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The driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang will run a special paint scheme during the Cup Series playoff race at Richmond Raceway. Aric Almirola will head to the short track with a commemorative 9/11 scheme for the doubleheader weekend.
The race team tweeted out a video of the special scheme on Wednesday, Sept. 8. Almirola walked around the No. 10 SHR Ford Mustang and showed off the various details, such as text reading “We Will Never Forget” and the New York City skyline complete with the Twin Towers tribute lights. The other side of the stock car featured a representation of the Pentagon and text reading “United We Stand.”
In addition to running the commemorative scheme, Almirola and the race team helped provide crucial funds. He presented matching $25,000 checks from Stewart-Haas Racing and Smithfield Foods to Tuesday’s Children, an organization created in the wake of 9/11. Tuesday’s Children fights to ensure that the “families who have suffered losses due to the events of 9/11, post-9/11 military service, or other acts of mass violence and terrorism always have a comforting place to turn to for support and community.”
“With Saturday’s race in Richmond taking place on the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, we wanted to pay tribute to those who were affected by the heinous acts of 9/11,” Almirola said in a press release. “Tuesday’s Children has done an incredible job serving as a strong support system for so many individuals and families throughout the last two decades, and I am privileged to be a part of this moment to spotlight their organization through this donation and paint scheme.”
Almirola Will Fight for Another Win in 2021
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GettyAric Almirola celebrates a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Almirola will climb into the stock car and reflect on the events of 9/11 before he fights for more playoff points. There are two races remaining in the Round of 16, and Almirola sits three points above the cutoff line. He doesn’t have a comfortable advantage over Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Michael McDowell, but he has a fast stock car with a history of success.
The driver of the No. 10 confirmed on Wednesday, Sept. 8, that he and the SHR team will head to Richmond with a stock car that previously reached Victory Lane. They will use the same Ford that led 46 laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and won the race that featured both a rain delay and a battle with the fading light.
Almirola Has Past Success at Richmond Raceway
GettyAric Almirola makes a pit stop at Richmond Raceway in 2015.
The last time Almirola headed to Richmond Raceway, he turned in a strong performance amid a season of struggles. The driver of the No. 10 SHR Ford Mustang started 22nd overall in the 38-care field and raced his way to a sixth-place finish. This race was by far the best of the season at that point, and it continued a trend at the .75-mile course.
Almirola has made 18 starts at Richmond Raceway during his Cup Series career. He has yet to reach Victory Lane, but he has contended at times. He has posted seven top-10 finishes, including the past two trips to Richmond. Almirola has also locked up a pair of fifth-place finishes. He took fourth in 2015 while driving for Richard Petty Motorsports and then took fifth in 2018 as a member of SHR.
“I do feel like going to Richmond this time around I have so much confidence because I didn’t feel like our cars were where they needed to be earlier this year, and yet we still went to Richmond and ran in the top-10 and finished seventh,” Almirola added in a press release. “So, to go there and run like we did in the spring, where I felt like our cars were still off, especially the 750 (horsepower) stuff that we’ve made significant gains on, it gives me a lot of confidence knowing that we ran well there in the spring and that we’re going back with a lot better racecar and it’s a place that we just, for whatever reason, run better at.
“It doesn’t matter the team or the crew chief or whatever, I always show up to Richmond and tend to run well there – very similar to Loudon. I’m excited about it. It’s a great place for us. It’s Smithfield’s backyard, so it always feels good to go up there and run well, and then this weekend in particular we’re running a really cool, special paint scheme to honor and remember 20 years ago, 9/11, so I’m pretty excited about this weekend on all fronts.”
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