Winning Over the Team’s Crew Chief Before Marriage? NASCAR Veteran Aric Almirola’s Incredible Proposal

Aric Almirola and his wife, Janice Goss, met back in 2005 when the driver was still an unknown face in racing. Almirola had been one of the drivers for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports, a team that Janice’s father was the crew chief of. Having fallen for the chief’s daughter, he couldn’t risk his career over it nor give up the girl. Thankfully, a solution came up.

In an interview with Lindsay Czarniak, Almirola and Goss revealed the details of the first meeting and what led to them dating. Goss talked about how she used to work part-time in races and had met Almirola during one in Memphis. Having grown up around racing tracks and amid many boys, she’d required a slight push to move the driver away from the friend zone and into the boyfriend status. The push came via her father’s approval.

Talking about the importance of his crew chief giving the green signal, Almirola said, “The last thing I wanted to do was make him mad. I needed the best trucks and the best opportunity so that I could go out and show what I was capable of or do my best and so the last thing I wanted to do was mess that up.” He continued, “But I also wanted the girl. So, fortunately for me, I got good trucks, got a great opportunity, and the girl.”

Almirola and Goss married in 2010 and share two children, Alex and Abby. In the back of his move to Joe Gibbs Racing, Almirola has had a notable career in the Cup Series. He was one of the consistent performers on the grid for over ten years. And, one man pivotal in all his success was Randy Goss, his father-in-law.

Randy Goss, the father-in-law/crew chief who made Aric Almirola a racing icon

Randy Goss is a 16-time AMA National Winner who won Grand National championships in 1980 and 1983. He is also a member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. For five years in the 1980s, Goss was a racer for the Harley Davidson factory team. He eventually moved to NASCAR where he was the crew chief from 1996 to 2011.

Goss worked across all the three tiers of NASCAR and brought in 30 victories. He won the 2003 Pepsi 400 with Greg Biffle in the wheel. He also led Biffle to a further 9 wins in Xfinity, and 14 in Trucks. Thanks to the help of Goss, Almirola found great balance in both his personal and professional lives. He enters 2024 ready to run a part-time schedule with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity arm.