Aric Almirola - wikipedia Aric Almirola Aric Almirola Almirola at the 2015 Toyota / Save Mart 350 Aric A. Almirola ( 1984 - 03 - 14 ) March 14, 1984 ( age 33 ) Eglin Air Force Base Fort Walton Beach, Florida Height 6 ft 0 in ( 1.83 m ) Weight 160 lb ( 73 kg ) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career 237 races run over 10 years Car no., team No. 43 ( Richard Petty Motorsports ) 2016 position 26th Best finish 16th ( 2014 ) First race 2007 UAW - Daimler Chrysler 400 ( Las Vegas ) Last race 2017 ISM Connect 300 ( Loudon ) First win 2014 Coke Zero 400 ( Daytona ) Wins Top tens Poles 29 NASCAR Xfinity Series career 100 races run over 10 years Car no., team No. 98 ( Biagi - DenBeste Racing ) 2015 position 92nd Best finish 4th ( 2011 ) First race 2006 Circuit City 250 ( Richmond ) Last race 2017 Food City 300 ( Bristol ) First win 2007 AT&T 250 ( Milwaukee ) Last win 2017 Sparks Energy 300 ( Talladega ) Wins Top tens Poles 37 5 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career 78 races run over 8 years Best finish 2nd ( 2010 ) First race 2005 O'Reilly 200 ( Memphis ) Last race 2012 WinStar World Casino 350K ( Texas ) First win 2010 Dover 200 ( Dover ) Last win 2010 VFW 200 ( Michigan ) Wins Top tens Poles 38 0 Statistics current as of September 24, 2017. Aric A. Almirola ( born March 14, 1984 ) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently drives the No. 43 Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He also drives the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Biagi - DenBeste Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a part - time basis. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida to work on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to pursue a career in racing. He is nicknamed `` The Cuban Missile '' due to his Cuban heritage. Contents 1 Racing career 1.1 Early career 1.2 NASCAR 1.2. 1 2006 -- 07 1.2. 2 2008 -- 09 1.2. 3 2010 -- 2012 : Resurgence in Truck and Nationwide 1.2. 4 2012 -- 2013 : Return to Cup in the 43 1.2. 5 2014 to present : Chase contender 2 Personal life 3 Motorsports career results 3.1 NASCAR 3.1. 1 Monster Energy Cup Series 3.1. 1.1 Daytona 500 3.1. 2 Xfinity Series 3.1. 3 Camping World Truck Series 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Racing career Early career Almirola was born on Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, of Cuban descent. He began racing go - karts when he was eight years old. At 14, he began racing nationally. He won the pole position in his debut in the World Karting Association race and finished fourth in the standings that year. Two years later, he moved up into modifieds and won several Rookie of the Year awards. NASCAR In 2002, Almirola moved to the NASCAR Sun Belt Weekly Racing Division and finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings. He followed that up with five pole positions in 2003. In 2004, he became one of the first drivers to participate in NASCAR 's Drive for Diversity program. He also signed with Joe Gibbs Racing as a development driver under a partnership with former NFL player Reggie White. Almirola ran the season at Ace Speedway, and won two races before finishing 11th in the points standings. He won five more races at the track in 2005, and made his Truck Series debut with Morgan - Dollar Motorsports and had two top - tens in four races. 