Aric Almirola has been AWOL from the NASCAR Xfinity Series ever since he missed an expected start for Joe Gibbs Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25 and a new report explains why.
According to The Athletic, Almirola was involved in a physical altercation with 23XI driver Bubba Wallace during a competition meeting that included the two Toyota teams.
This had been an unconfirmed rumor in NASCAR circles when it was announced last minute that Ty Gibbs would drive the No. 20 car in the race, but The Athletic says that sources have corroborated the story.
Joe Gibbs Racing told Fox Sports that it has no comment on the report and Bubba Wallace had previously denied that it happened.
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“No, we’ve had our disagreements before, but damn, that’s crazy,” Wallace said.
Almirola was caught on camera shoving Wallace at Charlotte Motor Speedway during a red flag session in 2023 as they argued about something that happened during the race.
Almirola retired from full-time Cup Series driving at the end of the 2023 season and was set to do a limited Xfinity Series schedule this year.
He has three top 5 finishes so far in 2024 that includes a win at Martinsville. where he also grabbed the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus.
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Almirola hasn’t publicly discussed the situation, but The Athletic was told he will return to the car for the Xfinity Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 20.
Christopher Bell was in the No. 20 car at New Hampshire Motor speedway last Saturday, where he won on the way to sweeping the weekend by adding a Cup Series win on Sunday.