● Go Bowling, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), and Aric Almirola have teamed up yet again to present one of the largest bowling activations of the year – at one of the largest motorsports events of the year. Almirola will pilot the Go Bowling paint scheme on his No. 10 Ford Mustang and race for the win in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. While Almirola’s partnership with Go Bowling dates back to 2013, the partnership at SHR is stronger than ever with new activations and strategic campaigns to continue to drive NASCAR fans and bowlers to the No. 1 participatory sport in the world. Race fans will get the opportunity to see Almirola bowl at the Go Bowling hospitality tent located in the fan zone Sunday at 12:10 p.m. EDT.
● Almirola has 38 road-course starts in the NASCAR Cup Series with two top-10 finishes and a best of eighth at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in 2018. His road-course results include five top-20s at Watkins Glen with a best finish of 12th in 2019, three top-20s on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval with a best of 14th in 2019, and a 12th-place finish in the non-points Busch Clash in 2020 on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course. While Almirola is seeking a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series to catapult him into the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs, he raced his way to victory lane June 10 in the Xfinity Series race at Sonoma.
● Almirola has qualified in the top-10 at Watkins Glen in three out of his last four attempts, with a best starting spot of seventh in 2018.
● Last weekend on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Almirola qualified 33rd and ran inside the top-20 until the No. 10 Ford ran out of fuel with just two laps to go.
● Driver Points: Almirola arrives at Watkins Glen 24th in the driver standings.
● Almirola’s career: In 448 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 93 top-10s, five poles, and has led 1,068 laps.
● GoBowling.com is the destination for bowling fans and enthusiasts seeking news and information about one of America’s favorite pastimes and the nation’s No. 1 participatory sport. With more than 67 million people taking to the lanes each year, GoBowling.com is a one-stop location where people of all ages can satisfy their love of bowling.
Aric Almirola:
You just raced on the Indianapolis road course and now you’re headed to Watkins Glen to make it back-to-back road-course races. Does it seem like the competition is tougher as drivers have more opportunities than ever to hone their road-course skills?
“The Indianapolis road course is such a different feel, but we don’t typically race road courses back-to-back. You can bet the competition is going to be tight this weekend, both from a driver standpoint and teams honing in their road-course program. I think it will be a good weekend for us. I like Watkins Glen, where anything can happen. We had a new winner last weekend with Michael McDowell who is usually the underdog with a smaller team so, with the cars so close, you could see another new winner this weekend.”
You have been with Go Bowling since 2013 and have continued to help grow the sport through racing. Why has it been so successful?
“It’s a mix of the hard work from everyone at Go Bowling, Strike Ten Entertainment and the race team, and the NASCAR fans being the perfect demographic to market to. NASCAR fans are the most sponsor-loyal fans in the world with American values and, in this case, the sponsorship is a sport that every single one of them can participate in. When you look at all of the creative activations Go Bowling does, like bringing the lanes to the racetrack, setting up appearances to talk to fans about racing and bowling, and the fun opportunities that are provided through sweepstakes, you see a heightened level of excitement at the lanes. Not to mention, there are millions of fans at home watching the No. 10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang at the Go Bowling at The Glen. It’s a win for everyone – especially race fans.”
Have you enjoyed the road-course racing at Watkins Glen?
“Watkins Glen is one of my favorite road courses. It’s so flowy and fast and you get in such a rhythm going through the bus stop. It’s unlike anything we do anywhere else. It’s incredible to drive a racecar to its limits and go through that chicane at 120 to 130 miles per hour. I remember before I ever went and made a lap at Watkins Glen, I walked back there to the backstretch and stood and watched Cup practice before I went out in an Xfinity car. And I watched the Cup cars go through there and was like, ‘Whoa! You want me to do that? Like, I don’t know if I can do that.’ But it’s just an awesome place. It’s a really great racetrack. We have a great fan base there up in New York and it’s always a packed house.”
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