NASCAR Cup Series driver for Stewart-Haas Racing, Aric Almirola, recently announced his retirement from racing full-time in the Cup Series. The #10 driver has spent quite a long time racing across several teams throughout his career and has finally decided to call quits with the extremely hectic schedule of the Cup Series.
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While recently speaking over a podcast, Almirola pinned the extreme work-life balance as the primary reason behind his decision to hang up his helmet.
Almirola explains what led to his retirement from full-time Cup Series racing
While speaking with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Almirola explained, “You know it has been a whirlwind and I have been so blessed and so fortunate to get to do what I love to do for so long. I’ve been a professional race car driver for 20 years and so and I’ve been doing it full-time for a long time and 12 years in the cup series and it’s a grind.”
He acknowledged that the NASCAR season is a long and demanding one, starting with preseason testing in January and running until the middle of November. But despite the challenges, he expressed his love for the sport and his willingness to participate in it.
“But I’ve realized too that as I’ve gotten older and my kids have gotten older. It has become a lot more challenging to have a work-life balance. It’s way way heavily weighted in the work… I want to have a little bit more balance as I go forward into the future.”
🗣️ “It has become a lot more challenging to have a work/life balance […] I want to be around more.”@Aric_Almirola elaborates on his decision to retire from full-time Cup Series racing at the end of 2023.@StewartHaasRcng | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/0BptXexgt8
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) October 28, 2023
Additionally, Almirola stressed his desire to have more free time to spend with his family and engage in normal activities like visiting the park, watching a baseball game, and going to church together on Sundays. He wanted to avoid working on weekends and coming home late at night, which often made it difficult for him and his family to prepare for the upcoming week.
Tony Stewart appreciates Almirola for his accomplishments over the years
Meanwhile, Tony Stewart shared a heartwarming message after the retirement was announced.
The statement read, “I’m proud of everything Aric has accomplished and am especially proud that his last six years have been with Stewart-Haas Racing.”
“He and Smithfield formed an incredible partnership that resonated on and off the racetrack, and a lot of that is a testament to Aric. He always puts forth maximum effort and he makes everyone around him better.”
Tony Stewart statement on Aric Almirola: “I’m proud of everything Aric has accomplished and am especially proud that his last six years have been with Stewart-Haas Racing. He and Smithfield formed an incredible partnership that resonated on and off the racetrack, and a lot of…
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) October 28, 2023
“Simply put, he’s a great person – an awesome dad to Alex and Abby and an exceptional husband to Janice. I know all of them really well and am genuinely happy for their next steps together as a family.”
Smoke also reassured that SHR would remain in the Cup Series as a four-car team and that they would be announcing their new driver for the #10 car soon enough.