2006 -- 07 For 2006, Almirola drove the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevy for Spears Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, as part of the JGR development program. He started every race and had three top - ten finishes, including a best finish of ninth, ending the season 18th. That season, he also drove nine races in the Busch Series for Gibbs in the No. 19 Husqvarna / Banquet Foods Chevrolet Monte Carlo. His best finish was an eleventh at Dover International Speedway. He also served as a test driver for Gibbs teammates J.J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin when their Nextel Cup and Busch Series schedules conflicted. He also scored his first career pole at the Milwaukee Mile, qualifying the No. 20 car for Denny Hamlin, who competed in the race. Almirola moved up to the Busch series on a regular basis in 2007, driving the No. 18 and No. 20 Chevys for Joe Gibbs, driving each car in ten races apiece. He won his second career pole award for the Orbitz 300 at Daytona. He won the pole again, for the second straight year, at the Milwaukee Mile, but thought he was going to give up driving duties to Hamlin again ; Hamlin 's helicopter was unable to land in time for Hamilin to make it to the track, so Almirola started the race, leading the first 43 laps of the race. On lap 59, during a caution period, because of sponsor commitments, Hamlin took over for Almirola while he was running in the third place. Hamlin went on to win the race, but Almirola was credited with his first NASCAR Busch Series win because he was the driver who started the race. Almirola did not participate in team victory celebrations after the race as he had already left the track. He asked for, and was granted, his release from Joe Gibbs Racing a month later. He soon joined Dale Earnhardt, Inc. following the sale of Ginn Racing. He drove the No. 01 Chevrolet in five races in 2007, and had a best finish of thirtieth. 2008 -- 09 Almirola 's No. 8 Cup car in 2009 Almirola 's No. 40 Nationwide car in 2009 Almirola was named co-driver of the No. 8 United States Army Chevrolet for the 2008 Sprint Cup Series, sharing the ride with Mark Martin. His best finish during the season was an 8th - place finish in the 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol, and his best start in Sprint Cup was a 3rd place start at the 2008 Goody 's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville. Almirola was named the full - time driver of the No. 8 for the 2009 season. Seven races into the 2009 season, Almirola lost his ride to a lack of sponsorship and horrendous performance. He later signed a five - race deal with Key Motorsports to drive their No. 40 Chevrolet Impala SS in the Nationwide Series. He returned to the Truck Series, driving part - time in the No. 15 Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra for Billy Ballew Motorsports, and had a seven - race streak of finishes eighth or better. He also made one attempt and one race in the No. 09 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series. In October 2009, he filed paperwork in North Carolina Superior Court indicating that he has a breach - of - contract dispute with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. Almirola, competed in seven Sprint Cup races in 2009 for the team before his No. 8 Chevy car was parked because of a lack of sponsorship, filed the notice in the Charlotte court. The lawsuit was dropped a month later after being settled out of court. 2010 -- 2012 : resurgence in Truck and Nationwide Almirola 's No. 88 Nationwide car in 2011 For 2010, he was to drive full - time for Phoenix Racing 's No. 09 Cup series Chevrolet Impala. He also drove the No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals / AK Awareness Toyota Tundra for Billy Ballew in the Camping World Truck Series. In April, Almirola parted ways with Phoenix Racing to focus on his Truck Series ride. Almirola attempted the Aarons 499 at Talladega in No. 35 Tommy Baldwin Racing / Mohawk Chevrolet but failed to qualify after qualifying was rained out by NASCAR. Almirola won his first race in the Camping World Truck Series at Dover International Speedway and won