Almirola Set To Double Dip At Richmond

Aric Almirola and Smithfield Foods will team up with Biagi DenBeste Racing for Friday night’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Richmond International Raceway. Almirola will pilot the No. 98 Smithfield Ford in his third NXS race this season at Smithfield's home track. He is scheduled to race five more XFINITY races in the No. 98 Biagi DenBeste Racing Ford.

Almirola raced the No. 98 Ford at Daytona International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this year, where he scored two Top-11 finishes. Almirola has five career starts at Richmond in the NXS and an average finish of 16.4, with a highest finish of seventh.

"I'm really excited to run the XFINITY race in Richmond," said Almirola. "It's a hometown race for Smithfield, so we'll have a lot of people cheering us on. It's also a night race which always has added excitement. I've had some success there in the past, so hopefully, we'll be fueled by bacon all the way to the Winner's Circle."

Located just down the road from Richmond, Smithfield considers Richmond International Raceway its "home track." Founded in Smithfield, Virginia in 1936, the company is a leading provider of high-quality pork products such as ham, bacon, ribs, sausage, and pork chops. The Virginia-based company will also adorn the hood of the No. 43 Ford with Almirola in Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series race.

"We're thrilled to have added exposure at our home track, Richmond International Raceway," said Dennis Pittman, Smithfield Senior Director of Corporate Communications. "We're looking forward to a shot at Victory Lane two nights in a row. We'll have a lot of guests at the track this weekend and can't wait for them to experience all the excitement."