Aric Almirola Caught Up In Stage 2 Stack-Up
2 years agoAric Almirola started the Pala Casino 400 from the middle of the pack in 17th, and a similar starting position to begin Stage 2 was his downfall. Reportedly Joey Logano, the race leader, took longer on his restart to kick off Stage 2, causing an accordion effect that caught up several cars and eliminated Almirola and three other cars from the final race at Auto Club Speedway. Almirola was looking to back up his sixth-place finish from last year, but it did not come to pass. He finished 20th at the end of Stage 1 and started Stage 2 next to SHR teammate Ryan Preece, and both of them exited early at Lap 87 after the cars stacked up on the restart. After the race, Almirola shared his disappointment, saying, "It's disappointing to get wrecked out of the race like that on a silly Micky Mouse restart, but I should have known better."
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com