- My fellow citizens, let no one doubt that this is a difficult and dangerous effort. Our goal is not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

LYNDON B. JOHNSON: We Americans will welcome these Cuban people. For the tides of history runs strong, and in another day, they can return to their homeland.

BARACK OBAMA: Change is hard in our own lives and in the lives of nations. Today America chooses to cut loose the shackles of the past, to advance the dreams of our citizens.

ARIC ALMIROLA: So just flew in from Charlotte, which is home now, and coming back to Tampa, which was home for 18 years of my life. And going to go see abuela and my dad. I've, you know, grown up around them my whole life and never really asked any questions about where they grew up, where they were raised, and the area that defined who they were.

I've got an incredible opportunity ahead of me to get to go to Cuba and trace the roots of my family, and find out more information about the Almirola name. My family has made so much sacrifice, you know, in so many different ways, but my dad's side of the family, the sacrifice was to leave their native country and come to America at chance for a better life for their family.

Incredible that they took that leap of faith. And, you know, here I am. A byproduct of that, right? I'm living the American dream. I want to go back to Cuba and see who I am and how I got to be a Cuban American who drives in NASCAR.

I'm calling it right now. Ay papi.

- Hello! Boy.

- Hey, abuela.

- Thak you, papo, for coming.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH] I'm not getting taller, you're getting shorter.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): When Fidel Castro took power in Cuba, my grandparents knew that they didn't want to be a part of what Fidel wanted to turn Cuba into, so they decided to leave.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): Abuelo and abuela boarded one of the Freedom Flights and left Cuba in 1966 with two small children and not $1 in their pocket.

- You listen to me.

- Oh, yes.

- I love you.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): My dad was four years old and he hasn't been back since.

- Hey. Hey, dad. Love you.

- So how was your flight?

- It was good. Yeah, it was good.

- I have a great desire to go back to Cuba. I don't know how I would be welcomed back in my own country. I'm not willing to take that risk.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): Since they left Cuba as political refugees, they still don't feel safe going back.

- Did they tell you I'm going to go back? Yeah.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): So I'm going back almost as a surrogate for my dad. And hopefully, he'll get to experience a little bit through me.

- To know that he's going to see people that I never got to have any experience with, because they're all family. Blood.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): When I go back, I want to be able to retrace our family's history there and go see where you guys came from.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

- [SPANISH]

[HORN HONKS]

[DOG BARKS]

- [SPANISH] let's go.

- Vamos.

- Vamos.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): Landing in Cuba is unreal. It's literally like time has stood still.

- First impressions in Cuba?

- Uh, retro. [SPANISH]

- Retro.

- Retro. Si. Old but cool. Do you like cars?

- I like cars. Yeah.

- This car would have been a police car with a roof on it.

- Yeah. Before.

- Before the revolution victory.

- Yeah.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): It seems like cars are a national passion, and my taxi driver, Andrew, has someone he wants me to meet.

- Hola.

- This is awesome. This is so cool.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): Julio and his wife own a car restoration shop, Nostalgia Car. It's the perfect name.

- 1951 Ford original. Can I race this? How do you find parts? The parts.

- United States.

- So you call your friend in Miami, and your friend in Miami order the parts.

- Exactly.

- And then you get the parts delivered here.

- Yeah.

- A long time.

- [SPANISH]

- [SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH] I can totally imagine mi abuelos with the ninos driving in Cubano. I want one. I want this car. [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Bye bye!

[SPANISH SINGING]

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): Central Havana.

MAN: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): Andrew takes me to Parque Central. It's like an amazing open air car museum. There's a lot of pride and people know their cars.

- V8?

- V8. V8.

- Edelbrock?

- Yes. Yeah. It's got an Edelbrock intake on it. Yes. Look. That's me.

- Yeah?

- NASCAR. Nah, that's much better.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): I was told if I wanted to see some authentic Cuban style racing there was only one place to go.

[NON-ENGLISH SINGING]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): And I was not disappointed. [SPEAKING SPANISH] , as they call it, is a homemade cart that takes you back to the very basics of racing. It's just pure fun.

ALL: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

ARIC ALMIROLA: We're walking down what used to be Paseo de Marti, and now it's Paseo del Prado. And I can assure you that my abuela walked right down where I'm walking right now. Just the first handful hours of being here, I think the thing that strikes me is the culture.

