Almirola could return to Cup car by New Hampshire

Aric Almirola watched up close and personal Sunday afternoon as Billy Johnson drove his No. 43 in the Toyota Save / Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Still injured from the compression fracture to the T5 vertebra he suffered on May 13 at Kansas Speedway, Almirola was in attendance at Sonoma and watched the race from the pit box. Before doing so, Almirola said pre-race he's been feeling better and has another doctor visit and CT scan scheduled for this week.

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"I feel good," Almirola said. "Every day normal activity feels good, feels normal. Now I just got to wait for the bone to heal up."

The scan will give Almirola a better idea not only of his progress but when he can make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series return.

"Looking forward to getting good news (on the scan) and at that point we'll have to start going through the process of trying to get me back in the racecar," said Almirola, who has already spent time in a car on the shaker rig to see his comfort level sitting in the car.

The belief from Almirola's doctors and Richard Petty Motorsports as of earlier this month is that he could return to the driver's seat as soon as New Hampshire on July 8.

"I honestly don't know," Almirola said of his return date. "But if I had to guess it's probably anywhere from two to five (weeks). I really have to wait and see what the results show from the CT scan."