Aric Almirola will return to racing in the Monster Energy Cup Series this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway eight weeks after suffering a serious back injury, Richard Petty Motorsports announced Wednesday.
Aric Almirola cleared to return after missing 7 races with broken back
The 33-year-old driver will be behind the wheel of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports car this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Almirola suffered a T5 compression fracture in a May 13 accident at Kansas Speedway. Almirola lost control of his car due to fluids on the track from an accident just ahead of him involving Danica Patrick and Joey Logano, which caused the 33-year-old driver to slam into the cars of Patrick and Logano. Safety workers had to cut off the roof of the No. 43 car to extricate Almirola, who was placed on a backboard and then airlifted to a nearby hospital.
Before being medically cleared to return, Almirola had to complete a test Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He missed seven races during his recovery. He was expected to be sidelined eight to 12 weeks.
“It felt great to be back in the racecar yesterday,” Almirola said in a statement. “After racing in the Monster Energy Series for five and a half years, it got to be routine, and I took it for granted. When something gets taken away from you at a moment’s notice like that, it has certainly made me appreciate my passion for racing and my desire to compete at this level. The thrill of running 200 miles per hour in a stock car was something that I had honestly lost a little bit. After being out of the car for eight weeks, the passion is back, now more than ever.
“Physically, I felt great in the car and had no pain associated with the injury during (Tuesday’s) test.”
RPM can ask NASCAR to grant Almirola a waiver to be eligible for its 16-driver playoffs. That request will likely be approved.
To qualify for the postseason, Almirola would need to win one of the eight remaining regular-season races and finish 30th or better in the points standings. He currently ranks 32nd overall, eight points from the top-30 cutoff.
Darrell Wallace Jr. (four races), Regan Smith (two), and Billy Johnson (one) filled in during Almirola’s absence.
“I’d like to sincerely thank all of the medical personnel that have helped me through this process, my family, my friends, my team and all the fans that supported me,” Almirola said. “I’m very grateful to Bubba, Regan and Billy for all of their efforts subbing for me both on and off the track. I’m excited to get back to racing against all my friends and peers in the Monster Energy Series.”
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