Almirola eighth on return to Cup action.

Aric Almirola sure didn't look like a driver who had not competed in more than four months as, in only his seventh career NASCAR Cup Series start, he took on one of NASCAR's toughest tracks and posted an eighth-place finish.

Bristol Motor Speedway was the venue for the 24-year old US Army Chevrolet driver's first stand-in appearance for veteran mark Martin, and he wasted no time in impressing the DEI crew with his application.

"Awesome, just awesome," said crew chief Tony Gibson, "Aric drove the wheels off that Army Chevrolet. We had a decent car, not a great one, but Aric drove both patiently and hard. He has talent. The team believes in him and he believes in us. He is in the future and we're just happy that he is driving our stuff."

Almirola, whose last Cup race was in November in ...