Dakoda Armstrong is ready to write his own piece of NASCAR history this weekend at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). The No. 43 has a bright history at the track on the Fourth of July weekend. It was the site of Richard Petty's 200th NASCAR victory in 1984. Thirty one years to the day later, Armstrong hopes it will be the site of his first win in the XFINITY Series. After several consistent weeks of climbing the point standings came to a halt in Chicago, Armstrong looks to regain his momentum with success at DIS. Currently, Armstrong sits 14th in the XFINITY Series Championship Point Standings, just one point shy of 13th position.
The No. 43 WinField team has finished in the Top-15 and Top-25 at the two restrictor plate races this season. The team will work off of the notes from Talladega, where Armstrong had a strong showing after running in the Top-Five for the majority of the race.
Armstrong has a total of seven starts at DIS in different racing series, including two ARCA Racing Series, two Truck Series and three XFINITY Series starts. In those seven starts, he has one Top-15 and two Top-20 finishes with a best finish of 11th in the spring race of this year. Armstrong also won his first XFINITY Series pole at this race in 2014.
Armstrong Weekend Chatter
"Daytona is a big deal. Since becoming a NASCAR driver, I've wanted to win at Daytona, and that remains high on my to-do list. We won the pole here last year, and I feel like I have a really good understanding of restrictor-plate racing. We had a strong car at Talladega. A lot of the setup will transfer over. The handling aspect here is more important because the groove is smaller, which means there's even less room for error. The WinField team and I are really looking forward this weekend. The fact that we get to run on the Fourth of July just adds to all the excitement. How great would it be to pick up my first win on America's birthday?"
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.