Regan Smith Substituting for Almirola This Weekend May 18, 2017 NASCAR, Regional Management of Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) announced Wednesday that Regan Smith will drive the No. 43 Smithfield Ford in this weekend’s Monster Energy Open Race. Smith is filling in for Aric Almirola who suffered a compression fracture to his T5 Vertebra after a multi-car accident at Kansas Speedway last Saturday night. Almirola, along with RPM executives, will hold a press conference Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway where further information regarding Almirola’s recovery time and plans for his replacement are expected to be announced. Over the past few years, Smith has substituted for other top drivers who needed to be out of their cars, including Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart. Smith has 211 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts with one win. This year he is running a part-time NASCAR Camoing World Truck Series schedule with RBR Enterprises. Almirola made his first public appearance since the crash Wednesday evening when he fulfilled a promise made to a young child battling cancer last week by appearing with that child in the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation ‘Catwalk for a Cause’ fundraising event. Almirola said he was walking against the advice of his doctors but felt that enduring pain for a few hours was minimized by what the sick children are going through.
