NASCAR's Aric Almirola insists he's not returning to SHR full-time next season

As NASCAR Cup Series driver Aric Almirola stares out onto any of the tracks that he competes on this season, he knows his daily routine will be changing drastically come November when the 36-race season comes to a close. The native of Tampa, Florida, has elected to retire from racing in the Cup season full-time at the end of 2022. He hasn’t dismissed the possibility of racing in select events sometime in the future.

Almirola made the announcement in January, saying,  “I truly enjoy driving race cars and I’m excited to race my heart out in 2022 for Smithfield and Stewart-Haas Racing. But to be the best in this business, you’ve got to be selfish, and for the last 37 years my life has always revolved around me and what I needed to do.

“I want to be present. I want to be the best husband and father, and that to me means more than being a racecar driver. So, it’s one more year where I’m all in on racing, where we’ll do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level. But when the season is over, I’ll be ready to wave goodbye. I’ve loved every minute of it, but it’s time for the next chapter of my life.”

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Almirola made his NASCAR Cup Series debut on March 11, 2007, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, three days before his 23rd birthday. He teamed up with Smithfield in 2012 while at Richard Petty Motorsports for his first full year in Cup. The Smithfield/Almirola partnership is now one of the most tenured in NASCAR, and since the duo joined SHR in 2018, Almirola has represented Smithfield in the NASCAR Playoffs every year and scored two wins – Oct. 14, 2018, at Talladega Superspeedway and July 18, 2021, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

It's well known that his No. 10 SHR Ford will be vacant in 2023 and is now the kingpin as far as what’s annually dubbed as Silly Season. It's the time of year when rumors fly about possible moves among drivers not under contract for the next season who are looking to make moves to other teams.

Almirola has been asked many times in recent weeks if his name is still a future possibility to remain with the team owned by three-time Cup series champion Tony Stewart. Almirola insists nothing has changed and that he is going to retire from full-time driving at season’s end.

“It is humbling to have people keep questioning me about it,” Almirola said. “I have given it thought but I don't have anything new to say as of right now.”

So when could he return for a race here or there?

“It is hard to say. I think there are a lot of moving parts and a lot of things to juggle in relation to that,” Almirola said. “That is a hard sell, I have learned. Teams and the sponsor want consistency and for me, yeah, it is really hard to wrap your head around the full-out commitment of what this sport takes. I am 38 years old and have been doing this for a long time. I am not to the point where most of the other guys have retired.”

Family is extremely important to Almirola. He remembers times as a child when he watched his grandfather, Sam Rodriguez, drive in his own racing career. Rodriquez was a three-time Tampa Bay Area Racing Association Dirt Sprint Car champion with over 90 victories and helped to mentor Almirola’s career.

Almirola’s own children have spent time with him at race tracks and watched him race. Now it's time for Almirola to spend time with them and help nurture their dreams.

“I just know that I have such a short window to be involved in their life in a meaningful way where they want me around. I think as I evaluate where to go from here and give it real thought, their opinion matters to me because I want it to be something to where it is a family decision. Originally, I made that decision based on my family and that won’t change going forward.”

This weekend's NASCAR TV schedule

FROM POCONO RACEWAY

FRIDAY

• 4:30 p.m. — Trucks practice (FS1)

• 5 p.m. — Trucks qualifying (FS1)

• 6:30 p.m. — ARCA General Tire Delivers 200 (FS1)

SATURDAY

• 9:35 a.m. — Xfinity practice (USA)

• 10:05 a.m. — Xfinity qualifying (USA)

• Noon — Trucks: CRC Brakleen 150 (Fox)

• 2:35 p.m. — Cup practice (USA)

• 3:20 p.m. — Cup qualifying (USA)

• 5 p.m. — Xfinity: Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 (USA)

SUNDAY

• 3 p.m. — Cup: M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 (USA)

This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: NASCAR driver Aric Almirola not returning to SHR next season