again at Michigan International Speedway, holding off Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch. Almirola would finish second in points to Bodine. Hendrick Motorsports named Almirola a standby driver for the No. 48 team in case Jimmie Johnson needed to leave for the birth of his daughter. Almirola was not needed. In July 2010, Almirola was again a standby driver for Hendrick Motorsports at Pocono in case Jeff Gordon had to leave or miss the race due to the birth of Gordon 's son. At Loudon, he was standby for a sick Scott Speed. He drove the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford at Martinsville Speedway in Fall 2010 after Kasey Kahne was released from his contract. Almriola had his first Sprint Cup Top five finish at Homestead. In October at the truck race the Mountain Dew 250 he ended up in the closest finish in truck series history by ending up second to Kyle Busch in 0.002 of a second, who passed underneath Almirola below the yellow line. The 1 - 2 finish was the same as the previous race in 2009 but the finish was controversial because of the yellow line rules ( as NASCAR rules state that a driver must not advance his position by going below the yellow line even if he is forced down there ). But officials determined that Busch had the lead before going below the yellow line thus making Busch 's winning move legal. In 2011, Almirola drove the No. 88 Nationwide Series car for JR Motorsports. He won two poles and had 18 top - 10s to finish fourth in points. He was released from his contract after the season when he accepted a full - time Sprint Cup ride, driving for Richard Petty Motorsports in the No. 43 Ford. 2012 -- 2013 : return to Cup in the 43 Almirola 's 2013 Sprint Cup car, in the same Air Force scheme he took to victory lane at Daytona in 2014 After only running one year 's worth of Sprint Cup Series races in his career, Richard Petty Motorsports signed Almirola to a one - year contract, replacing the departing A.J. Allmendinger in the legendary 43 car. Almirola earned a Pole start at Charlotte in May, and collected one top 5 and 4 top 10 's en route to a 20th - place finish in points. Aric 's best run of the year may have been at Kansas in October, where he qualified fifth and lead 69 laps after taking the top spot on lap 6. But on lap 121, Almirola blew a tire, sending his Farmland Ford into the wall. He spun on lap 172 racing for the lead and lost a lap on pit road. After getting his lap back and working his way up to 13th, Almirola hit the wall once again, setting the front of the car ablaze and ending the promising run. Almirola also returned to the Truck Series in 2012 on a part - time basis driving for his old crew chief Richie Wauters ' No. 5 Ford. In 2013 Almirola returned to Richard Petty Motorsports ' No. 43 in the Sprint Cup Series ; at Martinsville Speedway in October, the team ran the No. 41 to honor Maurice Petty 's induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. During the 2013 season from Martinsville to Darlington, he had the most consecutive Top 10s in the 43 car since Bobby Hamilton in 1996. After being fastest in practice in Talladega, his crew chief Todd Parrott was suspended for violating NASCAR 's substance abuse policy. Almirola finished a career high 18th in points. In 2014, he will receive crew chief Trent Owens who is Richard Petty 's nephew. 