Aric Almirola ready for Daytona 500 debut

Daytona Beach, FL- Prepping for his first run in the Daytona 500 isn't just fulfulling a childhood dream for 24 year old Aric Almirola. It also completes a family legacy.

"To be able to look back and think about the times I used to go to the track with my grandfather and my dad, when my grandfather was racing, to see how it's come full circle, and now I'm racing... Wasn't too long ago I was sitting in the stands like everybody else,"says the Tampa native who graduated from Hillsborough High. "It's just special."

And after sharing a ride in his Sprint Cup start in 2008, he is finally all on his own with Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing.

"I'm ready. For so many years now I've been sharing a car with somebody and running part-time or whatever, so this year... I get to run 36 races every single weekend and that's gonna be important for me."

With twelve races under his belt last year, Aric can't contend for Rookie of the Year in 2009 no matter how well he does because seven races is the limit for consideration. But that doesn't mean he's still not ready to make a splash in his No. 8 Guitar Hero World Tour Chevy Impala this season.

"I learned a lot in those five (extra) races, so to be able to take that into this year and take what I've learned over last year, and take it into this year and hopefully many more years, is gonna be far more beneficial than winning a trophy and letting it collect a bunch of dust."

Now can he leave the competition in the dust in his first drive at Daytona? With a big smile of confidence, Almirola nods a big yes.

"This place is so wild and so crazy. If you can get a little help from somebody and get a big push, anything's possible."

Aric started in go-kart racing at just eight years old. In 2003, he was one of the first drivers to participate in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program and got his start signing with Joe Gibbs Racing (2004-2007). In 2008, he joined Earnhardt-Ganassi. For more on Aric Almirola's career, see www.aricalmirola.com