Almirola to drive No. 01 during Cup race at Bristol
August 21, 2007
11:28 AM EDT
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Aric Almirola will make his debut in the No. 01 Chevrolet in Saturday night's Nextel Cup race at Bristol. It will be the second Cup start for Almirola -- and his first with Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Almirola, 23, will share the No. 01 with veteran Mark Martin in selected races of the current season and also during the 2008 campaign.
Aric Almirola"In less than a week, I went from Joe Gibbs Racing to Ginn Racing to DEI," Almirola said. "Everything is great and I'm excited to get strapped into the Army Chevy and do battle at Bristol. It's an awesome track and it's important for me to show our soldiers and DEI that I am capable of doing a good job for them."
Bristol's famed half-mile bullring, which usually produces more sheet metal carnage than any other track on the NASCAR circuit, is obviously not the ideal place for making a driving debut.
"I might be a Cup rookie, but I know all about the pitfalls of the Bristol track," saidd Almirola, who has competed in two previous Busch races at Bristol. "It's a demanding track, but luck is also a big factor there. I don't plan on finishing with a clean car, but I do plan on finishing all the laps. My goal is to be competitive and run strong."
Almirola also is scheduled to compete in Friday night's Busch race at Bristol for JGR. In his two previous Busch races at the high-banked short track -- August 2006 and March 2007 -- he qualified 15th in both events. He finished 20th in last year's race and was involved in an accident in the March race.
"I don't have a lot of experience at Bristol, but I have had enough to know that you have to be patient and totally focused," Almirola said. "It's a demanding track and you can't ever let your guard down."
August 21, 2007
11:28 AM EDT
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Aric Almirola will make his debut in the No. 01 Chevrolet in Saturday night's Nextel Cup race at Bristol. It will be the second Cup start for Almirola -- and his first with Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Almirola, 23, will share the No. 01 with veteran Mark Martin in selected races of the current season and also during the 2008 campaign.
Aric Almirola"In less than a week, I went from Joe Gibbs Racing to Ginn Racing to DEI," Almirola said. "Everything is great and I'm excited to get strapped into the Army Chevy and do battle at Bristol. It's an awesome track and it's important for me to show our soldiers and DEI that I am capable of doing a good job for them."
Bristol's famed half-mile bullring, which usually produces more sheet metal carnage than any other track on the NASCAR circuit, is obviously not the ideal place for making a driving debut.
"I might be a Cup rookie, but I know all about the pitfalls of the Bristol track," saidd Almirola, who has competed in two previous Busch races at Bristol. "It's a demanding track, but luck is also a big factor there. I don't plan on finishing with a clean car, but I do plan on finishing all the laps. My goal is to be competitive and run strong."
Almirola also is scheduled to compete in Friday night's Busch race at Bristol for JGR. In his two previous Busch races at the high-banked short track -- August 2006 and March 2007 -- he qualified 15th in both events. He finished 20th in last year's race and was involved in an accident in the March race.
"I don't have a lot of experience at Bristol, but I have had enough to know that you have to be patient and totally focused," Almirola said. "It's a demanding track and you can't ever let your guard down."