You can take my family out of this country, but you can't take this country out of my family. And so the culture has come to America with them, and that's the culture that I grew up in. Immediately upon getting here and arriving to Cuba, I identified with that.

The people, the way they look, the way they carry themselves, all of those things remind me of who I am. I feel pride that I'm here knowing that my family came from here, and I also feel really fortunate that I get to be here. I know my dad would give anything for this experience.

[PHONE RINGS]

Hey, dad.

DAD (ON PHONE): Hello?

- Hey.

DAD (ON PHONE): Hey, buddy.

- How are you?

DAD (ON PHONE): Good, how are you?

- Good. We landed in Havana about four or five hours ago and we've toured the entire city. It has been incredible. It's hard for me to think about walking the streets and seeing everything here to think about the fact that this was home, right? This was home. It's hard to fathom what that must have been like for them to pack you guys up and head to America.

DAD (ON PHONE): You know, the experience you [INAUDIBLE] has been a dream of mine. I've gotten to see a few of the family when they traveled here, but it's nothing like going home to a clan of Almirolas.

- Yeah, and I can't wait. All right, I love you guys.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Good morning. We're in Cotorro, which is where abuela's family lived. Abuela, this is the street that you lived on. I'm sure you'll remember. Wow. That's the house. That's the house abuela lived in. Oh, she's not happy.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): The current owners of abuela's house are communist, and they know all about the Almirolas. They don't support the part of the family that left Cuba. That's where abuelo, and abuela, and my dad, and [INAUDIBLE] lived.

They make sure to let us know quickly that we are not welcome. We cannot get out of the car for long with cameras, but the quick pic that I get leaves a mark on me. They left that. That's where they left when they left Havana to go to America. That was home. That was, that was home.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): Next, we head over to visit my great aunt Norma.

- Hey.

- Hey! Hola!

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): In Vedado.

- Aric. [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Si.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): We've never met before, but looking at us, you'd think we've known each other our whole lives.

- Coffee?

- Si.

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): It's an instant connection.

- Abuelo, he called me [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Mucho.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): At Norma's, I see photos of abuelo and my dad that I've never seen before.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Si.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Aha.

- Mhm. [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Oh, yeah. Yeah.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- That's pretty cool.

- Si. Si. [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Yeah, Roberto.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Si.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Tell me what she's saying. I don't care--

- He was always happy and making jokes.

- Always. Si.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

- Gracias, [SPEAKING SPANISH].

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- I love you. Adios! [SPEAKING SPANISH] I love you.

ARIC ALMIROLA: It's going to be a big celebration, a party because I'm coming to visit. Which is, from what I understand, very traditional for Cubanos.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

ARIC ALMIROLA: We're going to go to Pinar del Rio to see a lot of my family.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Yeah.

- I really don't know that much about them other than they're Almirolas.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

ARIC ALMIROLA: And even though I've never met them, even though I've never gave them a hug, I've never talked to them on the telephone, I instantly feel connected and feel like they are my family. And they are. They are my family.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Hola!

ALL: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Hey, papi.

- Hola. Wow. [SPEAKING SPANISH]

[NON-ENGLISH SINGING]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

ALL: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

ALL: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

MAN: [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- It's hard to believe I made it all the way to Cuba. Salud.

- Salud.

- Did anybody else in the family have a desire to leave when my abuelo Rafael and Emilio left? Mi abuelo.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Emilio.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH]

- Si.

[SPANISH SINGING]

ARIC ALMIROLA (VOICEOVER): There's a saying in America that home is where the heart is, and there was no absence of a lot of heart in Cuba. I've always thought that it would be incredible to have the opportunity to come here and see where my roots are.

But I've always had reservations to that if I came that there may be trouble or that there may be issues with me being here. And then now that I've come, I've seen there's really nothing to be nervous about. Here it's like, come on. Everybody is welcome. They make you feel very comfortable. If you come here and don't feel comfortable, something's wrong.

When I come and stand on that shore and I look back at the city of Havana and think, I am so blessed and so fortunate to be who I am, to be doing what I'm doing, to have the career that I have, to have the family that I have.

I'm here and I am Aric Almirola. And I am who I am because in 1966, they got on an airplane and left Havana, Cuba because they wanted to create a better life for their family. And I get to live that every single day, and I'm grateful.