2014 to present : Chase contender In January 2014, RPM announced a three - year contract extension with Almirola after working on one year deals the previous two seasons. This coincided with sponsor Smithfield Foods stepping up to fund 29 races in each the next three seasons with brands Smithfield, Farmland, Eckrich, and Gwaltney. Almirola had a rather slow start to 2014, being involved in a 12 car wreck in the 2014 Daytona 500. At Bristol, Almirola posted his best career finish to date of 3rd, only behind winner Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The next week at Auto Club Speedway during the 2014 Auto Club 400, Almirola got involved in an accident with NNS nemesis Brian Scott. Almirola made a pass on Scott for 4th place. Scott controversially moved into the back of Almirola to wreck himself and Almirola. In a post-race interview, an angry Almirola retorted `` The 33 was obviously a dart without feathers and coming across the race track. He ran right into me. Man, he came from all the way at the bottom of the race track and ran into me. He 's not even racing this series for points. He 's out there having fun because his daddy gets to pay for it and he wrecked us. That 's frustrating. '' At the 2014 Coke Zero 400, Almirola would earn his first career win in the Sprint Cup Series after avoiding two major wrecks, and leading the field when the race was called off after 112 laps due to rain. His win also marked the first victory by the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 since 1999, and 30 years to the day Richard Petty won his 200th race. On his big victory Almirola said `` The good Lord was watching out for us today and we were meant to win. It 's real special for me to win here. This is not only the 30th anniversary of this team 's last win at Daytona, it is my hometown and I remember growing up watching Daytona 500s and Firecracker 400s here. To win is real special. '' Despite only scoring better than 20th only four times in the next few races, Almirola 's win clinched a berth in the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup, his first Chase appearance and the first for a Cuban driver. Almirola was eliminated from the championship chase after round 1 of the Chase. Almirola had a more successful year in 2015 despite missing the Chase barely. He had only 6 Top 10 's but he was mainly in the Top 15 and was consistent all year long. he barely missed the chase by almost winning the Fall Richmond race with a strategy call and finished 4th. He finished 17th in the standings, the highest for a non-chaser. He returned to the No. 43 in 2016 with ironically Brian Scott as his new teammate. In July 2016, Almirola, in the No. 98 car, won the Xfinity Series race at Daytona, for his first Xfinity Series win since 2007. He barely beat Justin Allgaier by 0.003 seconds to win the race. A final lap caution came out, with Almirola being declared the winner on review. In victory lane, an ecstatic Almirola said that he considered the race to be his first Xfinity Series win as he had won the 2007 Milwaukee race while Denny Hamlin drove 75 % of the race. Almirola had a dismal 2016 season with just only collecting a top ten finish. Almirola started the 2017 season without a teammate, and finished 4th at the 2017 Daytona 500. Almirola was hit with a 35 point penalty loss after the Talladega race. During the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 13, Almirola was involved in a violent crash along with Joey Logano and Danica Patrick. After Logano 's brake rotor exploded, he collided with Patrick, sending both straight into the wall. Almirola attempted to avoid the wreck, but instead slammed into Logano. Although he was conscious, Almirola was cut out of his car, placed onto a stretcher and airlifted to the University of Kansas Hospital. Almirola was diagnosed with a compression fracture of his T5 vertebrae, released from the University of Kansas Hospital after overnight observation and will travel back to North Carolina, where he will have a follow - up consultation with his doctors in Charlotte. Almirola was also reported to have the ability to walk the day after his violent wreck. He expected to miss 8 -- 12 