Aric Almirola Happy To Be Back In NASCAR Cup Car After Injury

Story By: MATTHEW WIERNASZ / RPW – LOUDON, NH – NASCAR is back in New England this weekend here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH. VTF was added to the track as it has been done at other SMI (Speedway Motorsports Inc) tracks.

Aric Almirola is back this weekend and feels it moved the typical racing here at the Magic Mile

” It has been sort of a new race track so to speak. We typically run in that second lane off the yellow line and we usually dread getting up over that seam. If you look back at video of the races here, all the cars try to keep the right sides inside that seam. Now that third lane has the PJ1 in it and you see a lot of cars entering that in that lane, straddling that seam and it certainly has throw everybody a new race track here. I think it is going to change sort of the way we approach the race track and way we attack the corners.” Almirola Said

With four different series here this weekend, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the K&N Pro Series East run Goodyear tires while the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour runs on Hoosier Tires

Martin Truex, Jr was not sure how it would affect the track before practice on Friday.

” Its really a guess. You know, this track is synonymous with having a lot of divisions running. It’s always been that way. You never want to go out on somebody else rubber. The K&N cars these days really don’t make it change a whole lot because they’re Goodyears and I think it’s just a similar blend that they have in the compound so that typically hasn’t been an issue. Years, ago, I can remember when K&N ran a different tire, a different tire brand, and you absolutely did not want to go on the race track for 15 or 20 minutes after the race or after they practiced so it’s changed over the years and the VHT is just another thing we’ll have to figure out, so we’ll see how it goes but I imagine it will be fine.” Truex Said

Almirola feels it always changes with the modified rubber

” Just today the modifieds were out there for an hour and a half and then we rolled out for practice this morning. The track changes as that Hoosier rubber wears off and we put our rubber down. It is nothing new. It is the same thing that has been happening every time we come to New Hampshire for as long as I can remember.” Almirola Said

New Hampshire Motor Speedway will have three races on Saturday with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with two rounds of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice and NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying.. The Overton’s 301 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event will kickoff at 3:00 P.M.