Dakoda Armstrong and the No. 43 WinField team followed up a strong Top-15 finish at Chicago with another Top-15 in Kentucky after a late race rally. The driver of the No. 43 WinField Ford lost a lap in the first half of the race. The team continued to find speed throughout the night and battled back onto the lead lap. The WinField crew made a series of heavy adjustments during the last few pit stops. Armstrong charged hard during the Green-White-Checker finish, overtaking the 14th position as he crossed the finish line. He remains 14th in the points.
Armstrong started the race from the 18th position. The first caution of the night came quickly on Lap Three from a four car incident in Turn 2. The race restarted on Lap Seven with Armstrong in 14th position. Armstrong dropped back to 18th position by Lap 20, reporting a rapid track condition changes thanks to dropping temperatures.
The second caution of the night came on Lap 28 for a single car wreck on the backstretch. Crew Chief Frankie Kerr called Armstrong to pit road on Lap 29. The WinField crew made an air pressure adjustment, changed four tires, and topped off the fuel tank. The race restarted on Lap 29 with Armstrong in the 19th position.
The race went green for next 54 laps. Armstrong raced for the 20th position for the majority of the green flag run. The leader caught Armstrong on Lap 71 while running 21st, putting the No. 43 WinField Ford one lap down. The third yellow flag flew on Lap 86 for debris on the backstretch. Armstrong pitted on Lap 89. The WinField crew made an air pressure adjustment, changed four tires, filled the fuel tank, and made a track bar adjustment. The race restarted on Lap 94 with Armstrong in the 19th position.
The fourth caution of the night came at the halfway point on Lap 100. A hard two car accident in Turn 1 left a great amount of fluid and debris on the racing surface and brought out the red flag. After 18 minutes of clean up, the race resumed under yellow. Kerr called Armstrong to pit on Lap 104. The WinField crew changed four tires, made a shock adjustment on the left front, filled the fuel tank, and made a track bar adjustment. Armstrong restarted on Lap 105 in 23rd position one lap down.
Debris brought out the fifth caution of the night just four laps later on Lap 109 with Armstrong still in 23rd position. Armstrong stayed out under the yellow. The race restarted on Lap 111 with Armstrong in the 23rd position one lap down.
Armstrong advanced to 21st position, passing two cars before the next caution came on Lap 120 for a single car wreck in Turn 4. Armstrong stayed out during the yellow. Track services cleaned the surface quickly before a light rain began falling. The rain cleared after 5 minutes without affecting the racing surface. The race restarted on Lap 127 in 21st position. Armstrong came down pit road under yellow on Lap 24 for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment The race restarted on Lap 26 with Armstrong in 23rd position.
The race went green over the next 41 laps. Armstrong raced for 20th and 21st position over the stretch, exchanging positions every few laps. The seventh caution of the night came on Lap 168 for a single car accident in Turn 4. Armstrong came to pit road on Lap 171. The WinField crew changed all four tires, filled the fuel tank, and made a trackbar adjustment. The race restarted on Lap 172 with Armstrong in 20th position in the Lucky Dog spot.
Armstrong maintained the 20th position over the nine laps before the eighth caution of the night flew for a wreck in Turn 4 on Lap 181. With Armstrong in the Lucky Dog position, he rejoined the lead lap. Kerr called Armstrong down to pit road for the final time for a heavy trackbar adjustment. The race restarted on Lap 187 with Armstrong in the 19th position.
Two laps later, on Lap 189 the ninth caution of the night flew for a multi-car wreck in Turn 1. Armstrong stayed out during the yellow and gained track position. The race restarted on Lap 192 with Armstrong in 16th position. Armstrong quickly passed one car to move into the Top-15 for the first time of the night. Armstrong maintained 15th position before the 10th and final caution flag flew on Lap 197 for a single car wreck on the backstretch. Armstrong stayed out during the caution. The race restarted on Lap 199 with the first attempt at a Green-White-Checker finish. Armstrong restarted in the 15th position with great momentum. The WinField Ford battled side-by-side during the final lap for the 14th position. With a great run coming out of Turn 4, Armstrong powered into 14th position just as he crossed the finish line on Lap 201.
"It was a wild night. There were a ton of cautions and a little bit of rain. We started off tight at the beginning of the race. We improved with each pit stop. We got caught a lap down just before the halfway point. We used that to our advantage to continue tuning on the car during cautions instead of staying out for track position like we would on the lead lap. We knew we were close on our setup and the last couple runs at the end of the race proved that. Frankie called for a heavy trackbar adjustment at the end of the race to give me something to really lean on since there were so many restarts. I nailed the final restart. It gave me great momentum coming out of Turn 4 and helped me motor into 14th as the race ended. We've had two strong performances in two weeks. This WinField Ford team is looking better each week. We'll carry that momentum to Dover next weekend. "
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.