Aric Almirola says Kansas crash felt like someone stuck a knife in his back

Immediately after slamming into Danica Patrick’s car Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, Aric Almirola felt an “intense burning sensation” in his back. The 33-year-old driver thought it was because the collision had ignited a fireball that engulfed Patrick’s No. 10 car. But in fact, the feeling had nothing to do with the fire.

Almirola was seriously injured, having suffered a compression fracture of his T5 vertebra. Track workers had to cut the roof off the No. 43 car to remove the Richard Petty Motorsports driver, who was awake and alert throughout the process. He was then airlifted to the University of Kansas Medical Center where he spent the night before being released the following morning.

“It felt like somebody stuck a knife in my back,” Almirola said Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Then I realized that my car was airborne because I could see the asphalt, and when it came back down it felt like somebody took that knife and just twisted it up in my back.”

Almirola said he will need eight to 12 weeks before he can resume racing, and trying to return sooner could result in paralysis from the belly button down. That is a risk the father of two young children doesn’t want to take.

“I’ve got a lot of baseball to play with my son, and I’d like to dance with my daughter one day at her wedding,” Almirola said. “So, I’m not gonna risk it. Whenever the doctors clear me, I’ll be ready to get back in a race car.”

Richard Petty Motorsports named Regan Smith to drive its car in the Monster Energy Cup Series All-Star Race Saturday night at Charlotte. Who will substitute for Almirola beyond this weekend has not been determined. The All-Star Race is an exhibition event, and the next points race is May 28 at Charlotte: the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race.

Almirola was trailing Joey Logano and Patrick when a broken brake rotor caused Logano to lose control and swerve into Patrick’s car. The incident happened as they sped into Turn 1 at speeds around 210 mph, and the contact caused both drivers to crash into the outside wall, with Patrick slamming the wall particularly hard.

Almirola could see the accident occur ahead of him, but because of fluids on the track when he tried to slow down to avoid the pileup, his car began sliding when he attempted to brake. That caused him to skid into Patrick with such force it lifted the No. 43 car’s rear wheels off the ground, before continuing on and impacting Logano’s car.

Neither Logano nor Patrick were injured.

“I watched the replay and I feel like an idiot even being involved in the wreck, but there was honestly nothing I could do,” Almirola said. “My car was on ice, and when you watch the replay it looks like I’m going way too fast and I am because my car wouldn’t slow down.

“That’s how I ended up in the wreck. I knew it was coming. I saw it. I braced for the wreck.”