DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Last February, Aric Almirola was half a lap away from the biggest win of his life.
It was his first race driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, piloting the No. 10 Ford recently vacated by Danica Patrick. After toiling for several years with an underfunded team, Almirola had a victory in his sights.
After a strong run all day in the Daytona 500, Almirola drove to the lead as the race entered overtime. He was leading the pack when the white flag flew, starting the final lap.
As the field thundered off turn two, second place Austin Dillon got a huge run on the leader. Contact from behind sent Almirola spinning into the wall, leaving him with a broken race car and broken dreams of what might have been.
Almirola would get his chance later in the year to prove himself with a win Talladega.
Now he comes back to Daytona and the Great American Race, an event with which he still has some unfinished business.
“For me, last year being a mile away from winning the Daytona 500, that stands out for me,” Almirola said. “Being that close. I can literally feel it and see it and smell it and taste it. Everything you can imagine like it was there. It was right at my fingertips. Certainly that is one that comes to mind when I think about the Daytona 500, just thinking about being that close.”
Despite how the finish of last year’s race went, Almirola says he does not have a bad attitude towards it.
“It was tough to swallow and defeat is never easy, especially in that situation right there at the last minute in the closing mile of the race. Certainly that was a tough one to swallow but I feel like everything in life happens for a reason and I feel like last year, if we would have won right out of the gate, things might have went differently for our race team.
“That was a hard one but I really feel like it made our team grow together and kind of created a bond amongst me and my teammates and the guys on my team, my crew guys. We kind of rallied around each other and picked each other up to hold our heads high and go on to the next race and carry on, knowing that we kind of left Daytona knowing that our competitors are going to have to deal with us each and every weekend, not just here in Daytona.”
Almirola appears to have a strong hand for this year’s Daytona 500. He was 19th fastest in qualifying, and finished third in his Duel race on Thursday. That puts him in the 18th starting position for Sunday.
And should things go the right way, the Florida native could have a chance at a huge home state victory.
“I come to this race track with a really positive outlook,” Almirola said. “Growing up in Tampa and coming over here to race, I have always enjoyed driving through the tunnel and being here and being at Daytona. This is a dream come true for me. Being here, I am just always excited and fired up. I feel like that positive attitude really kind of carries over through the weekend to whatever race car I am in. I know a lot of the guys when they show up here kind of dread it and they hate restrictor plate racing and all those things but I embrace it. I like it.”
Suarez Looks For Better Days With Move To Stewart-Haas
Daniel Suarez is looking for a boost.
After winning the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series title driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, the Monterrey, Mexico native was moved to the team’s No. 19 Toyota in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after Carl Edwards unexpectedly hung up his helmet.
Many thought it was a golden opportunity for Suarez. But it soon tarnished.
IN 72 races through 2017 and 2018, Suarez recorded just four top fives, and 21 top 10s. He could boast a pole effort at Pocono last year, but the anticipated success for the team just didn’t materialize.
Sunday’s Daytona 500 starts the next chapter for Suarez, as he moved in the off season to Stewart-Haas Racing, taking over the No. 41 Ford that Kurt Busch scored the win in the 500 in 2017.
“The expectations for this year and the team has been very strong and I know what I’m capable of doing and everything looks extremely good,” Suarez said. “The reality is we have to be patient. We have to walk before we run and that’s something extremely important for myself. We know that the results are gonna get there, but we have to be patient and be smart in all of the decisions. Billy Scott, my crew chief, and the rest of the guys have been nothing but great working with me and bringing in the new fresh air and new fresh energy, and I can tell you that I’m extremely excited to what the future is holding for us.”
Suarez says something he feels is extremely important in the new pairing is how involved team owner Tony Stewart is.
“I’ve had a good relationship with Tony in the past, but now I get to talk with him more and getting to learn him more and that’s been extremely good. He’s a driver. He’s not just a team owner. He’s a driver that happens to be a team owner and that’s something that I feel is a plus because he understands the position of the driver. He knows what the race car is lacking and I feel like it’s gonna be good. I see Stewart-Haas Racing as a big station with a bunch of real racers, which is something really good. It’s a great group.”
Suarez will roll off from the 23rd starting spot in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“Our Ford Mustang is pretty quick,” he said. “I was just mentioning a little bit ago, I can’t remember the last time I was involved in a wreck and I actually stepped out of the race car with a smile on my face. The car had plenty of speed. It was a lot of fun to go back to the back for a penalty and then go back to the front in a few laps. That was a lot of fun and we’re expecting to have a Daytona 500 car that is just as fast or faster, and I feel it’s gonna be good.”
McDowell Leads Final Daytona 500 Practice
Final practice for Sunday’s Daytona 500 saw only 21 cars on track, with several teams choosing to not take a chance at any on-track mayhem damaging their mounts for the “Great American Race.”
Michael McDowell paced the final session with a lap in 47.012 seconds at 191.440 mph in the No. 34 Ford.
Ty Dillon was second quick, with 500 pole sitter William Byron third, Alex Bowman fourth and rookie Daniel Hemric in fifth.
Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Daniel Suarez, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top ten.
WDUN will carry MRN Radio coverage of Sunday's 61st running of the Daytona 500 for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series beginning at 1:30 pm on 102.9 FM, AM 550 and streaming live on AccessWDUN.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona 500 – February 17, 2019
Sunday’s Starting Lineup
1. William Byron
2. Alex Bowman
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Joey Logano
5. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
6. Clint Bowyer
7. Paul Menard
8. Aric Almirola
9. Matt DiBenedetto
10. Denny Hamlin
11. Martin Truex, Jr.
12. Kurt Busch
13. Darrell Wallace, Jr.
14. Ryan Blaney
15. Chris Buescher
16. Jamie McMurray
17. Jimmie Johnson
18. Chase Elliott
19. Ryan Newman
20. Austin Dillon
21. Ryan Preece
22. Ty Dillon
23. Daniel Suarez
24. David Ragan
25. Parker Kligerman
26. Kyle Larson
27. Landon Cassill
28. Erik Jones
29. Daniel Hemric
30. Brendan Gaughan
31. Kyle Busch
32. Corey LaJoie
33. Matt Tifft
34. Michael McDowell
35. Brad Keselowski
36. Ross Chastain
37. Cody Ware
38. B.J. McLeod
39. Tyler Reddick
40. Casey Mears
Did Not Qualify:
#71 Ryan Truex
#66 Joey Gase
