DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 13, 2010) – In only his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Daytona International Speedway, Aric Almirola cruised to a 12^th-place finish in the NextEra Energy Resources 250.  Piloting the No. 51 AKAwareness.com Graceway Pharmaceuticals ®, LLC Toyota Tundra fielded by Billy Ballew Motorsports, Almirola and crew overcame a damaged vehicle to score a top-15 in the season opener.

Almirola qualified his No. 51 Tundra in seventh-place.  When the action got underway, it didn’t take long for the unpredictability of restrictor plate racing to kick in.  On lap 1, the No. 3 truck bounced off of Almirola’s machine and triggered a multi-vehicle wreck.  Fortunately, the AKAwareness.com Toyota wasn’t damaged in the incident and lined up in seventh-place for the restart.

The yellow flag waved on lap 19, giving Almirola a chance to bring his truck to the attention of his crew.  Almirola assured his team, “This truck is awesome! Really good; I don’t need any changes, just looking for someone to draft with.” Following service, Almirola returned to the track in 11^th-place.

On lap 24, another “big one” took place when the No. 33 truck spun in front of the field. This time Almirola wasn’t as lucky.  The No. 51 truck received damage to the left-front fender and needed repairs. The Richie Wauters-led crew reshaped the fenders and front bumper of Almirola’s truck and sent him back on the track.  The repairs sent Almirola one lap down to the leaders.

The damaged fender was causing the No. 51 truck to handle more tightly than it had beforehand.  The crew took advantage of the ensuing cautions to continue restoring his truck to its original shape.  Their hard work finally paid off when Almirola raced his way into the “Lucky Dog” position, lap 61, and a fortuitous caution flag allowed him to return to the lead lap. The No. 51 Toyota lined up in 14^th-place for the restart.

 With nowhere to go but up, Almirola did just that.  When green flag action resumed, Almirola tactfully negotiated the draft and avoided trouble to improve his position.  Although his truck was still fighting a tight condition, Almirola managed to pick up two additional spots to take the checkers in 12^th-place.

The No. 51 AKAwareness.com Graceway Pharmaceuticals ®, LLC Toyota Tundra will return to competition at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 6 at 2:00 PM. MRN and SPEED TV will cover the event.

For more information on actinic keratosis (AK) please visit www.AKAwareness.com; ‘Is it AK or OK’ is sponsored by Graceway Pharmaceuticals®.   Graceway’s sponsorship is part of a national public education campaign to raise awareness of actinic keratosis (AK) — a potential early warning sign of skin cancer — as well as the long-term consequences of sun damage over a lifetime.  It is estimated that about 10 million Americans have AK, a common pre-cancer that often develops on skin frequently exposed to the sun. 

Graceway Pharmaceuticals®, LLC, headquartered in Bristol, Tennessee, is dermatology focused pharmaceutical company which focuses on acquiring, in-licensing, and developing branded prescription pharmaceutical products.   Current prescription products marketed by Graceway include Aldara®, Maxair® Autohaler®, and Atopiclair®.

Aldara®, Maxair® Autohaler®, Maxair and Design™, Atopiclair, and the Leaf Design® are trademarks owned by or licensed to Graceway Pharmaceuticals, LLC.