2014 NASCAR standings: Aric Almirola ‘heartbroken’ by engine failure

Alongside the No. 43 car was Richard Petty, the co-owner of the team bearing his name, waiting for his driver to emerge. When Aric Almirola did climb out, all Petty could do was wrap his arms around him and offer some words of encouragement.

A failed engine had ended Almirola’s race early Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. Not only did a potential strong finish escape him but, more importantly, a great chance to advance to Round 2 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Almirola had been running sixth when his motor let go 37 laps from the finish.

“I have never been so heartbroken, ever,” Almirola said.

Of the 16 Chase drivers, only 12 will move on to the second round. A win guarantees advancement to the next round. Each segment consists of three races, and the remainder of the bracket is determined by points with the lowest four drivers eliminated.

By finishing 41st, Almirola fell 23 points behind 12th-place Carl Edwards -- the cutoff to advance. Because Almirola is 16th overall, his mission with two races remaining in the first playoff round is clear.

“We have to win,” Almirola said. “That is it. There is no other option. We have to go and figure out how we can win one of the next two races.”

Adding to the cruelty of Sunday’s result was that entering the playoffs few gave Almirola much of a chance to escape Round 1. The reasons often cited centered on Richard Petty Motorsports, an organization without a great level of resources to compete consistently against NASCAR’s elite.

But back-to-back top 10s leading into the Chase gave Almirola confidence. That belief was reinforced by the performance the 43 team showed at Chicagoland.

“We know we are capable of running in the top 10,” Almirola said. “Everyone else might not think so. The rest of the world thinks we are underdogs and we will gladly accept that tag but what we’ve shown today and the last two weeks is exactly what we are capable of.

“We don’t have anything to hang our heads about. We will go to Loudon with our heads held high and try to rebound from this.”