A regular on the NASCAR Cup Series, Aric Almirola yearned for stronger machines to drive. The veteran driver decided to return to the Xfinity Series full-time and compete with the well-established Joe Gibbs Racing garage.
It didn’t take him long to re-discover Victory Lane.
In his fourth circuit event this season, Almirola claimed Saturday night’s DUDE Wipes 250 at Martinsville Speedway. He led 148 of 251 laps and outdueled Sam Mayer and teammate Chandler Smith to earn a $100,000 bonus for winning the first Dash 4 Cash.
“This is incredibly gratifying,” Almirola said, as reported by NASCAR.com. “This is exactly what I signed up for.”
In four starts with JGR, Almirola has collected one win and two top-five finishes, compiling a series-high 243 laps led, one more than Smith who has competed in three more circuit events.
Entering Sunday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, Smith paces the regular-season standings with 302 points, 35 more than Cole Custer.
“I absolutely love to drive race cars, and it’s way more fun when you drive competitive race cars,” Almirola said.
Special delivery headed back to NC. Let’s gooooo @JoeGibbsRacing @Aric_Almirola 🕰️ 🏁 pic.twitter.com/HBFeJfTmP6
— Monon Rahman (@MononInc) April 7, 2024
NASCAR National Series Weekend Schedule
Here is a list of NASCAR national series events this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway (All Times ET):
Friday
- 4:05 p.m.: Truck Series practice
- 4:35 p.m.: Truck Series qualifying
- 6 p.m.: Xfinity Series practice
- 6:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series qualifying
- 8:30 p.m.: Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 race
Saturday
- 10:35 a.m.: Cup Series practice
- 11:20 a.m.: Cup Series qualifying
- 1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 race
Sunday
- 3:30 p.m.: Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 race
It’s gonna be a No Limits Saturday Night at Texas Motor Speedway😏 #KubotaHighLimitRacing | #AutotraderEchoPark400 pic.twitter.com/cNQGarSPVv
— Texas Motor Speedway (@TXMotorSpeedway) March 30, 2024
NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 Entry List
Entry, Driver, Team, Car No.
- 1, Cole Custer, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 00 Ford
- 2, Sam Mayer, JR Motorsports, No. 1 Chevrolet
- 3, Jesse Love, Richard Childress Racing, No. 2 Chevrolet
- 4, Dawson Cram, JD Motorsports, No. 4 Chevrolet
- 5, Anthony Alfredo, Our Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet
- 6, Garrett Smithley, JD Motorsports, No. 6 Chevrolet
- 7, Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports, No. 7 Chevrolet
- 8, Sammy Smith, JR Motorsports, No. 8 Chevrolet
- 9, Brandon Jones, JR Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
- 10, Daniel Dye, Kaulig Racing, No. 10 Chevrolet
- 11, Josh Williams, Kaulig Racing, No. 11 Chevrolet
- 12, Hailie Deegan, AM Racing, No. 15 Ford
- 13, AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing, No. 16 Chevrolet
- 14, Sheldon Creed, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 18 Toyota
- 15, Taylor Gray, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
- 16, Ryan Truex, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Toyota
- 17, Austin Hill, Richard Childress Racing, No. 21 Chevrolet
- 18, Corey Heim, Sam Hunt Racing, No. 26 Toyota
- 19, Jeb Burton, Jordan Anderson Racing, No. 27 Chevrolet
- 20, Kyle Sieg, RSS Racing, No. 28 Ford
- 21, Blaine Perkins, RSS Racing, No. 29 Ford
- 22, Parker Retzlaff, Jordan Anderson Racing, No. 31 Chevrolet
- 23, Joey Gase, Joey Gase Motorsports, No. 35 Toyota
- 24, Matt DiBenedetto, RSS Racing, No. 38 Ford
- 25, Ryan Sieg, RSS Racing, No. 39 Ford
- 26, Leland Honeyman Jr., Young’s Motorsports, No. 42 Chevrolet
- 27, Ryan Ellis, Alpha Prime Racing, No. 43 Chevrolet
- 28, Brennan Poole, Alpha Prime Racing, No. 44 Chevrolet
- 29, Parker Kligerman, Big Machine Racing, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 30, Jeremy Clements, Jeremy Clements Racing, No. 51 Chevrolet
- 31, Chad Finchum, Motorsports Business Management, No. 66 Ford
- 32, Chandler Smith, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 81 Toyota
- 33, Kyle Weatherman, DGM Racing, No. 91 Chevrolet
- 34, Josh Bilicki, DGM Racing, No. 92 Chevrolet
- 35, Shane van Gisbergen, Kaulig Racing, No. 97 Chevrolet
- 36, Riley Herbst, Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 98 Ford
- 37, Patrick Emerling, SS-Green Light Racing, No. 107 Chevrolet
- 38, David Starr, , SS-Green Light Racing, No. 114 Chevrolet
Victory tasted sweet as the checkered flag fell at the #AndysFrozenCustard300 last September🏁🍦
Who’s your pick to take the hardware home in this year’s Xfinity race?🏆 #AndysFrozenCustard300 pic.twitter.com/rk515VYT5j— Texas Motor Speedway (@TXMotorSpeedway) March 29, 2024
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