Running in NASCAR’s top series for the first time in his home state, Aric Almirola hopes to end the year strong for DEI.

Running part time in the Cup Series this year, Almirola has impressed his competitors beginning with an eighth place finish in the March race at Bristol. In addition to his top-10, Almirola has ended his last five races in the top-20.

With his hometown of Tampa located three hours away, he is sure to have friends and family attending Sunday’s season finale. Hoping to add to his recent streak, Almirola also wants to astonish those close to him as he closes out the season.

"Being that this race is close to home there will be relatives and friends keeping a close eye on me," said Almirola. "I am pumped about this weekend and feel confident this U.S. Army/DEI team will have a good showing. I also want to give our Soldiers a performance they can be proud of."

Making two earlier starts at Homestead, Almirola was able to finish 23rd in the Truck Series race in 2006 and assemble an 18th place outing in the 2007 Nationwide affair.

"I always look forward to Homestead -- it's a fun track," added Almirola. "It's wide and you can race all over it. This is really exciting for me to drive the No. 8 Army Chevy Impala SS in the final Cup race of the year."

Next year Almirola will take command of the No. 8 DEI Chevrolet full time. A stalwart finish in the closing race of the season may be exactly what the Almirola needs to pull the team together and furnish some momentum heading into next year.

Currently located in the 14th spot in the owner’s standings, Almirola hopes his finish in the Ford 400 is good enough to hold the team’s ground.

"This is a great race team and I've enjoyed my association with every crew member," said Almirola. "We're 14th in owner points and if we can finish strong that will speak loudly for what our race team has accomplished this year with two different drivers. To finish 14th would be spectacular."