Almirola Scores Special Xfinity Series Win at Martinsville

Aric Almirola celebrates Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)

RIDGEWAY, Va. — When Aric Almirola retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series racing, he looked for something part-time where he could compete for victories.

Mission accomplished.

In his fourth Xfinity Series race as part of a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, Almirola dominated — leading 148 of 250 laps to win the DUDE Wipes 250 at Martinsville Speedway.

“This is incredibly gratifying. This is exactly what I signed up for,” Almirola said in his post-race press conference. “Coach called me at the end of last year and asked me to come back and to be a part of the organization and to help in any way I could outside of the race car, and then to drive really as much as I wanted.

“We looked at the schedule, and the very first conversation we ever had was to come and run full-time. I couldn’t really tell Janice (wife) that I’m retiring from full-time racing to go full-time racing, even though it is the Xfinity Series. We talked a lot about it and settled on the schedule that we have now.”

Almirola ran 12 full-time Cup seasons with Richard Petty Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing, winning three times and recording 96 career top-fives. After originally announcing his retirement following 2022, the 40-year-old from Tampa, Florida, tacked on one more full season before calling it quits from SHR at the end of last year.

Joining JGR part-time, the organization where Almirola originally started his NASCAR career, he finished 12th in his first race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A week later, he crashed at Phoenix Raceway before leading 95 laps and finishing runner-up last week at Richmond Raceway.

But at Martinsville on Saturday, it all came together. Starting sixth, Almirola won Stage 1 and ended up second to Justin Allgaier in Stage 2.

Almirola led a majority of the final stage but had to survive a series of cautions as the laps ticked down. Ryan Sieg spun around with 15 laps to go, and after a restart, several cars crashed on the frontstretch to set up a NASCAR Overtime finish.

But at the time, Almirola ran second. He elected to take the high lane for the penultimate restart and lost the lead to teammate Chandler Smith and Sam Mayer of JR Motorsports.

Going into Turn 1 with two to go, Almirola got three-wide with Mayer and Sheldon Creed and prevailed. He pulled ahead and Mayer wasn’t close enough to make a last-ditch effort before a caution during the final lap ended the race.

Aric Almirola during Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)

“I chose the top because I realized how hard it was for me to clear him on the bottom,” Almirola said, explaining the second-to-last restart. “[Smith] got the bottom and he used me up. He ran me way wide, and I was pretty upset that he used as much racetrack as he did and kind of ran me up into the marbles. So as soon as I got clear and got down behind him, I made sure he knew that I didn’t appreciate that.

“I don’t use people up. I race very respectfully, and so I don’t take any different approach in racing the Xfinity Series, regardless of the fact that I’m part-time or full-time… even though I’m not in the car every week and that I’m not racing for a driver’s championship, I’m still gonna race hard and race to win.”

Mayer ended up second, and while he was disappointed falling short of the win, he had something to build on. It was his best finish of the year after bad luck and circumstances out of his control pinned him 20th in points after six events.

“I win’s not gonna technically take the monkey off your back. It’s a string of solid finishes,” Mayer said. “That starts today and we’re going to go and race for 100 grand next week and keep going.”

Smith ended up third, recording his sixth top 10 in seven races this season. He ended up having to come from the rear after hitting the wall early in practice on Friday. The team brought the car back to the Joe Gibbs Racing shop overnight for repairs, loaded it back into the track in the afternoon and got it through tech cleanly.

“I definitely had the good Lord looking down on me tonight – just helping me guide through all of that traffic there,” Smith said. “Just really, really proud of everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. All of the men and women that put this thing back together last night working through the hours of the night. We had a really fast no. 81 Wheelers Toyota GR Supra. Just got a little behind on my adjustments there in the end, but we have really good notes for when we come back in the fall.”

Almirola also secured the first Dash 4 Cash of the season. Mayer, Smith, Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed will participate next week ar Texas Motor Speedway.

Stage 1 Top 10 Results

1. Aric Almirola
2. Sheldon Creed
3. Cole Custer
4. Sam Mayer
5. AJ Allmendinger
6. Anthony Alfredo
7. Ryan Sieg
8. Austin Hill
9. Jeb Burton
10. Parker Retzlaff

Stage 2 Top 10 Results

1. Justin Allgaier
2. Aric Almirola
3. Sammy Smith
4. Carson Kvapil
5. Cole Custer
6. Sheldon Creed
7. Brandon Jones
8. Chandler Smith
9. Jeb Burton
10. Ryan Sieg

Dude Wipes 250 Result