The calendar has finally reached the circled date Dakoda Armstrong has been eyeing all season, Talladega Superspeedway (TSS). The track where Armstrong earned his first stock car win could be the race to turn his season around. After two frustrating weekends of short track racing, the No. 43 WinField team feels very confident this weekend will reward them with a Top-five finish, especially with how well they ran at restrictor plate tracks last season. Currently, Armstrong sits 15th in the XFINITY Series Championship Point Standings.
Armstong has six prior starts at TSS. He has two in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. He scored a win in the ARCA Racing Series in his first start in the series in 2010.
Armstrong Weekend Chatter
"I can't wait to get to Talladega. I won my first stock car race at the track and have ran well every time I've raced there. We had a great car there last year; our 18th place finish doesn't tell the whole story. We were shuffled out of the draft at the end of the race, which is frustrating but very typical of restrictor plate racing. We're coming off two frustrating weekends of short track racing. We have good cars, a great team, and an amazing pit crew. We really need that to get the momentum back in our favor.
"In order to win at Talladega, you have to keep yourself out of trouble, avoid the big wrecks, and find the cars your car drafts well with. Most people think that all the cars are created equally, but that's simply not true. Some cars work great together, and others don't. It's important to have good pit stops, so you can stay with those other fast cars throughout the race. It's easy to get separated if you lose time on pit road, but I don't think we'll have to worry about that. I think everyone on the team is excited about this weekend. We know we can go out and compete for the win."
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.