DARLINGTON, S.C.: Hoping for a Mark Martin like performance with a popular NASCAR Xfinity Series throwback scheme to his Winn-Dixie days, Aric Almirola’s miserable 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season continued on Sunday after being eliminated just five laps into the Goodyear 400 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Being forced to start the race from the rear of the field after failing inspection earlier in the day, Almirola quickly began his charge through the field, but contact from Ricky Stenhouse on the exit of Turn 2 sent Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang spinning into the inside wall – destroying the frontend of his Stewart-Haas race car.
Almirola climbed from his race uninjured but out of the 297-lap race.
Describing the crash, Almirola said simply he got taken out.
“I got wrecked. Pretty simple,” said Almirola. “We were really fast. We had to start last, and we were passing a bunch of cars. We were three-quarters of a second faster than the next 10 to 15 cars in front of us.
“We were passing about one a lap and I got to the 47 and passed him in the middle of 1 and 2 and then at the exit of 2 I had to check up just a little bit because I got tight, and he ran right into the back of me and wrecked me.”
Almirola suffered his fourth DNF (did not finish) of 2021 and his worst finish since taking 38th at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in March who also resulted in an accident.
Through 12 races, the 37-year-old has just one top-10 finish this year with a sixth at Richmond (Va.) Raceway last month.
On the heels of a dejecting 29th place effort at Kansas Speedway last weekend, the Tampa, Fla. native entered Darlington a distant 28th in Cup points and will fall even deeper heading to Dover (Del.) International Speedway for the Drydene 400 on May. 16, 2021.
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