weeks. He was replaced by Regan Smith for the Monster Energy Open, which led up to the Monster Energy NASCAR All - Star Race the Coca - Cola 600, and the AAA 400 Drive for Autism. Darrell Wallace Jr. and Billy Johnson also substituted for Almirola. On June 29, Almirola stated he would undergo track tests in Charlotte or Darlington before being medically cleared to race in low - banking tracks like Indianapolis or New Hampshire to decrease stress on his back. On July 12, he announced he had been cleared to return to racing at Loudon 's Overton 's 301. Personal life Aric Almirola was born as the youngest of four boys at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and raised in Tampa. His family members are Cuban and Almirola is a US citizen. His grandfather Sam Rodriguez was a dirt sprint car driver. Almirola is married to Janice Almirola, with whom he has two children : a son named Alex ( born September 2012 ) and a daughter named Abby ( born November 2013 ). Almirola is a Christian ; in victory lane at Daytona in 2014 he praised God and said `` The good Lord was looking out for me today as He always does. '' Motorsports career results NASCAR ( key ) ( Bold -- Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics -- Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * -- Most laps led. ) Monster Energy Cup Series Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 MENCC Pts 2007 Joe Gibbs Racing 80 Chevy DAY CAL LVS 41 ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN MCH BRI CAL 52nd 357 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 01 Chevy RCH 36 NHA 31 DOV KAN TAL 30 CLT MAR 43 ATL TEX PHO 26 HOM 2008 8 DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI 8 MAR 42 TEX PHO TAL 33 RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON 25 NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN 35 MCH BRI 13 CAL 30 RCH NHA 18 DOV KAN TAL 13 CLT MAR 20 ATL TEX PHO HOM 35 42nd 1075 2009 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing DAY 30 CAL 35 LVS 39 ATL 21 BRI 35 MAR 37 TEX 33 PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN MCH 46th 527 Phoenix Racing 09 Dodge BRI DNQ ATL RCH NHA 29 DOV KAN CAL CLT MAR TAL TEX PHO HOM Chevy DAY DNQ CAL 43 LVS 43 ATL DNQ BRI 39 MAR 41 PHO DNQ TEX 48th 704 Tommy Baldwin Racing 35 Chevy TAL DNQ RCH DAR DOV CLT POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN MCH BRI ATL RCH NHA DOV KAN CAL CLT Richard Petty Motorsports 9 Ford MAR 21 TAL 20 TEX 21 PHO 27 HOM 2012 Richard Petty Motorsports 43 Ford DAY 33 PHO 12 LVS 24 BRI 19 CAL 25 MAR 8 TEX 22 KAN 23 RCH 26 TAL 12 DAR 19 CLT 16 DOV 6 POC 28 MCH 17 SON 28 KEN 26 DAY 19 NHA 28 IND 19 POC 19 GLN 18 MCH 20 BRI 35 ATL 32 RCH 26 CHI 17 NHA 23 DOV 19 TAL 19 CLT 12 KAN 29 MAR TEX 15 PHO 16 HOM 7 20th 868 2013 DAY 13 PHO 15 LVS 16 BRI 37 CAL 14 MAR 20 TEX 7 KAN 8 RCH 8 TAL 10 DAR 20 CLT 33 DOV 18 POC 21 MCH 17 SON 20 KEN 15 DAY 38 NHA 5 IND 17 POC 20 GLN 37 MCH 18 BRI 15 ATL 20 RCH 20 CHI 13 NHA 21 DOV 22 KAN 10 CLT 23 TAL 22 TEX 27 PHO 19 HOM 16 18th 913 41 MAR 20 2014 43 DAY 39 PHO 15 LVS 25 BRI CAL 43 MAR 8 TEX 12 DAR 24 RCH 17 TAL 13 KAN 8 CLT 11 DOV 12 POC 22 MCH 31 SON 23 KEN 39 DAY NHA 23 IND 21 POC 35 GLN 18 MCH 20 BRI 41 ATL 9 RCH 10 CHI 41 NHA 6 DOV 28 KAN 31 CLT 22 TAL 39 MAR 21 TEX 24 PHO 18 HOM 19 16th 2195 2015 DAY 15 ATL 11 LVS 26 PHO 19 CAL 11 MAR 12 TEX 19 BRI 13 RCH 20 TAL 15 KAN 11 CLT 17 DOV 5 POC 43 MCH 22 SON 14 DAY 34 KEN 12 NHA 15 IND 38 POC 18 GLN 16 MCH 14 BRI 17 DAR 11 RCH CHI 10 NHA 43 DOV 5 CLT 10 KAN 24 TAL 16 MAR 16 TEX 18 PHO 10 HOM 41 17th 940 2016 DAY 12 ATL 15 LVS 24 PHO 13 CAL 21 MAR 40 TEX 24 BRI 34 RCH 21 TAL 27 KAN 18 DOV 31 CLT 26 POC 20 MCH 26 SON 27 DAY 15 KEN 20 NHA 19 IND 25 POC 39 GLN 27 BRI 14 MCH 24 DAR 32 RCH 17 CHI 32 NHA 17 DOV 16 CLT 15 KAN 40 TAL 8 MAR 15 TEX 