Meet the Cuban Missile of NASCAR

cincinnati

fr.wikipedia.org

Tom Groeschen

SPARTA, Ky. – Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman is not the only professional athlete nicknamed the Cuban Missile, for NASCAR has one of its own.

Sprint Cup driver Aric Almirola is also called the Cuban Missile, thanks to his Cuban-American heritage. Almirola, who started No. 22 in Saturday night's Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, was born on Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

The 30-year-old Almirola took media members on ride-along tours of bumpy Kentucky Speedway Saturday afternoon, about five hours before the Cup race.

"Welcome to the roughest racetrack known to man," Almirola said, as the car pulled onto the track.

Almirola was driving about 90 mph as he took reporters around the 1.5-mile track in a Kentucky Speedway Ford vehicle, with three passengers at a time.

"The earth underneath the racetrack has settled a lot over their winters," Almirola said. "It gets hot in the summer, then cold. When we hit that (bumps) at 180, your car can literally take flight."

Sprint Cup driver Aric Almirola takes media members on a bumpy Kentucky ride The Enquirer/Tom Groeschen

Almirola entered Saturday ranked No. 22 in Sprint Cup season points. In seven years of Cup driving, Almirola has not won but has 15 top-10 finishes. Almirola drives the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.

How is the track riding?

"I think it gets rougher every year, I really do," Almirola said.