Aric Almirola finished sixth in the Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.
The top-10 finish for Almirola, his 12th of the year, added 34 points to his season total. He has 669 total points, good enough for eighth place in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Almirola started in fifth position and led nine laps in the race, holding the lead a total of two times. The 13th-year driver has collected two career victories, with 23 top-five finishes and 73 results inside the top 10.
The sixth-place result on Sunday was the first time Almirola has cracked the top 10 at Michigan International Speedway.
The Tampa, Florida native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting 16 spots higher than his career mark of 20.6 and completing the race 16 places ahead of his 21.6 career average finish.
Almirola’s sixth-place finish came against 39 other drivers. The race endured five cautions and 24 caution laps. There were 10 lead changes.
Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag in the race, and Denny Hamlin finished second. Martin Truex Jr placed third, Kyle Busch took fourth, and Joey Logano closed out the top five.
After Clint Bowyer won Stage 1, Harvick seized control and won Stage 2 before taking the checkered flag.
