WATCH: “Send that Xfinity merchant back”- Fans react as Aric Almirola crashes out on lead lap at New Hampshire
Being a former winner at the track, Almirola was projected as a race-win contender.
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Aric Almirola (Credits: @Aric_Almirola /Twitter) wrecks his car at NHMS
The only positive thing about Stewart Haas Racing in the 2023 season has been veteran Kevin Harvick. SHR, once the dominant Ford team in the Cup series, is currently performing poorly compared to the standard they have previously set for themselves. The situation was no different for them this Monday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Harvick, who is set to retire at the end of the season, secured a P4 finish and has put himself in a position to enter the playoff based on points. The other three drivers had yet another average day behind the wheel, secured a P10 finish, and showed some positive momentum. But luck didn’t favor Ryan Preece and Aric Almirola. The No:41 driver suffered the late-stage crash, while the No:10 driver crashed earlier in the race.
Almirola started the race P2 as the best-positioned Ford and, being a former winner at the track, was expected to fight for the end win, but his chase for the first win in the Next-Gen car era came to an unfortunate end on lap 162. He crashed out after the SHR Ford Mustang’s right rear came off in the restart of the lap.
Following a two-tier pit stop from his team, he was the designated race leader and chose the outside lane with Kyle Larson on the inside. He had a solid start, and as he approached the corner, his car started to wiggle and, within seconds, was shot to the wall. The reply showed the right rear tire coming off as he turned the car in the corner.
“I thought it felt a little bit awkward leaving pit road, but then after that, working my tires in and going through the gears before the restart – I spun the tires a few times – everything felt normal… Just frustrating. Disappointing. All the words you can use to describe being upset is certainly where we are,” Almirola said about the incident in his post-race media interaction.
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Here is how fans on Twitter reacted to the incident
NASCAR fans on Twitter were quick to react to the unfortunate end of Aric Almirola’s race. Few used the opportunity to mock the driver, while few others mocked Stewart Haas Racing. Few fans criticized SHR for underdelivering in the 2023 season so far.
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Justin P Joy
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