“But I was told that Bubba Wallace literally killed him” - NASCAR fans breathe a sigh of relief after learning news of Aric Almirola's future

A NASCAR journalist has cleared the air amid rumors of Aric Almirola's full-time retirement from the sport. It was speculated that part-time Joe Gibbs Racing driver Almirola and Bubba Wallace had a physical altercation at the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) meeting which led to JGR cutting off Almirola from the team.

Since Aric Almirola's absence after the Darlington race, rumors began to spread like wildfire about his complete retirement from stock car racing.

However, NASCAR journalist Toby Christie recently clarified that Almirola would compete as a JGR driver at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 20. Christie on his X handle posted:

"I’ve seen a lot of speculation about Aric Almirola on social media, and have had several ask me for more info. I have confirmed with @JoeGibbsRacing that Almirola is very much still a JGR driver and is set to be in the car for the #NASCAR Xfinity race at Indianapolis."

Meanwhile, NASCAR fans on X were quick to give their opinions on the supposed Wallace-Almirola altercation and the uncertainty surrounding it.

"But I was told that Bubba literally killed him," they wrote.

Some fans were thankful to the journalist for clarifying the rumors and speculations.

"THANK YOU for putting this to rest. #NASCAR," a user said.

"Thank you for being a real journalist Toby" another user wrote.

"Wait, you tell me that Bubba and Aric fight was bull sh*t… surprised!" a fan said.

"This whole Aric Almirola - Bubba Wallace thing is fascinating; either the alleged fight did happen and several people who witnessed have leaked the details - or one person circulated this rumor and the rumor took off like wildfire," another fan wrote.

"The rumor I saw is bubba and aric fighting in a competition meeting doesn’t make sense. Why would bubba be in a competition meeting to xfinity," a fan remarked.

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A brief look at Aric Almirola's 2024 NASCAR Xfinity season

NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola announced his retirement at the end of 2023 after driving in the Cup Series full-time at Richard Petty Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing for 12 seasons.

Currently, Almirola drives part-time for JGR, piloting #19 and #20 Toyota. He secured his fifth Xfinity Series win at Martinsville Speedway earlier this season. The 40-year-old Almirola also has three top-5s and three top-10 finishes after competing in only five races for JGR this season.

The Florida native is set to start the Xfinity race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 20, piloting the #20 Toyota. This will be his second Xfinity start at Indianapolis. In his 460 starts in the Cup Series, Almirola has made nine appearances at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with his track-best finish of third place in 2020.