Motorsports

Almirola racing to be No. 1 Young driver at mercy of MartinArea racers shine and stumble

Aric Almirola could be the one. The 22-year-old Tampa native shows all signs of finally giving NASCAR the homegrown, minority star it so covets.

By BRANT JAMES
Published March 13, 2007

Aric Almirola could be the one. The 22-year-old Tampa native shows all signs of finally giving NASCAR the homegrown, minority star it so covets. Though NASCAR as an organization had nothing to do specifically with bringing Almirola from local Late Model racing to his first Nextel Cup start in three years, it can certainly benefit from the buzz the talented kid of Cuban descent can create. Oddly, the best part for both is Almirola has accepted the label "diversity" only with the understanding he intends to first be known for his driving abilities. While NASCAR's in-house programs have failed to yield a full-time minority or female driver, Almirola has risen through what was once a diversity developmental program started by the late Reggie White and backed by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2004, to nearly a full Busch Series schedule with the promise of four or five more Cup starts this year. He qualified for his first Nextel Cup race Sunday. Almirola originally justified his place at JGR with a tough slog through the southeastern Late Models circuit. He's aligning himself, said team president J.D. Gibbs, to drive the fourth Cup car JGR wants to field eventually.

1 Smith's bad cholesterol levels are elevated and the food there is very fatty.

2 Hall of Fame baseball player Cal Ripken Jr., he of a record 2,632 consecutive games played, texted "quitter" to Martin once he learned Martin planned to end his streak at 621.

3 Martin's car is sponsored by the Army, and the slogan is "Army of one," not two.

4 Smith is having work visa issues getting into Tennessee.

5 Smith has zero race experience in the Car of Tomorrow.

How local drivers enjoyed their weekend:

Aric Almirola, Tampa: Joe Gibbs Racing developmental driver qualified for his first Nextel Cup race on his first try, finishing 41st after hitting the wall.

Sebastien Bourdais, St. Petersburg: Set the unofficial record (1:05.88, 122.295 mph) on Laguna Seca's 2.238-mile course (beating Ricardo Zonta's mark set in a Toyota-powered Formula One car last year) as the new Panoz Champ Car continues to shake down as very fast.

Ricky Carmichael, Clearwater: Still a motocross force even as he prepares for his first Late Models race on March 25 in Lake City and a hopeful NASCAR career, finishing second in the supercross main event to James Stewart at Daytona.

David Reutimann, Zephyrhills: Failed to make the Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas on qualifying time, missing his first event since becoming a full-timer at NASCAR's highest level this season.

Mark Martin has changed his mind and his vision of retirement multiple times the past several years, and as good as a part-time schedule seems, he admits he's having a lot of fun right now. That said, Martin is scheduled to race just 23 times this season and step out of the No. 01 Chevrolet for the March 25 race at Bristol. That will be a tough decision if he's still atop the standings after this weekend's race at Atlanta. If somehow team owner Bobby Ginn - who insists he will not ask Martin to do more - and Martin decide he should make a full-time pursuit of their first championship, the loser will be developmental driver Regan Smith. The 23-year-old was supposed to drive the No. 01 in the 14 points races the 48-year-old Martin sat out.

Stranger things have happened (they always have in NASCAR) which brings us to ...

The List

Five possible face-saving excuses for Martin replacing Smith at Bristol.

Aric Almirola could be the one. The 22-year-old Tampa native shows all signs of finally giving NASCAR the homegrown, minority star it so covets. Though NASCAR as an organization had nothing to do specifically with bringing Almirola from local Late Model racing to his first Nextel Cup start in three years, it can certainly benefit from the buzz the talented kid of Cuban descent can create. Oddly, the best part for both is Almirola has accepted the label "diversity," only with the understanding he intends to first be known for his abilities as a driver. While NASCAR's in-house programs have failed to yield a full-time minority or female driver, Almirola has risen through what was once a diversity developmental program started by the late Reggie White and backed by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2004, to nearly a full Busch Series schedule with the promise of four or five more Cup starts this year. He qualified for his first Nextel Cup race and finished 41st Sunday at Las Vegas. Almirola originally justified his place at JGR with a tough slog through the southeastern Late Models circuit when White's team was taken over by JGR. He's aligning himself, said team president J.D. Gibbs, to drive the fourth Cup car JGR wants to field.

Mark Martin has changed his mind and his vision of retirement multiple times the past several years, and as good as a part-time schedule seems, he admits he's having a lot of fun right now. That said, Martin is scheduled to race just 23 times this season and step out of the No. 01 Chevrolet for the March 25 race at Bristol. That will be a tough decision if he's still atop the standings after this weekend's race at Atlanta. If somehow team owner Bobby Ginn - who insists he will not ask Martin to do more - and Martin decide he should make a full-time pursuit of their first championship, the loser will be developmental driver Regan Smith. The 23-year-old was supposed to drive the No. 01 in the 14 points races the 48-year-old Martin sat out.

Stranger things have happened (they always have in NASCAR) which brings us to ...

Local motions

How local drivers' enjoyed their weekend:

Aric Almirola, Tampa: Joe Gibbs Racing developmental driver qualified for his first Nextel Cup race on his first try, finishing 41st after hitting the wall.

Sebastien Bourdais, St. Petersburg: Set the unofficial record (1:05.88, 122.295 mph) on Laguna Seca's 2.238-mile course (beating Ricardo Zonta's mark set in a Toyota-powered Formula One car last year) as the new Panoz Champ Car continues to shake down as very fast.

Ricky Carmichael, Clearwater: Still a motocross force even as he prepares for his first Late Models race on March 25 in Lake City and a hopeful NASCAR career, finishing second in the supercross main event to James Stewart at Daytona.

David Reutimann, Zephyrhills: Failed to make the Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas on qualifying time, missing his first event since becoming a full-timer at NASCAR's highest level this season.

The List

Five possible face-saving excuses for Martin replacing Smith at Bristol.

1. Smith's bad cholesterol levels are elevated and the food there is very fatty.

2. Hall of Fame baseball player Cal Ripken Jr., he of a record 2,632 consecutive games played, texted "quitter" to Martin once he learned Martin planned to end his streak at 621.

3. Martin's car is sponsored by the Army, and the slogan is "Army of one," not two.

4. Smith is having work visa issues getting into Tennessee.

5. Smith has zero race experience in the Car of Tomorrow.

[Last modified March 12, 2007, 22:56:42]