"It’s healthy for the sport" - Aric Almirola on the competition between playoff and non-playoff drivers in 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season

Aric Almirola feels that the competition between playoff and non-playoff drivers is healthy for NASCAR. He claimed that this makes it much more difficult for title contenders after the first three playoff races were won by three different non-playoff drivers.

Every race in the Round of 16 of the 2022 playoffs was unpredictable and filled with drama. Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace Jr., and Chris Buescher took the checkered flag at Darlington Raceway, Kansas Speedway, and Bristol Motor Speedway respectively, preventing playoff drivers from locking their place into the Round of 12 with a win.

Speaking about the competitiveness between the non-playoff and playoff drivers ahead of Sunday’s Texas race, Aric Almirola said that it is incredible to see this level of competition as it keeps drivers motivated knowing that any driver can win on any weekend. He later said that the remaining races in the 2022 playoffs suit the non-playoff drivers and that they are counting every race with a shot of victory.

Almirola said:

“It’s incredible to see this much competition. It keeps us motivated knowing that the best car and best driver can win on any given weekend. It’s healthy for the sport and makes it that much more difficult for the guys in the playoffs to race for a championship. The remaining races in the season suit us well, so we’re counting on having a shot at a win every weekend.”

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Aric Almirola excited going into the NASCAR Texas race this weekend

Going into the Lone-Star State, Aric Almirola stated that he is excited for this week’s Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway after finding good speed in the previous two races. He went on to say that earning a pole at Bristol Motor Speedway last week gave his #10 Stewart-Haas Racing team a lot of confidence after going through a disappointing 2022 season.

Almirola said:

“I’m really excited to see what we bring this weekend. We’ve tried some new setups and they’ve worked. At Kansas. I was able to pass a lot of cars from the back and it felt like we had really improved. Getting the pole at Bristol this past weekend gave this 10 team a lot of confidence after a tough year. Texas is a place where we have found a lot of speed, even outside of the playoffs. In 2019, we had a shot at the win in the closing laps. We’ll see what we have, but I feel good about it.”

Catch Aric Almirola at the Texas Motor Speedway this weekend to see how he and his #10 team perform this weekend.