Aric Almirola sure didn't look like a driver who had not competed in more than four months as, in only his seventh career NASCAR Cup Series start, he took on one of NASCAR's toughest tracks and posted an eighth-place finish.
Bristol Motor Speedway was the venue for the 24-year old US Army Chevrolet driver's first stand-in appearance for veteran mark Martin, and he wasted no time in impressing the DEI crew with his application.
"Awesome, just awesome," said crew chief Tony Gibson, "Aric drove the wheels off that Army Chevrolet. We had a decent car, not a great one, but Aric drove both patiently and hard. He has talent. The team believes in him and he believes in us. He is in the future and we're just happy that he is driving our stuff."
Almirola, whose last Cup race was in November in Phoenix, was solid all day, driving like a seasoned professional on the half-mile bullring. Having started from 16th after qualifying was rained out, he remained in the top 15 for nearly the entire race, moving in and out of the top ten late on before picking up two spots when the event went green for the final two-lap overtime restart to improve massively on his previous best finish of 26th.
"I felt great in the car and never got tired," said Almirola, pleased to have taken a decent result after celebrating his 24th birthday on Friday, "I worked out hard during the off-season and I've never been in better shape, but these guys deserve the credit. I had a good car with a lot of speed and didn't have to hustle it. It was a lot of fun out there and I want to thank the US Army, DEI, Tony and all the guys on this team for believing in me. The pit-stops were excellent all day."
Almirola, who received congratulations from a number of drivers and crew chiefs after the race, said he can't wait to get back in the car.
"As long as I am in the race car, I am happy," he admitted, "We had great test sessions and this validates what we've been doing, "I have all the confidence in the world with this team."
![Regan Smith - US Army Chevrolet [pic credit: image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/303465.jpg)
