Aric Almirola's Coke Zero 400 victory at the Daytona International Speedway earlier this month was extra special for the young Cuban-American National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) stock-car driver. Almirola not only became the third Hispanic driver to win a circuit race but drove into victory lane in the #43 30 years to the weekend after his boss Richard Petty won his 200th race.

"It's special to win in the '43' no matter when you do it, but to win in July at Daytona on the 30th anniversary of Richard Petty winning his 200th race in the Cup series is that much more special," Almirola told Latin Post.

Almirola's win at Daytona also earned him a spot in the 2014 Chase to The Sprint Cup — NASCAR's version of a playoff system used to determine the race car series champion.

"I'm super excited about the possibility of us being in The Chase, to have that opportunity to race against the best of the best." said Almirola, known as "The Cuban Missile" to his fans. "The top 16 teams in the series are going to get to duke it out for the championship and we're going to get to be a part of that. That's really neat."

Almirola is having an amazing 2014 season after finishing 20th in the overall Sprint Cup standings and 18th in 2013 with one top-5 and six top-10 finishes. On top of winning his first race on a day that is special to his boss (Almirola drives with Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), having signed with them in 2012) as well earning a spot in The Chase, the 30-year-old driver joins Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombian who won the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in 2007) and Nelson Piquet Jr. (Brazilian who won the Sargento 200 NASCAR Nationwide race in 2012), as the only Hispanics to win a circuit race in the stock car series.

"I'm so proud of the fact that my family came over from Cuba in 1966, and they sacrificed everything that they had to come to America and create a better life for not only themselves but for their families and for future generations of their family, and I get to be living proof of that," Almirola said. "I'm living not only the American Dream, but I'm living my dream. I get to drive a race car for a living, and I'm doing it at the highest-level professional level there is in auto racing. To be able to do that and now to be able to call myself a winner at this level is very special, and I'm very proud of my Cuban heritage and everything my family has done."

Almirola grew up in Tampa Bay, Florida and was introduced to the sport by his grandfather on his mother's side, Sam Rodriguez, a three-time Tampa Bay Area champion who raced stock cars all over the east coast. Almirola jumped into the sport at the age of 8, competing in the World Karting Association and earning the pole position in the Grand National event in Daytona, making his Coke Zero 400 victory all that more special by winning at the prestigious track.

"It meant the world to me to get my first win at Daytona because I grew up in Tampa, Florida, just two hours away and Daytona is a very special for me," Almirola said. "I grew up going over there and watching the races from the grandstands at Daytona. When I was racing go-carts, we'd go over there in the wintertime, day after Christmas, and we'd go to Daytona cart week. And so I've always gone over to Daytona and always been on the outside of the race track looking in and wondered what it would be like to race there and just dreamed of racing a stock car at Daytona. And now not only have I only been able to race stock cars at Daytona for several years now, but now I'm a winner at Daytona in a Sprint Cup car. It truly is a dream come true."

With seven races left, including Sunday's Brickyard 400 (renamed Crown Royal Presents The John Wayne Walding 400) at the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Almirola begins his preparation for the 2014 Chase to the Sprint Cup. Almirola relishes the role of underdog, knowing he has to face the likes Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, points leader Brad Keselowski, and current NASCAR Sprint Cup defending champion Jimmie Johnson — who has won the title six times in his career.

But Almirola is more than up for the challenge.

"I like my chances. I know that we're an underdog but we get to go into The Chase with not a lot of pressure," said Almirola. "There are not going to be a lot of eyes on us. And I like that. I welcome that. We'll be able to go out and do whatever we want. If we don't win, people expect that anyway, but if we go out and shock the world, that's going to be really cool. I'm looking forward to it."

Almirola's hard work with RPM was rewarded at the start of the 2014 season. He signed a new three-year deal with Petty's company and main sponsor Smithfield Foods, who stepped up their investment in the driver and race company. Their support has given the team a huge boost and will go a long way as they head into the Chase For The Cup.

"In our sport, the term 'money buys speed' is very very true," said Almirola. "For me, if Smithfield Foods were to have stayed at the level of commitment that they were at years past, I really don't think this would have even been a possibility to win a race. And even if we did, had we still won in Daytona, I would be really skeptical about our chances when it came down to race for a championship. But now that we have a significant increase in investment from Smithfield, our program at Richard Petty Motorsports is getting a lot better."

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Expanding NASCAR's fan-base has been a huge part of Vice President of Brand, Consumer and Series Marketing at NASCAR Kim Brink's initiative plans since joining the race series' front office in 2011. Brink laid down the foundation for NASCAR's Five-Year Plan, designed to increase the sport's appeal to youth, Generation Y, and Hispanic markets. As part of their Five-Year Plan, NASCAR has been using Phoenix, Arizona as a test market city for a 12-month pilot program aimed at finding ways to connect with Hispanic fans.

NASCAR has also been aggressive in expanding their Spanish-language programming, airing races on Fox Deportes including the Daytona 500, which was broadcast in Spanish for the second year a row on the sports network. Their biggest move may have been the recent 10-year deal NASCAR signed with NBCSports last year, which allows races to be broadcast on Telemundo and Mun2, including the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series live in the U.S. for the first time, beginning in 2015.

Almirola is proud to be a part of helping the stock car series expand their fan base.

"I think it's so great to be able to reach out to the Hispanic market because it's such a big market and the Hispanic culture loves racing," said Almirola. "I'm happy that NASCAR is doing so much to reach out to my people. That's my people, that's where I come from, and being a first-born, first-generation Cuban-American, I completely relate to the Hispanic population and I feel like it's such a good thing to be able to engage those people and show them what our sport is all about."

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