Aric A. Almirola (born March 14, 1984) is an American professional driver. He currently competes full-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 43 Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports, and part-time in the Xfinity Series, driving the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Biagi-DenBeste Racing. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida to work on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to pursue a career in racing. He is nicknamed "The Cuban Missile" due to his Cuban heritage.

Almirola was born on Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, of Cuban descent. He began racing when he was eight years old, racing go-karts. At 14, he began racing nationally. He won the pole position in his debut in the World Karting Association race and finished fourth in the standings that year. Two years later, he moved up into modifieds and won several Rookie of the Year awards.

In 2002, Almirola moved to the NASCAR Sun Belt Weekly Racing Division and finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings. He followed that up with five pole positions in 2003. In 2004, he became one of the first drivers to participate in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. He also signed with Joe Gibbs Racing as a development driver under a partnership with former NFL player Reggie White. Almirola ran the season at Ace Speedway, and won two races before finishing 11th in the points standings. He won five more races at the track in 2005, and made his Truck Series debut with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports and had two top-tens in four races.

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