1. Has there ever been as clutch a win as the one Aric Almirola just pulled off?
Ever since Kyle Larson started getting on a roll, the dream of NASCAR Cup Series playoff intrigue has been just about dead. Then this past Sunday (July 18), Aric Almirola decided to give it the racing equivalent of a defibrillator jolt.
Up until the Cup cars rolled into New Hampshire, Almirola’s 2021 season had been, to put it bluntly, dismal. As recently as 2020, Almirola and the No. 10 team had managed to rack up five straight top-five finishes, but he entered Loudon with only one such result this year (at Nashville) plus a lowly one additional top-10 finish (at Richmond). Playoffs? Please cue the famous Jim Mora video for the proper way to scoff at the idea.
Japan
New-hampshire
United-states
Michigan
Harrison-burton
Denny-hamlin
Ryan-blaney
Ryan-newman
Kevin-harvick
Kevin-rutherford
Austin-cindric
Joey-logano
Aric Almirola Wins Long-Delayed Race at New Hampshire
Almirolra s first win since 2018 came after a questionable start and a lengthy rain delay. James GilbertGetty Images
Today s NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was excellent, a competitive affair that saw a wide variety of contenders fight for the win on what has become one of modern stock car racing s better tracks. However, the race itself is overshadowed by how it opened.
Despite a still-damp track and a misting of rain reported by drivers on their pace laps, NASCAR threw the green flag to start the race as scheduled. Three laps later, rain picked up and drivers protested that the race should be stopped. Two laps after that, leaders Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. spun in the rain. Busch s day was over immediately.
Martin-truex-jr
Penske-ryan-blaney
Watkins-glen
Aric-almirola
Joey-logano
Kyle-busch
Austin-dillon
Brad-keselowski
New-hampshire-motor-speedway
Martin-truex
Haas-racing-fords
Updated July 18
Cup Series: Almirola takes upset win in New Hampshire
Aric Almirola gives Stewart-Haas Racing its first victory this season, earning a spot in the playoffs.
By DAN GELSTONAssociated Press
Charles Krupa/Associated Press
LOUDON, N.H. Aric Almirola carried the weight of a winless season while chasing a playoff berth that seemed implausible for a driver buried deep in the standings on a Stewart-Haas Racing program that had yet to take a checkered flag.
UP NEXT
WHERE: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
WHEN: 3 p.m. Aug. 8
TELEVISION: NBCSN
His confidence sagged. The pressure tightened on the No. 10 team.
New-hampshire
United-states
Denny-hamlin
Martin-truex-jr
Corey-lajoie
Tony-stewart
Ryan-blaney
Kevin-harvick
Joey-logano
Kyle-busch
Miesha-tate
Christopher-bell
Under darkness, Almirola pulls off shocker at New Hampshire
With darkness closing in, Aric Almirola sprung to life late Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and pulled off the surprise victory, the first one of the year for Stewart-Haas Racing.
The Canadian Press
VIDEO SIGN OUT
LOUDON, N.H. Aric Almirola carried the weight of a winless season while chasing a playoff berth that seemed implausible for a driver buried deep in the standings on a Stewart-Haas Racing program that had yet to take a checkered flag.
His confidence sagged. The pressure tightened on the No. 10 team.
With darkness falling at New Hampshire, Almirola saw his season suddenly come into focus. Almirola sprung to life late Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and pulled off the surprise victory, a vital boost for SHR, Ford and another shakeup of the NASCAR playoff picture.
New-hampshire
United-states
Denny-hamlin
Martin-truex-jr
Corey-lajoie
Tony-stewart
Ryan-blaney
Kevin-harvick
Joey-logano
Kyle-busch
Miesha-tate
Christopher-bell
vimarsana © 2020. All Rights Reserved.