22 PHO 22 HOM 40 26th 638 2017 DAY ATL 27 LVS 14 PHO 17 CAL 19 MAR 18 TEX 18 BRI 22 RCH 9 TAL KAN 38 CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY KEN NHA 24 IND 13 POC 38 GLN 21 MCH 12 BRI 37 DAR 20 RCH 17 CHI 24 NHA 26 DOV CLT TAL KAN MAR TEX PHO HOM - * - * Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 2009 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 11 30 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet DNQ 2012 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 27 33 2013 26 13 2014 13 39 2015 33 15 2016 34 12 2017 13 Xfinity Series NASCAR Xfinity Series results Year Team No. Make 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 NXSC Pts 2005 Joe Gibbs Racing 20 Chevy DAY CAL MXC LVS ATL NSH BRI TEX PHO TAL DAR RCH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA PPR GTY IRP GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM QL TEX PHO HOM NA - 2006 19 DAY CAL MXC LVS ATL BRI TEX NSH PHO TAL RCH 32 DAR CLT DOV 11 NSH KEN IRP 38 GLN MCH 27 BRI 20 CAL RCH 18 DOV KAN 39 CLT 15 MEM TEX PHO 13 HOM 44th 973 20 MLW QL DAY CHI NHA MAR QL GTY 2007 18 DAY 19 CAL MXC LVS ATL 27 PHO 43 DAR 41 CLT 14 DOV CHI 38 GTY CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM 18 29th 1959 20 BRI 32 NSH 19 TEX TAL 20 RCH NSH 10 KEN 6 MLW NHA DAY 28 IRP 6 CGV 11 GLN MCH BRI 10 CAL RCH DOV KAN 2009 Key Motorsports 40 Chevy DAY CAL LVS BRI TEX NSH PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW 11 NHA DAY CHI GTY IRP 14 IOW 34 GLN MCH BRI CGV ATL RCH DOV KAN CAL 76th 394 Smith - Ganassi Racing 42 Dodge CLT 27 MEM TEX PHO HOM JR Motorsports 7 Chevy DAY CAL LVS BRI NSH PHO TEX TAL RCH DAR DOV CLT NSH KEN ROA NHA DAY CHI GTY IRP IOW GLN MCH BRI CGV ATL KAN 22 CAL 6 CLT 8 GTY TEX 16 PHO 6 HOM 32 44th 1021 88 RCH 11 DOV 2011 DAY 19 PHO 13 LVS 15 BRI 10 CAL 9 TEX 12 TAL 8 NSH 10 RCH 14 DAR 28 DOV 9 IOW 17 CLT 9 CHI MCH 15 ROA 22 DAY 9 KEN 20 NHA 5 NSH 5 IRP IOW 5 GLN 8 CGV 20 BRI 5 ATL 8 RCH 7 CHI DOV 15 KAN 12 CLT 15 TEX 19 PHO 25 HOM 8 4th 1095 2013 Richard Petty Motorsports 43 Ford DAY PHO 9 LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR CLT DOV IOW MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV KAN CLT TEX PHO HOM 111th 0 2014 Biagi - DenBeste Racing 98 Ford DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX DAR RCH TAL IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ATL RCH CHI 14 KEN DOV 13 KAN CLT TEX PHO HOM 99th 0 2015 DAY 7 ATL LVS 11 PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH 15 TAL 10 IOW CLT 19 DOV MCH 8 CHI DAY 35 KEN NHA IND 14 IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 12 93rd 0 2016 DAY 11 ATL LVS 12 PHO CAL 11 TEX 17 BRI 10 RCH TAL 10 DOV CLT POC 11 MCH IOW DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO 12 HOM 10 92nd 0 2017 DAY 23 ATL 19 LVS 17 PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL CLT DOV POC MCH IOW DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI 38 ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM - * 0 * - Qualified for Denny Hamlin Camping World Truck Series NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 NCWSC Pts 2005 Morgan - Dollar Motorsports 47 Chevy DAY CAL ATL MAR GTY MFD CLT DOV TEX MCH MLW KAN KEN MEM 30 IRP 10 NSH BRI RCH NHA 8 LVS MAR ATL TEX 34 PHO HOM 48th 410 2006 Spears Motorsports 75 Chevy DAY 32 CAL 21 ATL 18 MAR 18 GTY 10 CLT 9 MFD 30 DOV 12 TEX 32 MCH 36 MLW 13 KAN 18 KEN 22 MEM 18 IRP 21 NSH 22 BRI 32 NHA 29 LVS 10 TAL 22 MAR 16 ATL 30 TEX 20 PHO 22 HOM 23 18th 2471 2007 Billy Ballew Motorsports 51 Chevy DAY CAL ATL MAR KAN CLT MFD DOV TEX MCH MLW MEM 17 KEN IRP 61st 273 Morgan - Dollar Motorsports 47 Chevy NSH 23 BRI GTW NHA 32 LVS TAL MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 2008 46 DAY CAL ATL MAR KAN CLT MFD DOV TEX 17 MCH MLW MEM KEN