Earnhardt Ganassi’s Aric Almirola awaiting next opportunity
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.”
