CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Richard Petty Motorsports announced Wednesday that Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran Regan Smith has been named driver of the No. 43 Smithfield Ford Fusion for the injured Aric Almirola for Saturday night’s Monster Energy Open at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Almirola suffered a compressive fracture of his T5 vertebrae following a freighting crash in Saturday night’s Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Further information on Almirola’s condition and who could drive the No. 43 for additional races this season will be provided at a news conference Friday morning at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Smith, 33, is competing in a limited schedule in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Ricky Benton Racing and will pull double-duty as he’ll pilot the team’s No. 92 truck in Friday night’s N.C. Education Lottery 200. His best of the season is sixth in the season-opening race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. In the other three races this season, Smith has finished 12th in each race.
Last year Smith drove in the Cup Series for Tommy Baldwin Racing and has 211 Cup Series starts to his credit with a win at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in 2011 driving for Furniture Row Racing.
On Lap 199 of 267 of the Go Bowling 400, Joey Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford had a right-front brake rotor break entering Turn 1 and turned right into Danica Patrick’s No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion.
Almirola running mid-pack was unable to avoid them and careered into both cars with the impact launching his No. 43 Smithfield Ford into the air and off the racing surface.
Almirola immediately lowered his window but safety crews continued to work to extract him from the car, removing the windshield and cutting off the top of his Ford. He was awake and alert when he was pulled from the car and placed onto a backboard and stretcher.
Almirola through his team radio was complaining of back pain following the crash. As a precaution, he was immediately air-lifted to the University of Kansas Medical Center where he was diagnosed with the fractured vertebra and held overnight before released Sunday morning to return to Charlotte, N.C.
He saw specialists in Charlotte earlier this week as part of his required follow-up care.
Almirola, 33, is in his sixth full-time season for Richard Petty Motorsports and is the most recent winner in the NASCAR XFINITY Series earlier this month at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The Tampa, Fla. native earned his lone Cup win at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in July 2014.
He is currently 23rd in series points with two top-five and three top-10 finishes.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01 or email [email protected]
