Loose wheel sends Almirola crashing out of New Hampshire lead

Aric Almirola crashed from the NASCAR Cup Series race lead Monday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway because of a loose right rear wheel.

Fortune had swung Almirola’s way when the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing team took two tires under a lap 162 caution to get him off pit road first. Almirola lined up as the race leader, choosing the outside lane for the restart with Kyle Larson to his inside.

There were no issues on the initial launch, but once he got to the corner, the wheel began working itself off the car. Almirola’s Ford wiggled and shot to the outside wall.