ARIC ALMIROLA Smithfield Racing Team Report Round 3 of 36 – Las Vegas 400 – Las Vegas Car No.: 10 – Smithfield Ford Mustang At-Track PR Contact: Dakota Hunter, True Speed Communication (704-875-3388 ext. 813, [email protected]) Primary Team Members: Driver: Aric Almirola Crew Chief: John Klausmeier Hometown: Tampa, Florida Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland Car Chief: Chad Haney Engine Builder: Roush Yates Engines Hometown: Fairmont, West Virginia Headquarters: Mooresville, North Carolina Engine Specialist: Jon Phillips Spotter: Joel Edmonds Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri Hometown: Dobson, North Carolina Over-The-Wall Crew Members: Fuelman: Jeremy Howard Front Changer: Daniel Coffey Hometown: Dalhart, Texas Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina Carrier: Jon Bernal Rear Changer: Chris McMullen Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina Hometown: Canton, Michigan Jackman: Brett Morell Hometown: Windham, Maine Road Crew Members: Transporter Driver: Todd Cable and Scott Robins Tire Technician: Keith Eads Hometowns: Shelby, North Carolina, and Woodsville, New Hampshire, Hometown: Arlington, Virginia respectively Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser Engineers: Mike Cook and Marc Hendricksen Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina Hometowns: Annapolis, Maryland, and Clinton, New Jersey, respectively Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez Front End Mechanic: J.D. Frey Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina Hometown: Ferndale, California Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams Hometown: Naples, Florida Las Vegas Motor Speedway Notes of Interest: • Aric Almirola will make his 11th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend to bring his total Cup Series career starts to 283. He has a best finish of 10th at the 1.5-mile oval located along North Las Vegas Boulevard. o The Tampa, Florida, native has a best starting position of seventh in the Cup Series at the mile-and-a-half track. • Almirola also has starts in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoors Truck Series competition at Las Vegas. o In the Xfinity Series, the Smithfield driver has made four starts, all resulting in top-17 finishes. o The Florida native has made three starts in the Truck Series, all top-10 finishes, in 438 circuits around the track. • Las Vegas is the second consecutive intermediate track of the 2019 season. • The 34-year-old Almirola enters the weekend coming off of an eighth-place finish from the pole Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. o All four Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) drivers finished on the lead lap and in the top-10 at Atlanta Sunday. • Career: Almirola has career totals of two wins, two poles, 15 top-fives, 50 top-10s and 393 laps led in 282 starts. -more- Smithfield Racing Team Report – Vegas I Page Two • • 2019: Almirola has earned one pole and one top-10 in two races this season. • Last win: His most recent Cup Series win came Oct. 14, 2018 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. • Point standings: Almirola is currently 11th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with 58 points – 29 out of first place. • Last race: Almirola’s second-career pole award was his first at SHR and was the first for the new Ford Mustang in the Cup Series. After leading the opening 36 laps, Almirola was handed a pit road speeding penalty and demoted to the rear of the field. He raced the Smithfield Ford Mustang back to sixth place during the closing laps and finished eighth. • Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier is in his second full-time season as a Cup Series crew chief. The Perry Hall, Maryland, native transitioned from an engineer to Almirola’s crew chief for the 2018 season. Klausmeier has one win as a substitute crew chief while filling in for Tony Gibson at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in June 2016, and one win as a crew chief for Almirola last fall at Talladega. As a race engineer at SHR, Klausmeier has worked with drivers Ryan Newman, Danica Patrick and Kurt Busch. • Smithfield rejoined SHR this season and will be the primary partner for the majority of the season on the No. 10 Ford Mustang piloted by Almirola. Founded in 1936, Smithfield is a leading provider of high-quality pork products, with a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts. • At Las Vegas, SHR owns two victories (Kevin Harvick in 2015 and Tony Stewart in 2012), five poles, five top-fives and nine top-10s in 27 starts. Aric Almirola’s History at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Year Date Event Start Finish Status/Laps Laps Led Earnings 2018 3/4 Las Vegas 400 29 10 Running, 267/267 0 N/A 2017 3/12 Kobalt 400 30 14 Running, 267/267 0 N/A 2016 3/6 Kobalt 400 7 24 Running, 266/267 0 N/A 2015 3/8 Kobalt 400 15 26 Running, 264/267 0 $134,771 2014 3/9 Kobalt 400 8 25 Running, 264/267 0 $136,771 2013 3/10 †Kobalt Tools 400 22 16 Running, 267/267 0 $144,166 2012 3/11 Kobalt Tools 400 27 24 Running, 266/267 0 $130,366 2010 2/28 Shelby American 43 43 Vibration, 23/267 0 $79,431 2009 3/1 ×Shelby 427 27 39 Accident, 143/285 0 $91,775 * Race cut short due to weather. × Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish. = Qualifying canceled due to weather, starting position set via practice speed ◊ Race length was extended due to overtime finish - TSC – .