Aric Almirola during driver introductions for the BetRivers 200 at Dover Motor Speedway. (Photo: Declan Wayman | The Podium Finish)
DOVER, Del. — Even though the former Stewart-Hass Racing driver is retired from NASCAR Cup Series action, Aric Almirola has found a new home in a familiar place with Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Not only is he just a good driver in the rotation for the No. 19 Toyota Supra, but he has also set the standard for the JGR drivers this season, running near the front every time he hits the track. Almirola is racing like he is a championship-level driver in the prime of his career, and that success continued at Dover Motor Speedway on Saturday.
Almirola qualified his No. 19 Young Life Toyota in the sixth position for the BetRivers 200, a solid start for the veteran driver who has driven plenty of laps around the high concrete banks of Dover.
The JGR stable was off to hot start at the beginning of the race, with young rookie Taylor Gray leading the entirety of Stage 1, while Almirola slowly moved his way into second in the running order. Both JGR cars came down pit road during the stage break, but an untimely tire issue halted the race-winning pace that Gray had been showing all day, and the No. 54 did not see clean air for the rest of the event.
For Almirola, he maintained his track position, fighting for the lead with fierce competition such as Connor Zilisch and JGR teammate Brandon Jones. Throughout the full length of Stage 2, the field stayed green, letting the No. 19 flex its muscles at the end of the run. It was pretty clear by the second stage break that Zilisch was going to need to put a large gap between himself and Almirola, otherwise the No. 88 would be in grave danger when it came to crunch time in the closing laps of the race.
For Zilisch, his prayers were answered. Almirola was mired back in fifth place at the restart for the final stage, giving the No. 19 more work to catch the No. 88. On top of all of that, weather was moving quickly into the area of the track, forcing both drivers to push their cars as hard as they could in case the race was to be called short.
Aric Almirola (back) battles with JGR teammate Brandon Jones (front) down the frontstretch during the BetRivers 200 at Dover Motor Speedway. (Photo: Declan Wayman | The Podium Finish)
Almirola methodically picked off one car after another on the restart, moving himself into third in the running order, giving himself a chance at Zilisch if the opportunity came.
Unfortunately, that opportunity never came for the veteran JGR driver, as Almirola was only able to match the pace of the No. 88 machine. The No. 19 Supra fell in behind Zilisch, but right after that, the caution flag flew for imminent weather in the area.
The race was later officially called, deeming the No. 88 team as winners while Almirola and his No. 19 team were sent home with a runner-up result.
Even with a victory just out of reach for the veteran driver in the closing stages of his career, Almirola was just happy to be up front and competing with the best the Xfinity Series had to offer.
“It was fun. Our cars were good. JGR did a great job bringing good cars to the racetrack,” said the driver out of Tampa, Florida during his post-race comments.
“It’s fun to battle with those guys and I just wish I could’ve gotten to Connor (Zilisch) there at the end. We were closing on him pretty quickly before the rain came and I was able to clear Brandon (Jones) very quickly and when I got by Brandon, I think our next lap was two tenths better than Connor. So, I was really disappointed to see the caution come out for rain.”
Even with the lack of another victory for his 2025 campaign, finishes like this have put the former Cup Series winner in the eyes of the competition, no matter where the Xfinity Series runs. The No. 19 JGR Toyota Supra will be on track next weekend, with a driver to be announced in the coming week.
