NASCAR Cup Series

Almirola will drive for JRM in 2011

Published Aug. 18, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Aric Almirola has signed a multi-year contract to drive the JR Motorsports No. 88 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry beginning in 2011, the team announced.

Almirola, 26, has 32 career starts in the series. While his full-time role begins next season, he could potentially drive in select races this year. Almirola is currently competing full time for Billy Ballew Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he is second in the standings.

“The chance to drive full time in the Nationwide Series with a top caliber team is something I am extremely excited about,” Almirola said. “I was at the shop yesterday, and (general manager) Kelley (Earnhardt) gathered all the employees around to announce our deal. The energy and excitement was addicting.

"We raced at (O'Reilly Raceway Park) together a month ago and had a really good run. There is no reason why we cannot compete like that every race, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be running for a championship. I would expect nothing less.”

Almirola is credited with a win in the Nationwide Series, but that came in a race that he started then Denny Hamlin finished when the two were sharing a Joe Gibbs Racing entry. He has seven top-10 finishes, three of them top fives, in the series. In the Truck series, he has a pair of wins with 26 top-10 finishes, 12 of them top fives, to his credit. Almirola has also run limited seasons in the Cup ranks, where he has 30 career starts.

“If there is a quintessential JR Motorsports driver, we feel it’s Aric Almirola,” Earnhardt said. “The way he drives, the ambition he carries, the way he represents himself on and off the track, it all fits within our company’s dynamics, our core objectives, and the values of our sponsorship partners."

Almirola is one of 10 drivers who has or will have raced the No. 88 Chevrolet at least once in 2010. Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 Realtree Outdoors Chevrolet at Bristol this Friday night in the Food City 250.