Car Racing

NASCAR driver Aric Almirola shares video devotional: 'Put the focus on God'

By Kevin Mercer Mar 23, 2020
NASCAR's Aric Almirola hugs his children before the Daytona 500, Feb. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

With the NASCAR season suspended until at least May 9 due to the coronavirus pandemic, drivers are finding ways to fill their spare time and get their minds off of the uncertainty of the world. For Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 car for Stewart-Haas Racing, that has meant homeschooling his 7-year-old son, Alex, and 6-year-old daughter, Abby, and spending quality time with God.

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Almirola took to Twitter on Friday to share a devotional about Philippians 4:6-7. Almirola said it’s been a passage of the Bible that has been especially meaningful to him during this trying time:

“For me, it just reminds me that, one, worrying doesn’t really accomplish anything, and two, most of the time that I worry, it’s usually worries about myself … It says to not worry and instead pray about everything, and to tell God what you need and to thank Him for all He has done,” Almirola said. “For me, it’s just a good reminder to shift the focus off of myself and to put the focus on God and to thank Him for all He has done in my life — which is a lot and I’m very grateful. And when I shift my focus and my attitude to gratitude, a lot of that worry kind of fades away.”

Last fall, Almirola also used social media to post a video of his baptism while detailing what God has done in his life and the joy and contentment that comes with a relationship with Him.

Almirola said he searched tirelessly for meaning and purpose in the things of this world to fill the void in his life, but nothing would satisfy. It wasn’t until he stopped striving for fulfillment on his own and let the Word of God satisfy his soul that he finally experienced what he was searching for all along.

Almirola, who turned 36 earlier this month, first raced in the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2005 and in the top-level NASCAR Cup Series in 2007. He has three wins and 38 top-10 finishes in 102 races in the Xfinity Series. In 320 races in the Cup Series, Almirola has posted two wins and 63 top-10 finishes. He was born and raised in Florida and is nicknamed the Cuban Missile because of his Cuban heritage.

NASCAR officials have said that the plan is still to hold all 36 races of the season with a rescheduling format still to be determined.

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