Aric Almirola - Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Following the incident at Milwaukee, Almirola departed Joe Gibbs Racing to join Dale Earnhardt, Inc. following the sale of Ginn Racing. He drove the No. 01 Chevy in five races in 2007, and had a best finish of thirtieth. Almirola was named co-driver of the No. 8 United States Army Chevy in the 2008 Sprint Cup, sharing the ride with Mark Martin. His best finish during the season was an 8th place finish in the 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol, and his best start in Sprint Cup was a 3rd place start at the 2008 Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville. Almirola was named the full-time driver of the No. 8 for the 2009 season. Seven races into the 2009 season, Almirola lost his ride to a lack of sponsorship. He later signed a five-race deal with Key Motorsports to drive their No. 40 StopRepairBills.com/Westerman Companies Chevrolet Impala SS in the Nationwide Series. He returned to the Truck Series, driving part-time in the No. 15 Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra, and had a seven-race streak of finishes eighth or better. He also made one attempt and one race in the No. 09 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series. In October 2009, he filed paperwork in North Carolina Superior Court indicating that he has a breach-of-contract dispute with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. Almirola, competed in seven Sprint Cup races in 2009 for the team before his No. 8 Chevy car was parked because of a lack of sponsorship, filed the notice in the Charlotte court. The lawsuit was dropped a month later after being settled out of court.