Stewart-Haas Racing Star Unravels Game Plan to Avoid Chase Elliott-Like Misery

The Daytona International Speedway is one of those few tracks in NASCAR where a win puts you right next to the top cream of racing legends. The 2.5-mile tri-oval that can seat over 100,000 fans has forged many iconic heroes on its roads and it is exactly where the coming weekend’s ‘Coke Zero Sugar 400’ race is set to take place.

In the final race of 2023 NASCAR’s regular season, you will witness a contest that will decide who the final 16 heading into the playoffs are.

Ahead of the highly anticipated weekend, the ‘NASCAR Live’ podcast had prior track winner Aric Almirola, driver for Tony Stewart c0-owned Stewart-Haas Racing, answer questions from sports commentator Dave Moody.

Tony Stewart’s driver voices his take on the Watkins Glen debacle

Driving the No. 10 Ford Mustang, Aric Almirola entered the road course at Watkins Glen International in 24th position in the Cup Series driver standings. In a race that, had he won, would’ve catapulted him into the final 16, he crossed the checkered flag at a lowly 30th place. Speaking to Dave Moody, he said that the disappointing finish did not cover the whole story and indicated that there were bigger reasons for the poor result.

Aric mentioned the recently implemented ‘No stage break caution’ rule of NASCAR as a reason for not being able to climb back up the ladder after a bad qualifying result. He also talked about how they had an “okay” car but could do anything strategy-wise because of the rule. However, despite earlier results and not yet entering the playoff spots, Aric did seem upbeat and confident about facing opponents such as Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman at the Daytona International Speedway. This could possibly be attributed to his positive record at the track.

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“Whatever it takes”: Aric’s confidence about beating the likes of Chase Elliott

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Aric’s first Cup Series win came in a rain-shortened race at Daytona in 2014. In 2021, he won the qualifying race of the Daytona 500 for the first time in his career. And in the same race this season, he led 16 laps before getting tangled in an accident and finishing 21st. With a track record that shows a lot of promise, he could very well be considered a potential surprise package. Currently 25th in the driver standings, Aric must win the race this weekend if he wants to make it to the playoff field.

His consistency in Super Speedways has given him all the confidence that he needs. Speaking to Dave, he said, “We know exactly what we have to go and do at Daytona. We are not in one of those situations where you’re biting your nails and, uh, ‘Score a stage point here, and there’. (…) None of that matters. The only thing that matters is put ourselves in position to win. Whatever it takes, right?”

With top-tier drivers like Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott facing the same must-win corner as him, the task at hand is pretty complex for Aric. Chase himself sits 101 points behind the cut-off line owing to missing 7 seven races this season. It goes without saying that the former champion will be firing on all cylinders come Sunday. But as proven time and time again by his past, there can’t be a better track for him to race in a situation like the one that has presented itself. If the Floridian makes the right choices and executes it perfectly, there’s no saying that he can’t emerge a winner and push Tony Stewart’s team to the next level.

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