The NASCAR world awoke Wednesday to an announcement regarding Aric Almirola — but it hardly was breaking news.
Almirola has confirmed one of the worst kept secrets in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, announcing that he will drive the No. 10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018 — and Kansas Speedway had the perfect reaction to the rather predictable news.
The track where Almirola fractured his vertebrae earlier this year tweeted a poll shortly after the signing was made official that asked people to rate how surprised they were by the 33-year-old driver’s move.
Rumors have been swirling for months that Almirola will replace Danica Patrick at Stewart-Haas next year, even before Patrick announced she wouldn’t be returning to the team. And given that Almirola’s sponsor, Smithfield Foods, announced in September that it will partner with SHR in 2018, his deal with the team essentially has been an unconfirmed truth for a while.
Thumbnail photo via Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports Images
