NASCAR career. But at this point and this many weeks being out of the race car and watching every week that goes by, I just want to race more and more and more.
“I don’t care what number. I don’t care what color. I just want to be in a race car.”
Almirola has gotten to take some laps in a race car, including participating in a Goodyear tire test earlier this week at Daytona International Speedway.
“I went and did the tire test down there, so I’ve been in a race car,” Almirola said. “I want to be at the race track. I want to be here. It really kills me to see the race cars fire up and leave pit road on Sunday and me not to be out there.”
With 25 career Cup starts and a best finish of eighth at Bristol in March 2008, Almirola hopes that he can find a seat somewhere.
“I’m still young,” Almirola said. “I’m 25 years old. Hopefully I’ve got a long career ahead of me. It starts with building. Rome wasn’t built in a day and I need a lot of seat time. Every day I’m not in a race car is another day I could have been learning and trying to make myself a better race-car driver.”
Mentioned Drivers: Aric Almirola
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6248 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -184 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -192 |
| 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -239 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -279 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | -312 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -340 |
| 8 | Ryan Newman | -402 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | -414 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | -437 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | -448 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -556 |
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Comments
5 responses to "Earnhardt Ganassi’s Aric Almirola awaiting next opportunity". Post a Comment.
Andrew Briscoe said:
May 16, 2009 at 12:14 PMWhat I find amazing is that last year DEI ran the #01 team with little sponsorship all year, but this year when a team has no sponsorship, the first thing that happens is that it gets shut down. The number I hear a lot is $50,000: what it costs (roughly) to run a full NASCAR weekend. So going off that, the fact that 43rd each week gets about $70,000 that means that a team that makes the race is almost automatically able to, at worst, break even for the weekend if you just MAKE the race. That means that a team like the #8 that likely could just make the race each week would at least break even for the season, plus it gives them exposure to sponsors that might be wanting to see the team race before throwing money at them.
Report as AbuseMaybe it's because I don't run a team that I don't get it, but it seems kinda obvious that right about now I would be running my team as long as it was just making some money...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner Boehmert said:
May 16, 2009 at 4:42 PMhe would have been a good choice for Mayfield's car...or maybe Sadler's ride?....
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBecky Deline said:
May 16, 2009 at 7:08 PMI hope he gets a ride soon. He's a nice guy and he is a good racer. Wish him the best of luck.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDawn Dunn said:
May 16, 2009 at 10:27 PMDesire is half the battle and Aric certainly has lots of that. I'll be praying for him to find a ride soon.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportKyle Newton said:
May 18, 2009 at 10:32 AM#2 what are you thinking not him for Sadler's ride, maybe for Mayfield's if they change his #.
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