Almirola Finishes 16th at Darlington
Smithfield Ford Driver’s Day Marred by Untimely Caution
Date: Sept. 5, 2021
Event: Cook Out Southern 500 (Round 27 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway(1.366-mile oval)
Format: 367 laps, broken into three stages (115 laps/115 laps/137 laps)
Start/Finish: 8th / 16th (Running, completed 366 of 367 laps)
Point Standing: 11th (2,029 points, 3 points ahead of top-12 cutoff)
Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-115):
● Aric Almirola started eighth and finished eighth, earning three bonus points.
● Almirola held his Smithfield Ford inside the top-10 before the competition caution waved.
● The Smithfield Ford driver pitted during the