Loudon: Aric Almirola preview

ARIC ALMIROLA SET FOR THIRD RUN IN NO. 47 FEDEX KINKO'S SILVERADO

New Hampshire International Raceway Next Race Joe Gibbs Racing Driver With Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Team

Statesville, NC -- After a strong 10th place finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP), rookie driver Aric Almirola has been ready to jump back in the cockpit for more laps in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) competition. The rookie driver will get his wish behind the wheel of the No. 47 FedEx Kinko's Silverado at New Hampshire International Speedway (NHIS) on September 16 and 17.

The Sylvania 200 will mark Almirola's third career NCTS start. He made a successful debut in the Morgan-Dollar Motorsports fielded truck at Memphis Motorsports Park on July 23rd. He worked his way through the field until contact late in the race sidelined the 21-year old driver. Almirola was running in 14th position at the time of his exit from the race and had displayed patience and maturity running in the thick of the competitive truck field.

The August 5th IRP race showcased Almirola's late model short-track skills. Qualifying was cancelled due to inclement weather placing the 21 year-old driver in the 31st starting position for the 200-lap race. With only five caution flags to bunch the field, Almirola had to gain every position the hard way, under long green flag runs. By the 150th circuit, the Joe Gibbs Racing Diversity Program driver had worked his way to 14th position. As the last 50 laps wound down, Almirola continued to move through the competition as well as maneuver around lapped traffic. The closer to the top-10 he got, the tougher the competition but Almirola was determined and kept his focus on each truck in front of him, working on them until the right opportunity came to make a clean pass. When the checkered flag flew, Almirola posted the 10th finishing position on the tricky one-half-mile track.

FedEx Kinko's will be on board the No 47 Silverado at NHIS in support of Almirola's third NCTS race. FedEx is the primary sponsor on the No. 11 fielded in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series by Joe Gibbs Racing. The Home Depot and Joe Gibbs Racing Performance Oil will serve as major associates on the truck with critical support from GM Racing as part of the Team Silverado program.

"I am looking forward to being back in the No. 47 FedEx Kinko's truck at New Hampshire," said Almirola. "We had a great run at IRP and I am focused to back that up at Loudon. Randy Goss (crew chief) and the entire Morgan-Dollar Motorsports organization work hard and have given me excellent trucks to drive. Each time we work together, we get better and better at functioning as a team.

"We tested recently at Richmond and that went very well. I have never been to New Hampshire but with the time I had in the truck at IRP and again at Richmond, I feel comfortable with being ready to qualify and race.

"I can't thank Joe Gibbs Racing for the tremendous opportunity they have given me. It is awesome that FedEx Kinko's has agreed to support our effort in New Hampshire. I am ready to go racing and can hardly wait to get there."

Almirola has spent the past two seasons as a member of the Reggie White/Joe Gibbs Racing Diversity Program racking up wins and top-five finishes in a late model at short tracks all over North Carolina.

JGR's diversity program traces it roots back to May of 2003. In partnership with the late Reggie White, a Hall of Fame defensive end who played in the National Football League, JGR formed the diversity program to create a grassroots stock car team that would identify and assist minorities with the desire and talent to make a career in motorsports. In January of 2004 the diversity program became reality, thanks in large part to the support of JGR's sponsors, most notably, The Home Depot and MBNA -- the team's primary sponsors, and Rockwell Automation and Cintas -- the team's associate sponsors

For additional information on the Reggie White/Joe Gibbs Racing Late Model Diversity Program, log on to www.joegibbsracing.com.

-jgr-