Dakoda Armstrong returned to one of his favorite tracks looking to regain his footing climbing the points standings after losing ground in a tough battle last week at Indianapolis. The No. 43 WinField Ford showed good speed early in the race before transmission issues held up progress through traffic. Thanks to some late race cautions, Armstrong was able to recover and finished in the 16th position. He maintains the 12th spot in the championship run.
Armstrong started the race from the 16th position. The race went green for the first 75 laps. Armstrong maintained 16th position for the first 40 laps. As the field spread out, Armstrong ran into heavy traffic. As he navigated through traffic, Armstrong fell back to 17th. The tire wear played into his favor, as Armstrong was able to match the leader with an open race track. Armstrong reported on Lap 65 the car was "loose on exit and needed more drive off." The opportunity for adjustment came in the form of a caution on Lap 75 for debris in Turn 2.
Kerr called Armstrong down to pit road. The WinField crew changed four tires, added fuel and made a track bar adjustment to help with drive-off. The race restarted on Lap 81 with Armstrong still in the 17th position. Armstrong raced in heavy mid-pack traffic over the next 23 laps before moving into 16th position. The tire wear didn't mix well with the first set of adjustments. Armstrong reported the car had "no side bite" and was unable to match the leader pace, as he did in the first segment. By Lap 130, Armstrong lost a lap and fell back to 17th position. Kerr told Armstrong to hang on to it until the next caution.
On Lap 144, the caution flag fell for debris in Turn 1 on Lap 144. Kerr called Armstrong to pit row. The WinField crew changed four tires, filled the fuel tank, and reversed the track bar adjustment from the first stop. The race restarted on Lap 150 with Armstrong in 17th position, one lap down. Armstrong matched the leaders pace while during the first 20 laps on fresh tires. The tires wore down and the track cooled, the handling changed on the race car. Armstrong fell back to 18th. Armstrong continued to race for 18th as the caution flag flew on Lap 205 for a spin in Turn 2. Armstrong stayed out to take advantage of the wave around. The race restarted on Lap 209 with Armstrong in 18th position on the lead lap.
The caution flag flew again quickly on Lap 211 for a multicar wreck on the front stretch. Armstrong pitted under the caution on Lap 212 for four tires and fuel. The race restarted on Lap 214. Armstrong struggled on the restart, immediately reporting issues with third gear. He regained momentum and advanced to 17th position by Lap 228. The caution flag flew again on Lap 230 for a two car wreck in Turn 1. Armstrong stayed out for track position and moved into 16th position. The race restarted on Lap 236, with Armstrong quickly falling to 18th position with the third gear issue still present.
The remainder of the race was riddled by cautions as tempers flared on track. Five laps later on Lap 241, the caution flag flew for a multicar wreck on the front stretch. Armstrong avoided the wreck while racing for 18th position. Armstrong stayed out. The race restarted on Lap 245. Four short laps later on Lap 249, another multicar wreck on the front stretch brought out the caution flag. Armstrong avoided the wreck and advanced to 16th position. The caution sent the race into overtime. The race restarted on Lap 253 for the first attempt at a Green-White-Checker finish. Before the leader could take the white flag, a four wreck on the front stretch brought the races final caution on Lap 255. Armstrong avoided the spinning cars and advanced to 13th position.
The race restarted on Lap 258. Armstrong restarted in 13th position. Cars shuffled around in front of the WinField Ford due to contact, slowing Armstrong's progress. He fell back to 16th as the checkered flag fell on Lap 260. He maintains 12th position in the points standing.
"That was a wild race. We had a much better car than where we finished. We made a bad set of adjustments early in the race and lost a lap in the process. We were able to fix it on the next pit stop and had a pretty fast car, but we were stuck a lap down. Just as soon as we were able to get back on the lead lap and start moving forward again, we had issues with third gear. Those last fifty laps were crazy! There was no give out there. You could feel the tension. I'm proud of the WinField team. We never gave up. We were able to avoid all the wrecks and bring home a decent finish."
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.