DOVER, Del. – It was a case of déjà vu Aric Almirola didn’t want to see again.
Almirola was leading Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 at Dover International Speedway with eight laps left. Right in front of him was his first victory of the season and a guaranteed transfer into the Round of 8 of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
But Bowyer’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Clint Bowyer, smacked the Turn 4 wall on Lap 392 of a scheduled 400, and Almirola restarted sixth on Lap 397 behind three cars that stayed out during the caution for Bowyer’s accident and two others that took only two tires during the stop.
WATCH: Bowyer wrecks late | … Then Almirola triggers another wreck
After exiting Turn 2 on the restart lap, Almirola tapped the outside wall on the backstretch and triggered a five-car accident — involving only playoff contenders — that ended his winning chances. Almirola rolled home in 13th place and fell into a tie for ninth in the standings with Bowyer.
Coincidentally, in July race at New Hampshire, Bowyer also caused the final caution when Almirola had a good-sized lead.
“We’ve had so many opportunities and been so close and had the car to win and been in position, and I don’t know, it just seems to not come through,” a disconsolate Almirola said after the race. “I don’t know. I’m frustrated and mad and angry. I don’t know. I could have been conservative and probably finish third or fourth like Kurt (Busch).
“It’s just track position is so tough, and it’s so hard to pass here. On that restart, I tried to at least go where they weren’t to the top, and the 11 (runner-up Denny Hamlin) moved up to kind of block me, and I just got really tight off of (Turn) 2, and I bounced off the fence and got into Brad (Keselowski) and tore up a lot of race cars along the back straightaway.
“I hate that for everybody that was involved, but it kind of killed our day, too. I don’t know. I feel like we should be over there in Victory Lane celebrating, but we’re not.”
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