RICHMOND, Va. – Aric Almirola may not be Championship 4 material, but the Stewart-Haas Racing driver isn’t going to go down without a fight.
On Saturday night at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, Almirola made the most of a strong No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion and kept himself in the mix before finishing fifth in the Federated Auto Parts 400.
Starting sixth, he finished Stage 1 in the same spot, but adjustments from crew chief Johnny Klausmeier allowed the 34-year-old to finish third for Stage 2.
Despite not having the balance he needed for the long-haul, Almirola said his No. 10 team was able to execute throughout the night and that kept them in contention to earn their second top-five run of the season.
“I just couldn’t quite get it to turn the way I needed to to make the pace with those guys in front of me,” said Almirola. “I am so proud of these guys on the Smithfield team. “Our Ford Fusion was fast. We had a good night. We executed and ran top-five all night.”
While many of the Playoff contenders had issues at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway last weekend, Almirola was one of a few that did not, and his trouble-free race allowed him to get a start to the Round of 16.
His strong start to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continued under the lights in Richmond.
It’s not hard to digest from start to finish Saturday night’s race was likely Almirola’s best since joining Stewart-Haas Racing at the beginning of the season. Replacing Danica Patrick, Almirola has shown flashes of speed but entering Richmond had only delivered 11 top-10 finishes overall.
Consistency, however, has been his best friend and his fly under the radar mentality will likely keep him apart of the Playoff picture deep into the grid.
Looking ahead to the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval next weekend, Almirola is sixth in the standings, but just 19 points above the cutoff line.
With the unknown factor of the Roval, Almirola is prepared to stay focused hoping a win or another top-five finish will likely assure his advancement to the Round of 12.
“That is the exact night we were looking for to build a little bit of a point cushion going into the Roval next week where we are all unsure of what we will have,” Almirola added.
“I am really proud of the night and we will see what happens next week.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
