CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — JR Motorsports has signed Aric Almirola to drive its flagship No. 88 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series starting next season.
The team says Almirola could get some starts in the car before the end of this season.
Almirola has raced sporadically in NASCAR’s top three series the past several seasons.
He had a full-time Nationwide ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007, and that led to a Cup deal with Dale Earnhardt Inc. He split seat time with Mark Martin that year, but lost the ride when the team folded due to lack of sponsorship in 2008.
This season, Almirola has been the standby driver in the Sprint Cup Series for both Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon while their wives were awaiting the births of their babies.
