Report: Aric Almirola to replace Danica Patrick for Stewart-Haas Racing

LONG POND, PA - JULY 29: (L-R) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, driver of the #17 Roush Performance Ford, Aric Almirola, driver of the #43 Smithfield Ford, and Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Mobil 1 Chevrolet, talk during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 29, 2016 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

In perhaps the least surprising news of this NASCAR Silly Season, Aric Almirola will be announced next week to take over the No. 10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Sometimes the most obvious moves are the ones that happen in NASCAR. When it was announced that Smithfield was leaving Richard Petty Racing to sponsor a car for Stewart-Haas Racing, it only made sense that the driver with which the company has had an ongoing relationship, Aric Almirola, might follow.

Now that is indeed coming to pass. According to Motorsport.com, and confirmed by ESPN sources, Stewart-Haas Racing will announce next week that Almirola will be the new driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford for the team for the 2018 NASCAR season. The team has not confirmed the reports and likely will not until the official announcement.

It was always suspected that this was the driver switch in the works at SHR, which decided not to bring Patrick back due to issues finding her sponsorship. A driver with a sponsor in tow is as valuable as gold in the current NASCAR scene, and the 33-year-old Almirola has also had more on-track success than Patrick, even claiming a victory in the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

An interesting side note is that Smithfield has at least partially mended fences with Richard Petty Racing, where it was a primary sponsor for the No. 43 for years. Multiple media outlets are reporting that even with the company off to sponsor Almirola’s new ride, Smithfield will have “an ongoing collaboration” with the Petty organization even as it moves on.

Next: Could Danica Patrick land at Roush Fenway Racing?

With Almirola on-board, the Stewart-Haas Racing picture is finally coming into focus for 2018. Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer both return, but the No. 41 currently driven by Kurt Busch remains an open question. The team did not renew Busch’s option, even after he won the Daytona 500 and qualified for the playoffs, but has stated it still might bring him back.

However, there’s been no news on a possible Busch return or the state of the 41 after this season for nearly a month.

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