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Aric Almirola's 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season has gotten off to a terrible start and it continued on Sunday (March 19) at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski are old friends. They have been friends for a long time and were colleagues at Team Penske for nine years. Penske has been Logano's team since 2013 and was Keselowski's team from 2009 to 21 before he became a part owner of RFK Racing.
Each knows exactly what the other is going to do before they do it. Nowhere is this clearer than at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a superspeedway-like oval that hosted Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race. It also happens to be a circuit layout where Logano and Keselowski's abilities shine brightly.
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While leading Ambetter Health 400, Aric Almirola's No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang had a right-rear tire rupture. It led to him turning around rapidly and in front of the vast pack of cars behind him.
The mishap engulfed Kyle Larson, who was racing second, as well as Tyler Reddick, Justin Haley, and Daniel Suarez, causing varying degrees of damage to their individual entries.
Larson and Aric Almirola took the most damage in the crash, forcing both drivers to retire from the race after receiving post-race penalties in Phoenix. The former finished outside the top 30 while the latter finished 30th.
During the post-race interview, Aric Almirola spoke to Fox's Pockrass about his sudden tire failure.
"Just baffled to end our day like that. It's really disappointing..."
Kyle Larson expresses his displeasure at his collision with Aric Almirola
It's difficult to blame Kyle Larson for his recent foul temper. The first two races of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season have been a rollercoaster ride, with two DNFs and two top-five finishes. The 2021 champion was in contention late on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway until he wasn't.
The Chevrolets have dominated this year, winning the first four races, and many expected the trend to continue in Atlanta. Following qualifying, it was evident that the Fords were quick, with blue ovals filling the top eight places.
The track's aggressiveness and activity increased in the third stage. Larson was one of the movers, climbing into the top 10 midway through the stage. Nevertheless, on Lap 53, the HMS vehicle, which was running second, became involved in Aric Almirola's crash. The No. 10 car, which was leading the race, burst a tire and collided with the wall.
The HMS driver met with the media a few minutes after the normal visit to the infield care center to discuss the incident that ended his day.
"Yeah, it was extremely boring until the third stage, and then, for whatever reason seemed like the bottom lane was starting to make headway,” he said to Bob Pockrass.
