Aric Almirola told reporters Saturday, Aug. 20 that he has not made a final decision about returning to the NASCAR Cup Series full time in 2023.
“Certainly have prayed a lot about it and continue to think about it and still don’t have a final decision,” Almirola said.
This comes after a report from Motorsport indicated he would return.
Aric Almirola says he has not yet agreed to return for next season to Stewart-Haas Racing and has not made a final decision: pic.twitter.com/cJFPxdg5q9
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 20, 2022
Almirola first announced in January that 2022 would be his final full-time season, but rumblings of him potentially returning have come in recent weeks.
The No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing driver has three career wins, including one last season, and has amassed 28 top fives and 91 top 10s in his career.
This year, Almirola has two top fives and seven top 10s and is ranked 16th in points.
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.
Thought he wanted to finally see his his kids grow up. Why does Smithfield like this guy like this guy so much ! Bet SHR really wants/needs that sponsorship lol
Yeah, that’s the only way this makes sense. It be different if he was contending for top tens and wins every week, so it must be the dollars he brings in. SHR had another driver a few years back that wasn’t even as good as Aric, but they brought in decent sponsorship dollars. I see a pattern here.