Aric Almirola (born March 14, 1984 in Tampa, Florida) is an American Stock car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driving the #43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to pursue a career in racing. Following the incident at Milwaukee, Almirola departed Joe Gibbs Racing to join Dale Earnhardt Inc. following the sale of Ginn Racing. Almirola was named co-driver of the #8 United States Army Chevy in the 2008 Sprint Cup, sharing the ride with Mark Martin.