Bristol Win Has Fans Wondering if Joe Gibbs Gave Up Too Soon on Betrayed Cup Star

It was a crisp September night at Bristol Motor Speedway, and the lights glowed over the half-mile concrete bowl like a fighter stepping into the ring. The 2025 Xfinity Series playoffs kicked off with the Food City 300, and Aric Almirola, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, quietly positioned himself for a special win. When many competitors pitted, Almirola stayed out on older tires. He led the final 34 laps of the race, fending off a relentless Sheldon Creed and others charging on fresh rubber. It was his 9th Xfinity win overall and his 2nd of the season, but more than that, his first Bristol win. The cheers weren’t just for a win, but for something almost overdue.

After the checkered flag, Almirola didn’t hide his emotions about how long he had waited for this at Bristol. “I have run so good here throughout my entire career and never been able to experience this, what it feels like to win at Bristol,” he said, explaining that his car “took a little bit to get going… I was kind of slipping and sliding and couldn’t get my car to do exactly what I wanted. And then about 10 laps into the run, my car would finally start coming to me and do what I wanted it to do.”

He also explained the contention on track with the Hass Factory Team drivers, “I was on defense there with Sam behind me and he was really doing a good job of keeping the pressure on me,” and trying to find the groove, getting the car to respond, while it was “a little bit loose, a little bit tight” until it finally came alive and gave him his desired win.

But that win set the stage for a question that has been simmering in community forums. One fan on Reddit stated, “How good would Aric Almirola be if he drove for Gibbs in the cup series? He should’ve been patient and stayed at JGR, instead he hopped in the 8 car.” Almirola made his Xfinity debut with JGR in 2006 and earned a win in 2007 at the Milwaukee Mile under JGR’s banner. However, in 2008, he transitioned into the Cup Series, sharing the No. 8 car at Dale Earnhardt Inc. with Mark Martin.

The move came after being booted out of the car in the middle of a race he was leading, where Denny Hamlin arrived late and substituted in for the No. 20 JGR car, losing the chance to finish the race. Though Hamlin went on to win, the victory was officially credited to Almirola since he started the race. But the abrupt substitution move left Almirola frustrated and feeling disrespected, leading to tension with JGR. Many fans and pundits believe that his performance at Bristol gave a window into what might’ve been in the Cup Series.

To understand whether these “what ifs” are just fantasy or plausible, you have to look at what JGR’s Cup Series has looked like in 2025. Denny Hamlin extended his contract, putting up multiple wins; Christopher Bell had a red-hot start with three straight victories early in the season; and Chase Briscoe has been carving out a larger role, often matching or exceeding expectations. They are established stars, and the team has to balance fresh talent with veteran performance. If Almirola had been part of that lineup earlier, could he have kept up, or even stood out among those names?

Fans are paying attention to every detail. Every Bristol win, every bold strategy call, every late-race battle becomes grist for the social media mill. And so has this discussion.

Fans reignite the Aric Almirola ‘what-if’ debate

One fan opined, “He’d be a 1 win a year type of driver. Not horrible, definitely not HoF level. Also it’s a big assumption to think he would have gotten a JGR cup ride. Don’t you remember all the other development drivers JGR had around that time that never made it to cup?” This holds in the case of other JGR development drivers as well. For instance, Cody Coughlin, signed by JGR’s development program in 2016, had early success in ARCA and regional series, but sponsorship issues and lack of opportunity prevented him from reaching long-term Cup status. Fans fear that Almirola will have to suffer the same fate in JGR’s Cup Series venture.

Another added, “”he should have stayed patient” he literally got booted out of the car in the middle of a race he was leading and likely would have dominated, no way he was gonna stay with Gibbs after that fiasco in Milwaukee.” Although winning the pole and leading 43 laps, running 3rd around Lap 59, the Milwaukee incident left Almirola alienated. He reportedly left the track immediately after the swap, declining to talk to the media, frustrated that despite running so well, he was denied the chance to finish and to officially stand in Victory Lane, despite being awarded the win eventually.

Some also reminisced, “He had no realistic path to the Cup series with JGR. Hamlin and Busch weren’t going anywhere, and Logano was already the heir apparent to the 20 when Stewart left. Almirola would have been stuck competing for Xfinity starts with people like Marc Davis, Brad Coleman, and Kevin Conway in 2008 just like he was in 2007, whether Milwaukee happened or not.” Almirola’s trajectory at JGR in 2007 underscored how crowded the Cup-aspiration ladder was. In that year, JGR’s No. 20 car was being shared by Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and soon Joey Logano. Therefore, Almirola’s chances at a stable full-time Cup ride under JGR looked blocked, making competing for sporadic Xfinity races all too likely.

Another compared his trajectory to that of Alex Bowman, writing, “Probably an Alex bowman at best. One win a year, top 10 driver, does well for himself but is way behind his teammates. I don’t think he’d be there long.” Bowman has zero wins so far in the 2025 Cup season, but has collected 6 top-5s and 14 top-10s across 28 starts. So, when compared to Bowman, whose driver rating is noticeably lower than some of his Hendrick teammates, and who finishes well without quite contending for the checkered flag, the comparison is somewhat apt.

Some even went down memory lane, stating, “Are yall forgetting the 2 years SHR was decent and he was there? He finished 5th in points. Missed the champ 4 by 1 position in, I think, 2019… He could have been a championship contender in Cup. Joel Edmonds said he was the best driver he ever worked with and that included Greg Biffle. He was on a sinking ship and had shit crew chiefs (looking at you, Johnny Klausmeir) except for 2019 when he had Bugaravich.” In 2018, Almirola indeed had one of his strongest Cup seasons with SHR, finishing 5th in the final point standings, powered by a season that included 17 top-10s and four top-5 finishes. At each instance, be it the 2019 Daytona 500 or the 2018 Talladega, his car was strong, yet strategy, luck, or mechanical misfortune prevented more victories.

His Bristol triumph is less a final chapter than a reminder that, in NASCAR, legacies are often rewritten overnight.