Almirola to drive #8 full time in 09

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Artical from NASCAR.COM


Aric Almirola, who is sharing the No. 8 Sprint Cup Series ride with Mark Martin this year, will drive the car full time in 2009, Dale Earnhardt Inc. officials announced Tuesday.

"This is a really great race team to work with," Almirola said in a news release. "[Crew chief] Tony Gibson and these guys have put me in really good racecars this season, and they've never treated me like a rookie.



"They are committed to being competitive every week, and I'm really looking forward to working with them on a weekly basis next season."

Almirola, 24, has 11 career Cup starts, with a career-best finish of eighth at Bristol in March. He began sharing the DEI ride with Martin after DEI bought Ginn Racing in July 2007.

Martin has 12 more races left in the No. 8 car this year, and Almirola has seven. Martin will be in the No. 8 this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

"There is no doubt Aric is ready to go full time," said Martin, who is expected to drive for Hendrick Motorsports next year. "Aric is an incredible talent and a true student of the sport. Having him run a full-time program in the No. 8 was always part of the plan, but his development has allowed us to accelerate things."

Almirola has 60 starts in NASCAR's Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series with one "win" -- when he started a car that a late-arriving Denny Hamlin eventually drove across the finish line in the Nationwide race at The Milwaukee Mile last year.

"[We] know that Aric will get the job done," said John Story, DEI vice president of motorsports operations. "We appreciate everything Mark continues to do for the company. Since we first discussed with Mark our plans for Aric, he was 100 percent supportive and has done everything within his power to make it work and allow us to build a program around Aric."

Almirola, who is of Cuban descent, received his first shot at NASCAR through Joe Gibbs Racing and its diversity program run as part of a partnership with former football great Reggie White.