Aric Amirola finds “purpose” in NASCAR mentor role at JGR

Almirola, 39, decided to retire as a full-time Cup Series driver at the end of the 2023 season, having spent the past six years with Stewart-Haas Racing.

It wasn’t long after he came to his decision that he was approached by Joe Gibbs Racing owner Joe Gibbs about returning to the organization where his NASCAR career began nearly 20 years ago.

Gibbs thought Almirola would be an excellent role model and mentor for JGR’s growing cache of younger drivers, but he also wanted him to compete in the Xfinity Series – as a full-time driver in fact.

“Coach first asked me about racing full-time,” Almirola recalled Wednesday at JGR. “I told him, ‘I don’t think I can tell Janice (his wife) I’m retiring from full-time racing to go full-time racing.’

“So, we talked through that and we kind of settled on what would be ideal for me, which was about 15 races.”

But in addition to competing this season with one of the top Xfinity organizations in the sport, Almirola found the role as driver coach and mentor especially enticing.

And he’s wasted no time getting right to work.

“I’ve spent a lot of the time already with the drivers individually away from the shop and then also here at the shop. Just building that relationship with them and being a guiding light for them,” Almirola said.

“I’m certainly not going to tell them how to drive a race car. They’re all unique and they are all talented and they all have their own driving style. I remember when I was a kid, I wanted information and I wanted to be able to ask questions.”

The role of mentor

Almirola had opportunities over his career to seek counsel from several Hall of Famers, including Tony Stewart, Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson. He believes those relationships were pivotal to his longevity and would like to provide similar assistance.

“Not that I am prideful, but I feel a sense of pride in knowing I get to help. It gives me purpose. It gives me an opportunity to take what I’ve done for the last 20 years and try to speed up the learning curve for these guys or help them make one less mistake than I did,” Almirola said.

“Even on a personal side, just helping them navigate life and that work/life balance and what that looks like. I remember myself sitting in their shoes and I remember how much it meant to me when somebody offered advice or…