Aric Almirola hasn’t been seen in the Xfinity Series since finishing fifth at Darlington in May. And now we know why.
According to the Athletic, Almirola was suspended by Joe Gibbs Racing following an altercation with Bubba Wallace at a race meeting. Almirola was scheduled to compete in the Charlotte Xfinity race for JGR, but was replaced by Ty Gibbs in the days leading up to the race. The altercation was the reason.
The altercation occurred early in the week leading up to the Charlotte race during a weekly competition meeting that includes drivers from JGR and 23XI Racing; Toyota supports both teams and they have a close technical alliance.
The exact reason for the dispute is unknown, but those sources said the team considered Almirola to be the instigator. The decision was then made to suspend Almirola for the Charlotte race, for which he was originally listed as the driver of the number 20 car.
The report confirms rumors on social media that had spiraled out of control in the weeks after Almirola was abruptly removed from the car. He had made five Xfinity Series starts for JGR in 2024 and won at Martinsville. He will reportedly return from his suspension in July.
Almirola, 40, retired from full-time Cup Series competition at the end of the 2023 season. He earned three wins in 460 career starts at NASCAR’s top level and spent the final six seasons of his career with Stewart-Haas Racing.
He returned to JGR part-time following his retirement, and was scheduled to run a partial schedule in NASCAR’s No. 2 series this season. Almirola previously drove for JGR early in his career, and was credited with a win at Milwaukee in 2007 after qualifying on the pole and starting the race for Denny Hamlin. Hamlin replaced Almirola after he started the race and worked his way back to the lead and victory.
