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Report: Aric Almirola serves indefinite suspension at Joe Gibbs Racing after altercation with Bubba Wallace

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RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – MARCH 30: Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 20 He Gets Us Toyota, walks down the starting grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on March 30, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Aric Almirola retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition after the 2023 season, but signed a part-time Xfinity Series schedule for 2024. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Aric Almirola hasn’t been seen in the Xfinity Series since his fifth-place finish at Darlington in May, and now we know why.

According to The Athletic, Almirola was suspended by Joe Gibbs Racing after an altercation with Bubba Wallace at a competitive meeting. Almirola was scheduled to compete in the Charlotte Xfinity race for JGR, but was replaced by Ty Gibbs in the days leading up to the race. The altercation was the reason.

From the Athletic:

The altercation occurred earlier in the week before the race in Charlotte during a weekly competition meeting attended by drivers from both JGR and 23XI Racing – Toyota supports both teams and there is a close technical alliance between them.

The exact reason for the dispute is unknown, but these sources said the team considered Almirola to be the instigator. As a result, the decision was made to suspend Almirola for the Charlotte race, for which he was originally listed as the driver of the No. 20 car.

The report confirms social media rumors that circulated in the weeks after Almirola was suddenly pulled from the car. He made five Xfinity Series starts for JGR in 2024 and won at Martinsville, and is reportedly set to return from suspension in July.

Almirola, 40, retired from full-time Cup Series competition at the end of the 2023 season. He earned three wins in 460 career starts at NASCAR’s top level and spent the final six seasons of his career with Stewart-Haas Racing.

After retiring, he returned to JGR part-time and was scheduled to compete in NASCAR’s No. 2 series for part of this season. Almirola drove for JGR earlier in his career and was credited with a win at Milwaukee in 2007 after qualifying on the pole and starting the race for Denny Hamlin. Hamlin replaced Almirola after the race began and drove back to the lead and the win.

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