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Stewart-Haas Racing team driver Aric Almirola, who finished 23rd at last week’s Bristol Motor Speedway, is hoping to win next weekend’s GEICO 500 with a new livery.
The IHOP will be a co-primary sponsor and will adorn the No. 10 Smithfield Ford this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway with a specialty paint scheme.
NASCAR underwent a drastic surface change from the half-mile dirt track to the largest asphalt track in Talladega.
The driver of No. 10 Ford Mustang has already shown great performances in the Next Gen car at Superspeedway this season. In the season-opening Daytona 500, Almirola had a strong run and crossed the finish line in fifth place.
Last month, at the newly paved and reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway, which now races like a superspeedway where Almirola led six laps before he was spun and as a result, he finished 22nd.
See the tweet below:
“I'm not a big bitcoin guy... but I can get behind some PanCoins. This paint scheme is slick though. Lookin' forward to crossing the finish line first in it... and not facing backward this time”
Last year at the 2.66-mile-long Talladega Superspeedway, Almirola finished third and tied the record of eight consecutive Talladega top-10s set by semi-retired Dale Earnhardt Jr., from April 2001 to October 2004.
“We’re as confident this year as ever” - Aric Almirola
Aric Almirola had experience running on superspeedway tracks like Daytona and Atlanta before heading to Talladega Superspeedway. In an interaction with the media, speaking about Talladega, Almirola said:
“We’re as confident this year as ever. We’ve run up front at Daytona and Atlanta this year. We had a shot at the Daytona 500 win at the end there, and we were in a position to race for a win at Atlanta before we were taken out toward the end. If we can continue to avoid the inevitable wrecks, we’ll be there again. I have no doubt about that.”
With 237 points, the Florida native stands in 12th place in the latest release of the Cup Series points table.
Almirola, who is searching for his first win of the season, will look to get back on track when the green-flag drops on Sunday at 3 p.m. EST.
