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According to Jim Utter of Motorsport, Aric Almirola has decided to return to Stewart-Haas Racing for 2023. The news reverses his plans to retire at the end of the 2022 season to continue driving the team's #10 Ford. The official report is expected to be announced in the next two weeks.
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In January, Aric Almirola announced his retirement from full-time racing at the end of the 2022 season, but rumors of a change in plans began to circulate as midseason approached. He stated at the time that he wanted to spend more time with his family, which included his wife Janice, son Alex, and daughter Abby.
According to another source, Smithfield Foods is also expected to remain as the #10's primary sponsor for what will now be his final season, where they have been Almirola's partners for the last decade. In 2012, he worked with Smithfield at Richard Petty Motorsports for his first full year in the Cup Series. The partnership between Smithfield and Almirola is the longest in NASCAR, and Almirola has represented Smithfield in the NASCAR playoffs every year since joining SHR in 2018.
Almirola's reported decision to continue his career rather than retire would remove Stewart-Haas' #10 from the pool of potential open Cup rides for 2023 and provide additional clarity on the organization's specific plans for 2023. Almirola's decision also eliminates the #10 as a 2023 option for Kyle Busch, who continues without a confirmed car in the Cup Series next season.
Earlier this week, Stewart-Haas competition director Greg Zipadelli mentioned that Cole Custer would continue to drive the team's #41, Ford, indicating that the team's priority was to resolve the situation involving Almirola and the #10 team.
Aric Almirola’s performance in NASCAR Cup Series
On March 11, 2007, three days before Aric Almirola’s 23rd birthday, he made his Cup Series debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His best seasons have come with SHR, finishing fifth in points in 2018 and earning a career-high 18 top-10 finishes in 2020.
Almirola is currently 16th in the driver standings points, with two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Currently, there are already 15 different winners, and he will need to win one of the final two races of the regular season, either this weekend at Watkins Glen International or next weekend at Daytona, to qualify for the playoffs this year.
Almirola has over 400 Cup Series starts under his belt, with three victories at Daytona in 2014, Talladega in 2018, and New Hampshire in 2021. He has won three Cup races, three Xfinity Series races, and two Truck Series races in his NASCAR career.
