Aric Almirola is putting off retirement and remaining at Stewart-Haas Racing for at least another year and maybe more after signing a multiyear agreement that includes more financial backing from longtime sponsor Smithfield Foods.
The 38-year-old Almirola, who is completing his 11th consecutive year with Smithfield as a sponsor, said Friday he discovered a new balance between family and racing in 2022.
His wife and two kids joined him for most race weekends as they turned the work trips into mini-vacations by visiting ballparks and tourist spots across the country.
“I have found a renewed sense of what a work-life balance looks like,” Almirola said, adding that his family will have made 28 races by the end of the year. “We’ve just really taken this year to embrace it and soak it all up, and I think as a family we’re not ready for it to end yet.”