No. 10 Smithfield Ford Racing: Aric Almirola Texas All-Star Advance

Notes of Interest

●  In 20 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has five top-10s, one top-five finish, one pole, and has led 101 laps at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval in Fort Worth. Almirola finished runner-up there Nov. 3, 2019, behind teammate Kevin Harvick, who was vying for a championship.

●  17 drivers are automatically entered into the NASCAR All-Star Race. The criteria for eligibility include NASCAR Cup Series race winners in 2020-21 and fulltime drivers who are either past All-Star Race winners or past Cup Series champions.

●  Almirola and the remainder of the field will compete in the NASCAR Open qualifying race at 6 p.m. EDT live on FS1. The Open will be run in three segments — 20 laps, 20 laps and a 10-lap shootout — with segment winners and the overall winner advancing to the All-Star main event. 

●  The annual NASCAR All-Star Race will feature six rounds for a total of 100 laps. The starting lineup for Round 1 will be determined via random draw. Rounds 1 through 4 will be 15 laps each; Round 5 will be 30 laps; the Final Round will feature a 10-lap shootout. At the beginning of Round 2, the field will be inverted via random draw (minimum of eight/maximum of 12). Before the start of Round 3, the entire field will be inverted. At the beginning of Round 4, the field will be inverted via random draw (minimum of eight/maximum of 12). Starting positions for Round 5 will consist of the cumulative finish from Rounds 1 through 4. The lowest cumulative finisher starts on the pole, second-lowest starts second, and so forth. All cars must enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop during Round 5. The starting positions in the Final Round are set by finishing positions of Round 5. Only green-flag laps will count in the NASCAR All-Star Race. Additionally, the fastest team on pit road during the mandatory pit stop will earn $100,000. And, of course, the race winner will earn $1 million.

●  In Almirola’s last 10 starts at 1.5-mile tracks, he has earned two top-10 finishes and has led 36 laps. 

●  Career Stats: Almirola has career totals of two wins, two poles, 24 top-five finishes, 80 top-10s and 842 laps led in 368 NASCAR Cup Series starts.

●  Smithfield Foods celebrates 10 years of partnership with Almirola this season with a special campaign called Taste Victory.As one of the most active partners in NASCAR, Smithfield plans to engage fans all year long by hosting a microsite that provides the opportunity to win when Almirola wins or finishes inside the top-10. When Almirola wins, one fan wins $10,000, and 10 fans win a gift card for each top-10 finish. The microsite also doubles as an Aric Almirola fan page and entertainment source where fans can get behind the wheel of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford with a custom racing game, and learn more about Almirola with fast facts, favorite recipes and custom content about his life on and off the track. Visit www.tastevictory.com to learn more. Thanks to Almirola’s Feb. 11 win in his Duel qualifying race for the Daytona 500, one lucky fan has already won $10,000. 

●  Beyond the 10 YouTube Series: In 2021, Almirola continues to share his life beyond the No. 10 Smithfield Ford with season three of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and it gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.

●  After the season’s first 16 points-paying events, the Smithfield Ford team sits 28th in the championship with 205 points, 459 behind leader Denny Hamlin. 

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

What do you think about the All-Star Race format and racing at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend? 

“The All-Star Race is all about the fans and I hope this year’s format puts on a show for them. Last year at Bristol, we had to race our way in and we did. I always have Texas circled on the calendar as a track I look forward to going to because we have found some success there in the past. The random draw really shakes things up this year between rounds, so the best driver will have to be good in all aspects of the race – from the front and potentially from the rear. It’s always fun to incorporate the pit crews to showcase how good they really are, too. This weekend will be a must-see event, and winning a million bucks is a pretty sweet incentive to go all out.” 

What is the most difficult thing to get right or figure out at Texas Motor Speedway?

“I think the most difficult thing at Texas is that it’s repaved and they changed the banking in turns one and two, and it’s just the speed you carry through the banked corner of turns three and four, and then you have to get slowed down for the flat turns one and two. That has made it very challenging. Then, the exit of turn two is very flat, so you’re carrying some speed there and the car just doesn’t have a lot of grip because there isn’t any banking.” 

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