NASCAR on TV this week

Aric Almirola: ‘I’ll Want This One Back For Sure’

Aric Almirola smiles in the garage area at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: NKP)

Aric Almirola knew this Daytona 500 was going to be different.

The 64th annual Great American Race may be his last, the three-time Cup Series race winner having announced his retirement from full-time NASCAR racing after what will be 11 complete seasons. Pre-race, he was soaking in every moment with family members, close sponsor representatives and others.

Post-race, he was wishing he had one more shot.

Xfinity Breakdown: Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. 300 Ends in a Big One

Welcome to the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season! NASCAR fans were treated to a great one on Saturday evening (Feb. 19) that ended with NXS rookie Austin Hill taking his first series victory at Daytona International Speedway.

It ended just about as “Daytona” as anybody could expect, with Anthony Alfredo (No. 23) getting into the right rear of Myatt Snider, resulting in Snider’s No. 31 car getting turned on the last lap. Snider went end over end and caught air, which flung him into the catchfence on the backstretch. The engine was ejected during the crash, but Snider was able to walk out of the car afterward.

Stock Car Scoop: What Do We Know About the 2022 Daytona 500?

#21: Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford Mustang Motorcraft / Dex Imaging (NKP)

With the field splintering into small packs during the Daytona 500 qualifying races and the only major Duels incident on the final lap of the night, how much will the main event reflect the twin 150-mile races from Thursday? Were hosts Bryan Nolen and Adam Cheek surprised by Kaz Grala and Greg Biffle securing the final transfer spots among unchartered teams? And who has the edge among the top drivers entering Sunday’s Great American Race?

The duo discuss these topics and more in a pre-Daytona 500 edition of Stock Car Scoop.