Dakoda Armstrong and the No. 43 WinField Ford team finished 23rd in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The car struggled to find grip and balance on the high banks in Thunder Valley. The WinField team adjusted on the car throughout the race, but the fast pace and heavy traffic held Armstrong outside the Top-20.
Armstrong started the race from the 22nd spot but fell back to 29th fighting a loose race car and eventually losing two laps during the first long green-flag run. The caution fell on Lap 57 giving the team an opportunity to improve on the handling. Crew Chief Frankie Kerr called for four fresh tires and a wedge adjustment to help with grip on entry. Armstrong restarted 27th on Lap 63 and remained in that position for the majority of the next run. The heavy mid-field traffic made passing difficult, with Armstrong losing another two laps during the run.
The caution came out again on Lap 120 for fluid on the racing surface. In an effort to save tires for later in the race, Kerr told Armstrong to stay out and take advantage of the wave around to gain a lap back to the leaders. The field restarted on Lap 125 with Armstrong in 27th, three laps down. The race stayed green over the next 50 laps, and the WinField Ford improved over the run, gaining four positions.
A wreck on Lap 175 put the field under caution. Armstrong came to pit road under the yellow for four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to help with grip in the corners. Armstrong restarted 25th on Lap 180. In true Bristol fashion, there were four cautions for wrecks over the next 45 laps. Armstrong remained on track in the 25th position over this period. On Lap 210, the race was red flagged for just over 10 minutes to fix damage to the SAFER barrier from a hard wreck in Turn Three. The No. 43 restarted in 25th on Lap 215, five laps down. The race stayed green over the next 60 laps. The final caution fell on Lap 281. Kerr called the WinField Ford down to pit one last time, taking four scuff tires and fuel. The pit crew helped Armstrong gain two positions on pit road, restarting in 23rd. The field took the green flag on Lap 288. Armstrong maintained the position until the checkered flag flew and finished in 23rd. Armstrong improves one spot in the Championship Points Standing to the 14th position.
"The car was loose in and tight off," said Armstrong. "It's very tough to adjust handling with those conditions. Sometimes if you fix the loose entry, it'll make the car tighter off exit. Sometimes when you fix the tight off issue, the car may be looser on entry. It's a tough battle to fight, especially with the fast pace here at Bristol. This is probably the toughest place to pass on the schedule. The car has to handle well on the top and bottom to make any progress. It was a long day. Luckily, we avoided all the wrecks, the car wasn't beat up too badly and we gained a spot in the points. We'll take it and move on to Richmond."
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, 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.