In a season that originally was not supposed to be for one Aric Almirola, the Tampa Bay native will be calling it a career at the end of the 2023 season, citing that he wants to spend more time with family.
A ten-time winner across all of NASCAR’s series, Aric Almirola is going out with a solid career looking back.
Although some would say that he didn’t pan out at Stewart Hass Racing, a team that offered a more competitive seat to his most recent previous role at Petty Motorsports (now Legacy Motor Club), Almirola brought success to every stop he had along the way.
While Almirola will be stepping away from a full-time role, the driver of the #10 did leave the door open to a potential return in a much more condensed role in 2024.
“I hope so. I’d like to not quit cold turkey,” Almirola said to Yahoo Sports. “I think there are some opportunities, but it’s hard. It’s challenging to figure out things that make sense for race teams to do part-time. Most race teams want somebody to run full-time and race for a championship, so we’ll see if we can get it worked out. I’d love to still scratch the itch, but I just don’t want to do it like I have been doing it for the last 12 years, where it’s been 38 weeks and it’s a grind.”
There are options open for Almirola if he chooses that route.
One is Rick Ware Racing, which frequently has open spots for part-time rides, as was the case this year with Ryan Newman.
Another possibility for Almirola could be the potential to go in the Dale Jr. route and race in the Xfinity Series since SHR fields a two-car team.
Nevertheless, there are many potential opportunities available for Aric Almirola, but the future of his full-time career is now settled.
One thing that isn’t settled is who will be driving the #10 car for SHR in 2024.
Rumors have heavily circulated that Noah Gragson will be tabbed for the duties after walking away from his ride at Legacy, in part due to Gragson’s off-track problems.
Other drivers are also available, as Riley Herbst and Cole Custer could be in play for this job given that they are already on the SHR team in the Xfinity Series.
Only time will tell who will be behind the wheel of the #10 car, but it will also be exciting to see what’s to come in the future for the now-retiring Aric Almirola.