IRP NSH BRI GTW NHA LVS TAL MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 78th 112 2009 Billy Ballew Motorsports 15 Toyota DAY CAL ATL MAR KAN CLT DOV TEX 16 MCH MLW 20 MEM KEN 5 IRP NSH BRI 6 CHI 8 IOW NHA 21 MAR 12 TAL TEX 14 PHO HOM 14 20th 2301 51 GTW LVS 8 DAY 12 ATL MAR 6 NSH 8 KAN 7 DOV CLT 7 TEX 12 MCH IOW 28 GTY 8 IRP 31 POC NSH DAR 9 BRI CHI 6 KEN NHA 8 LVS 6 MAR 5 TAL TEX 7 PHO 5 HOM 5 2nd 3730 2011 Vision Aviation Racing DAY 22 PHO DAR MAR NSH DOV CLT KAN TEX KEN IOW NSH IRP POC MCH BRI ATL CHI NHA KEN LVS TAL MAR TEX HOM 104th 0 2012 Wauters Motorsports 5 Ford DAY MAR CAR KAN CLT DOV TEX KEN IOW CHI POC MCH BRI ATL 5 IOW KEN LVS TAL 26 MAR TEX 9 PHO HOM 90th 0 * Season still in progress Ineligible for series points See also List of Cuban Americans List of NASCAR drivers List of people from Tampa, Florida Biography portal Florida portal NASCAR portal References Jump up ^ Fennelly, Martin ( February 25, 2012 ). `` Almirola keeping racing in the family ''. The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, FL. Retrieved 2016 - 01 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Almirola wins pole for Busch stop in Milwaukee ''. ESPN. June 24, 2006. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 02. ^ Jump up to : `` Hamlin takes checkered flag at Milwaukee, but Almirola wins ''. USA Today. June 23, 2007. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 02. Jump up ^ Aric Almriola in No. 8 full - time in 2009 Jump up ^ Almirola to attempt full season in No. 09 Jump up ^ Defending champ has baby backup plan Jump up ^ `` Kahne released from Richard Petty Motorsports ''. NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. October 20, 2010. Archived from the original on October 24, 2010. Jump up ^ Livingstone, Seth ( January 4, 2012 ). `` Aric Almirola to take over Allmendinger 's Cup ride at Petty ''. USA Today. Retrieved 2012 - 01 - 04. Jump up ^ Pearce, Al ( January 3, 2012 ). `` NASCAR : Richard Petty Motorsports signs Aric Almirola for 2012 season ''. autoweek.com. Autoweek, Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved 16 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` Kansas Race Report ''. aricalmirola.com. Kansas Speedway : Aric Almirola, Breaking Limits. October 22, 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2014. Jump up ^ Pockrass, Bob ( October 22, 2013 ). `` Petty to change 43 to 41 for Martinsville in honor of brother ''. Sporting News. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 28. Jump up ^ Ryan, Nate ( October 17, 2013 ). `` Crew chief Todd Parrott suspended indefinitely ''. USA Today. McLean, VA. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 17. Jump up ^ Pockrass, Bob ( January 15, 2014 ). `` Aric Almirola lands three - year deal with RPM, sponsor Smithfield ''. sportingnews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved 16 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` Aric Almirola wins Coke Zero 400 under red flag ''. USA Today. Retrieved 6 July 2014. Jump up ^ `` Aric Almirola Gets First Sprint Cup Series Victory In Rain Shortened Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway ''. Jump up ^ `` Aric Almirola alert, conscious after crash involving Joey Logano, Danica Patrick ''. ESPN. May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2017. Jump up ^ http://richardpettymotorsports.com/news/aric-almirola-released-from-kansas-hospital/ Jump up ^ Bruce, Kenny ( May 17, 2017 ). `` Regan Smith to sub for Aric Almirola in Monster Energy Open ''. NASCAR. Retrieved May 17, 2017. Jump up ^ Spencer, Lee ( June 5, 2017 ). `` Darrell Wallace Jr. to make NASCAR Cup debut in RPM 's iconic No. 43 ''. Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved June 5, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Richard Petty Motorsports secures road course ringer in No. 43 for Sonoma ''. NASCAR. June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017. Jump up ^ NASCAR ( 2017 - 06 - 29 ), Aric Almirola gives update on recovery, when he may return, retrieved 2017 - 06 - 30 Jump up ^ Weaver, Matt ( July 12, 2017 ). `` Aric Almirola set for NASCAR return at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ''. Autoweek. Retrieved July 12, 2017. Jump up ^ See how some NASCAR drivers celebrated Thanksgiving NASCAR.com Jump up ^ Daytona 's demolition derby clears the way for Almirola Columbia Daily Herald External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aric Almirola. Official website Aric Almirola driver statistics at Racing - Reference Richard Petty Motorsports Personnel Richard Petty Andrew M. Murstein Lisa Brown Robbie Loomis Sammy Johns Brian Moffitt Robert Miller Former personnel George N. Gillett Jr. Ray Evernham Douglas G. Bergeron Philippe Lopez Partnerships and affiliations Roush Fenway Racing Roush - Yates Engines Biagi - DenBeste Racing Race drivers Monster Energy Cup Series ( 43 ) Aric Almirola / Regan Smith / Darrell Wallace Jr. / Billy Johnson Crew chiefs Cup Series ( 43 ) Drew Blickensderfer Development drivers Ryan Truex Former drivers Richard Petty Motorsports A.J. Allmendinger Marcos Ambrose Dakoda Armstrong Michael Annett Jeb Burton Sam Hornish Jr. Kasey Kahne Corey LaJoie Paul Menard Elliott Sadler Brian Scott Reed Sorenson Evernham Motorsports / Gillette Evernham Motorsports Casey Atwood Patrick Carpentier Erin Crocker Bill Elliott Jeremy Mayfield Kasey Kahne Elliott Sadler Petty Enterprises John Andretti Buddy Baker Rich Bickle Rodney Combs Carlos Contreras Wally Dallenbach Jr. Christian Fittipaldi Jeff Green Steve Grissom Bobby Hamilton Pete Hamilton Jimmy Hensley Buckshot Jones Bobby Labonte Jerry Nadeau Jim Paschal Adam Petty Kyle Petty Lee Petty Maurice Petty Richard Petty Rick Wilson NASCAR Triple Threats ( Race Wins In All Three Major Series ) Dates listed are when the driver accomplished the `` Triple Threat '' 1990s Ken Schrader ( April 15, 1995 ) Terry Labonte ( September 7, 1995 ) Mark Martin ( September 28, 1996 ) 2000s Bobby Hamilton ( April 10, 2000 ) Kevin Harvick ( November 8, 2002 ) Greg Biffle ( July 5, 2003 ) Jimmy Spencer ( September 13, 2003 ) Jamie McMurray ( October 23, 2004 ) Tony Stewart ( February 19, 2005 ) Steve Park ( February 25, 2005 ) Carl Edwards ( March 20, 2005 ) Bobby Labonte ( April 9, 2005 ) Kasey Kahne ( May 14, 2005 ) Kyle Busch ( September 4, 2005 ) Ricky Craven ( October 22, 2005 ) Kurt Busch ( April 8, 2006 ) Johnny Benson Jr. ( June 17, 2006 ) Clint Bowyer ( September 16, 2007 ) Ryan Newman ( October 25, 2008 ) David Reutimann ( May 25, 2009 ) 2010s Elliott Sadler ( July 31, 2010 ) Michael Waltrip ( February 18, 2011 ) Denny Hamlin ( October 29, 2011 ) Aric Almirola ( July 6, 2014 ) Brad Keselowski ( August 21, 2014 ) Joey Logano ( March 28, 2015 ) Kyle Larson ( August 28, 2016 ) Austin Dillon ( May 28, 2017 ) Ryan Blaney ( June 11, 2017 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aric_Almirola&oldid=802255482 '' Categories : Living people 1984 births People from Fort Walton Beach, Florida Racing drivers from Florida NASCAR drivers ARCA Racing Series drivers World Karting Association drivers University of Central Florida alumni Sportspeople from Tampa, Florida American sportspeople of Cuban descent 20th - century American racing drivers 21st - century American racing drivers Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Français Bahasa Indonesia Português Edit links This page was last edited on 25 September 2017, at 00 : 08. 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Question: who drives the number 43 car in nascar
Answer: Aric A. Almirola