After a Top-15 qualifying effort earlier in the day at Phoenix International Raceway, Dakoda Armstrong and the No. 43 WinField team gambled early with a two-tire pit stop. However, ultimately the cars that took four tires gained their spots back over a long run. Armstrong and the No. 43 Ford never ran outside the Top-20 but lack of grip later in the race prohibited him from advancing into the Top-15, finishing in the 18th position.
Armstrong started the 200-lap race from the 14th position, his best start of the year on a non-superspeedway track. The No. 43 WinField Ford maintained a Top-15 position until the car began to lose side bite later in the run. Armstrong was running in the 16th position when NASCAR Officials called a caution for debris on Lap 50. He reported the WinField Ford was good on exit but free on entry and progressively losing side bite in the run. With a strategy call early in the race, Crew Chief Frankie Kerr called for two right-side tires, a wedge adjustment and fuel. Armstrong restarted in the 12th position on Lap 55.
Not long after the restart, Armstrong reported that the No. 43 Ford didn't have good drive off the corner like it had earlier. He battled hard to stay in the Top-15 but eventually four tires prevailed. The No. 43 Ford was running in the 17th position when the yellow-flag waved on Lap 95. Armstrong reported the No. 43 Ford started to handle better at the end of the run, so Kerr called for four tires and fuel only. The WinField crew gained one position on pit road, and Armstrong restarted 16th on Lap 102.
The new tires made the No. 43 Ford lose grip causing the car to be loose on entry. The WinField crew received an opportunity to make adjustments when the third caution of the day came on Lap 124. Armstrong brought the WinField Ford to pit road for four tires, air pressure and trackbar adjustments and fuel. He restarted in the 16th position on Lap 134.
As the race continued, the No. 43 Ford continued to lose grip. The final caution on Lap 140, once again, allowed the WinField crew to make adjustments to the car. With no new tires left to put on the car, Armstrong came to pit road for a wedge adjustment and fuel only and restarted 17th with 44 laps to go.
Armstrong battled for position in the closing laps, but in the end, he took the checkered flag in the 18th spot. Armstrong drops one spot to 13th in the Championship Point Standings.
"I was really happy with our car for most of the weekend," said Armstrong. "Throughout practice and qualifying the No. 43 WinField Ford had great stability, and I felt really comfortable with it. We just missed making it into the final round and got a pretty decent starting spot for the race, but we kind of chased the car at the end because we started to lose grip. It wasn't the finish that we deserved for how good our car unloaded and felt throughout the majority of the weekend."
About Richard Petty Motorsports:
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force, STP, Strike Ten Entertainment and Fresh From Florida, and Sam Hornish Jr. drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Medallion Bank and Twisted Tea. In addition, Dakoda Armstrong wheels the No. 43 WinField Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.