The No. 43 WinField Team came to Bristol looking for a change of pace after two weeks of bad luck at road courses. However, late race contact brought another week of misfortune. Armstrong finished 24th and maintains 13th spot in the championship run.
Armstrong started the race from the 22th position. The race went green for the first 53 laps. Armstrong was racing for the 25th position when the leaders passed him on Lap 33 to put the No. 43 WinField Ford one lap down. Armstrong maintained the 25th position when the first caution flag of the day flew on Lap 54 for an accident in Turn 2. Armstrong stayed out during the caution to take advantage of the wave around. The race restarted on Lap 59 with Armstrong in 24th position back on the lead lap.
As the laps progressed, traffic became more congested. With no drive off, Armstrong struggled to keep pace. The leaders caught him on Lap 84, putting the WinField Ford one lap down. The car tightened up as the track changed. Armstrong lost another lap on Lap 110 while racing for 25th position. The second caution of the night flew on Lap 130 for debris in Turn 4. Kerr called Armstrong to pit road for a series of adjustments. The WinField crew changed four tires, filled the fuel tank, and made a track bar and wedge adjustment. The race restarted on Lap 136 with Armstrong in 24th position.
In true Bristol fashion, the caution flag flew again quickly after a congested restart ended in a multi-car wreck in Turn on Lap 140. Armstrong stayed out during the caution. The race restarted on Lap 145 with Armstrong in 24th position. After 10 laps on the set of adjustments, Armstrong reported to Kerr the changes didn't help. "The more rubber on the race track, the tighter the car gets." Armstrong maintained the 25th position, but was unable to navigate through traffic. Armstrong went three laps down on Lap 169.
The next caution flag flew on Lap 193 for a spin in Turn 4. Armstrong pitted under the yellow. Kerr called for another aggressive set of adjustments. The WinField crew made an air pressure adjustment, changed all four tires, filled the fuel tank, and made a track bar adjustment. The race restarted on Lap 198 with Armstrong in 24th position. Armstrong raced hard for 24th over the next 17 laps before the caution flag flew on Lap 215. Armstrong made contact with a slowed competitor as he came down the track attempting to enter pit lane. The No. 43 WinField Ford avoided major damaged, despite a hard hit into the outside wall. The WinField Ford sustained cosmetic damage to the right front fender with minor tire rub. Armstrong was able to stay out during the caution. The race restarted on Lap 221 with Armstrong in 24th position.
The field checked up on the restart as some of the leaders spun their tires. The loss of momentum proved costly. 20 laps later on Lap 241, the leaders caught the No. 43 Ford Mustang putting Armstrong 4 laps down. The caution flag flew on Lap 251 for a two car wreck in Turn 2. Kerr called Armstrong to pit road to inspect the damage from the wreck earlier in the race. The WinField crew took extra time pulling the damaged front right fender out, then changed 4 tires, made a spring rubber adjustment, and filled the fuel tank. The restarted on Lap 257 with Armstrong in 25th position.
The caution flag flew again quickly just two laps later on Lap 259 for a multi-car wreck in Turn 3. Armstrong stayed out during the yellow to gain track position. The race restarted on Lap 266 with Armstrong in 23rd position. With a handful of green flag laps on the adjustments, Armstrong noticed improvement in the handling. However, as the laps clicked off, the tight handling issue returned. On Lap 286, Armstrong went five laps down racing for 25th position.
The final caution flag of the night flew on Lap 296 for a wreck in Turn 4. Armstrong stayed out during the yellow to gain track position. The race restarted on Lap 300 for the first attempt at the Green-White-Checkered attempt. The field had a clean restart and made it to the white flag. Some mid-pack contact shuffled Armstrong back to 24th position as the checkered flag fell. He maintains 13th position in the points standings.
"This has been a tough month for us. I'm ready for August to be over. We had issues when we unloaded. The guys worked on it and we started moving up the speed charts. We improved with every run during practice. We were running the same lap times as the leaders and thought it would translate well during the race. But as the track rubbered in, our handling went away. The car just stayed tight and we couldn't get it to turn. The pace is so quick here if you have an issue it cost you several laps just to fix something minor. It wasn't from a lack of effort. I know the crew worked hard all day. We'll move on to Road America next week. Hopefully we can come away from there with a great finish and get our momentum back."
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.