The Inaugural Univision Sports Award Show AcknowledgesĀ Almirola’s Accomplishments in 2014
CONCORD, N.C. (November 18, 2014) – Univision Deportes, the sport division of Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America, announced today that Cuban American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Aric Almirola is nominated for the Best Car Racing Performance Award in the inaugural Premios Univision Deportes awards. The two-hour show is the ultimate sports award show for U.S. Hispanics honoring top athletes and teams from the leagues and sports that Hispanics care about most.
Nomination is based on athletic performance and accomplishments in 2014. Almirola became the first Cuban American driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race when he captured his first win in the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway in July. The win secured him a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR’s official playoffs, another first for a Cuban American driver in the sport.
“It’s an honor to be recognized not only for my Hispanic heritage but for my performance in NASCAR,” said Almirola. “With everything my family gave up to come to America and have a better life, I am so proud to be successful here and for my abuelosto know that their sacrifice led to me living my dream of being a successful racecar driver. This was definitely the best year of my racing career, so it’s really humbling to have that acknowledged by Univision Deportes.”
Almirola got his start in NASCAR when Joe Gibbs signed him to participate in the Joe Gibbs Racing/Reggie White Driver Diversity Program. The then 19-year-old, who was studying mechanical engineering at the University of Central Florida, moved to North Carolina and began competing and winning in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series. He signed fulltime to race the iconic No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012.
Premios Univision Deportes will air on UniMƔs on Thursday, December 18th at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT with a simulcast on UDN (Univision Deportes Network). For a full list of nominations, please visit univisiondeportes.com/PremiosUD.
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneurs Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force, STP, Strike Ten Entertainment and Fresh From Florida, and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners STANLEY, DEWALT, Mac Tools and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.
