No. 19 He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra News and Notes
- ALMIROLA AT LAS VEGAS: Aric Almirola has made four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the most recent coming in March 2017. In those four starts, his best finish was an 11th-place run in 2015. His resume also includes 21 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile tri-oval where Almirola’s best finish was a pair of sixth-place runs (September 2018 and March 2022).
- RETURN TO JGR: Almirola broke into NASCAR national series competition as a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. He made his first start for the team in the Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway in May 2006. After two years, Almirola departed JGR to make the jump to Cup Series racing, where he has spent most of the past 16 years. This season, he returns to JGR for a part-time Xfinity Series schedule.
- CUP DEBUT: In March 2007, Las Vegas Motor Speedway was the site of Almirola’s NASCAR Cup Series debut driving the No. 80 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. That weekend, he started 31st and finished 41st after an accident ended his race prematurely.
- JGR AT LAS VEGAS: Joe Gibbs Racing owns three Xfinity Series wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 82 combined starts at the track, the organization has posted 25 top-five finishes, 46 top-10s, four pole awards, and 1,118 laps led. Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs have both driven JGR Toyotas to victory lane at the 1.5-mile track.
- TUNE IN: Coverage of this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, March 2, at 5 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, PRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 19 He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra
Talk about getting back in a racecar for the first time this year…
“I am so excited to not be a spectator this weekend. I watched the Clash; I was little fidgety. I watched the Daytona 500 from up on top of a pit box; I was really fidgety. Then, I watched the Atlanta race, and I was like ‘Man, I’m ready to go race!’. I get to go race in Las Vegas with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series, so I’m really excited about that. It has been so enjoyable to get together with all the employees and to onboard at Joe Gibbs Racing with so many familiar faces from when I was there almost 20 years ago. And then to get acclimated with Toyota and everybody at TRD; they’ve been phenomenal to work with. And to represent He Gets Us; I’m really excited about that partnership and I’m going to run eight races with them starting this weekend in Las Vegas.”
What is your role as a mentor for the young drivers at Joe Gibbs Racing?
“It has been so rewarding to help these guys. I’m not trying to teach them how to drive a racecar. They already know how to drive a racecar. They’re all successful in their own right and they’ve all gotten to where they’re at now because of the success they’ve had along the way. So, I’m not teaching them how to drive a racecar. I’m just trying to help them understand the behind-the-scenes stuff, how to prepare, the work ethic, what to look at, and sometimes I’m just a voice of reason when we talk about things. It has been a lot of fun to be able to help these guys so far this year.”
JGR PR
