Comments on: A Questionable Move For Aric Almirola

By: wolfpack Jack

wolfpack Jack — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:39:59 +0000

There is a lot of ppl that think he has a lot of talent, but knowing him first hand, he forgot to pick his grapes of the patch before the duals of 2010..

By: Marc from Brooklyn

Marc from Brooklyn — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:13:39 +0000

There are a number of possibilities in this litigation. Almirola may need to file something to preserve rights. DEI and/or EGR may owe him something or have a contractual obligation to him that they have not met. They may hold an option on him for 2010 that is preventing him from signing elsewhere. We probably won’t learn unless and until a suit is filed, claims are made, and the contract is made public. It is probably a business decision rather than a sign of being difficult and hostile that could mar Almirola’s career.

By: Liam Morland

Liam Morland — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:46:04 +0000

I love Aric to death, and I’m not sure what this is about, but I think it all kinda sucks. EGR was unstable when they signed his contract in early 2009, and this is what happens when an unstable company pushes in the positive direction rather than braceing for the worst, much like the Sadler situation. I hope they get it all worked out. I for 1 have been LOVING watching Aric have some incedible runs in the truck series! He’s my championship pick in 2010 if he can sucure sponsorship!

By: Mister F

Mister F — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:52:56 +0000

Perhaps his NASCAR career is over and he just needs a little cash to go back to where he came from.

By: Marty Davis

Marty Davis — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:13:13 +0000

I know Aric and he is a REALLY good young man with good values. I can assure you that there must be some facts that we haven’t heard about all of this.

I also hope that this gets settled quickly and it doesn’t taint his reputation.

I also will reserve judgement on this until we learn all the facts.

By: RacinG73

RacinG73 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:49:46 +0000

Like ‘Lead Lap’ said, he hasn’t filed a lawsuit yet. My guess is that he has some real valid reasons for raising the issue to the next level and that he wants EGR to know that he expects them to honor their promises or at least negotiate a compromise.
As far as how other car owners would view this deal, all I can say is that you have to look at the source – Almirola came into this through the ‘E’ part of the EGR equation – Theresa Earnhardt. I don’t think there are many fans who would accuse Almirola of being difficult or a whiner, not after what happened with Little E in the house his Daddy built.
Looking at it another way, nobody seems too worried about hiring Kasey Kahne, even though he ended up jilting Ford back in his early years in order to bolt to Ray Evernham’s shop. Talent overcomes the stigma, in my experience.

By: Neon

Neon — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:10:57 +0000

If Aric is owed money per his contract, then he should be paid. If not, he shouldn’t. Since we don’t see the contract (yet), it’s hard to pass judgement either way.

That being said, rest assured all of Ganassi, Felix and DEI have plenty of coin…with or without sponsorship to run Almirola.

Maybe if Aric can rightly claim his stake, other owners might see him as someone who has talent and fights for what’s rightly his. Used to be that was a positive quality!

Does the name “Aric” bother anyone else but me?

By: Sparkles

Sparkles — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:47:04 +0000

I assumed he’s doing it because Teresa/EGR were hindering him from getting a new deal. Its been widely reported he’s driving for Billy Ballew fulltime in 2010. Don’t think he’s the least bit interested in 1 car.

By: Lead Lap

Lead Lap — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:04:49 +0000

I believe, and I could be wrong, that filing papers is a way of saying, “Hey I might sue, but I hope we get this settled before it comes to that.”

I think that EGR will probably settle this dispute quickly and quietly, but I think Almirola will come out of this looking bad. Maybe not publicly but certainly in the garage area to team owners.

Almirola wasn’t really lighting any fires despite running for solid teams (Joe Gibbs Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc). He’s got a win, but it was with Hamlin behind the wheel (he started the race, Hamlin took over.) So, this, I think, will hurt his not-so-great career. I doubt we’ll see him with a powerhouse team again.

By: ronFWNC

ronFWNC — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:11:16 +0000

I share your concern as to why Almirola would do this. Litigation between driver and a team is still taken in NASCAR as a sign that a driver is difficult, and that’s never a good reputation for someone who’s just starting his career. For his sake, I hope Almirola is getting good professional advice in this matter.

But maybe there’s more to this story, and there are facts that will come out if this case ever hits the discovery or trial stage. If Almirola can prove that EGR did not operate in good faith under the terms of their contract, he might just win. There may also be facts that EGR will not want to become public knowledge. I’m going to try to keep an open mind about this situation until we learn more.