After a rough month, the No. 43 WinField team came to Darlington looking to get back into early summer form. The WinField crew adjusted on the car throughout the race, improving with each pit stop. As the race progressed, Crew Chief Frankie Kerr called for a fuel mileage gamble instead of opting for fresh tires. Armstrong was able to stretch the fuel to the end. He finished 18th and drops 14th in the points.
Armstrong started the race from the 26th position. He took advantage of a strong start and advanced three positions to 23rd by Lap 3. The cloud coverage receded and the track temperature increased. On Lap 17, Armstrong reported the "car was getting looser with the heat." The first yellow flag flew on Lap 25 for a competition caution. Armstrong came down pit road under yellow on Lap 26 for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment The race restarted on Lap 29 with Armstrong in 24th position.
Armstrong regained momentum and drove hard to chase down the next competitor. By Lap 48, Armstrong was racing for 23rd position. As the track continued to heat up, the car went back to a loose condition. The leaders caught Armstrong on Lap 65, netting him one lap down. Armstrong passed the 22nd place car right before the second and final caution flag came out on Lap 72. Kerr called Armstrong to pit road under yellow on Lap 73. The WinField crew changed four tires, added fuel, and made track bar and wedge adjustments. The race restarted on Lap 75 with Armstrong 22nd position one lap down.
The last half of the race was a long green flag run. The adjustments from the pit stop were immediately effective. Armstrong raced into the 22nd position, first car one lap down, on Lap 87. Kerr told Armstrong to charge hard and protect his position in case the field has to go under the yellow. Armstrong eventually caught heavy traffic that slowed his pace. On Lap 117, Armstrong lost a second lap to the leaders.
As green flag stops began to cycle, Kerr made an aggressive call on fuel strategy and told Armstrong to save fuel to make it to the end. Armstrong found a pace that allowed him to save fuel and maintain his position. As the field cycled through the pit stops, Armstrong was able to regain one of the laps and improve position with 10 laps to go. Armstrong picked up two positions on the white flag lap. The No. 43 WinField Ford went 72 laps on a fuel run. The checkered flag fell on Lap 147. Armstrong finished 18th.
"We really improved over the course of the race. We started off loose and made some improvements in the handling on the first pit stop. As the track heated up the surface became very slippery. We were waiting for the caution flag but found ourselves a lap down before the next yellow flew. The second round of adjustments really helped. We picked up some speed and were able to pass a little easier. As the race begin to wind down, Frankie called for us to gamble on fuel. We were able to stretch the fuel to the end a pick up a handful of positions. If we hadn't lost the lap early on, we were would have had a Top-15 finish. We didn't have the finish we wanted but we broke our streak of bad luck."
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.