Rapidly changing track conditions challenged the No. 43 WinField Ford Team. Dakoda Armstrong had a good speed in the early stages of the race. Armstrong avoided disaster when pitting to fix a vibration that was discovered to be a cut tire. The WinField team took advantage of the many cautions throughout the race to adjust of the car. Armstrong persevered to finish 20th. He remains in the 14th position in the Championship Points Standings.
Armstrong started the race from the 13th position. Shortly after the green flag waved, the first caution of the day came on Lap 3 for a spin in Turn 2. The race restarted on Lap 5 with Armstrong in 17th position.
The next stretch of the race was a 41 lap green flag stretch. Armstrong reported the track was moving to the loose side. Armstrong was racing for 19th position on Lap 36 when the leaders caught and lapped him. The second caution of the day came on Lap 46 for debris on the backstretch. Crew Chief Frankie Kerr reminded Armstrong "the track would continue to change through the day. We'll adjust on it every chance we get." Kerr called for a track bar and air pressure adjustment. Armstrong came to pit road on Lap 48. The WinField crew made an air pressure adjustment, changed all four tires, filled the fuel tank, and made a trackbar adjustment, The race restarted on Lap 51 with Armstrong in 17th position.
Armstrong quickly gained a position on the restart and moved into 16th position. Two laps later, Armstrong reported a "bad vibration". Kerr debated pitting under the green to change tires. Fortunately, the third caution of the day came on Lap 60 and saved the WinField team from a green flag stop. The WinField crew changed all four tires, filled the fuel tank, and made a trackbar adjustment, The tire specialist found evidence of contact next to a cut on the tire. While the pit stop cost track position, the team avoided disaster from blowing a tire at speed. The race restarted on Lap 63 with Armstrong in 25th position.
Within five laps, Armstrong advanced into 22nd position Armstrong maintained the position until the fourth caution of the day came on Lap 82 for a single car wreck in Turn 2. Armstrong stayed out during the yellow to take the wave around. The race restarted on Lap 85 with Armstrong in 22nd position back on the lead lap.
The race went green for the next 32 laps. Armstrong advanced three positions to 19th during the stretch. The fifth caution of the day came on Lap 117 for a single car wreck in Turn 2. Armstrong pitted during the caution, taking four tires, fuel, and a trackbar adjustment. The race restarted on Lap 120 with Armstrong in the 19th position.
Six laps after the restart, Armstrong advanced to 18th position. Armstrong began to close in on a pack of cars for position as the sixth caution of the day flew on Lap 132 for debris on the front stretch. Kerr made a strategy call and told Armstrong to stay out for track position. The race restarted on Lap 135 with Armstrong in 15th position.
Armstrong fell back to 18th position as the inside line checked up during the restart. Armstrong had to back out of the throttle to avoid contact. Armstrong maintained 18th position until the seventh caution of the day came on Lap 147 for a hard two car accident on the front stretch. The wreck spread debris and fluid all over the front stretch. Pit road opened six laps later on Lap 152. Armstrong came to pit road for the final time of the afternoon. The WinField crew changed four tires, filled the fuel tank, and made a trackbar adjustment. The race restarted on Lap 156 with Armstrong in 19th position.
The next stretch of the race was a 40 lap green flag stretch. Armstrong raced hard with several cars for position, swapping spots back and forth throughout the run. On Lap 192, the leaders caught Armstrong and put him one lap day. On Lap 196, the eighth and final yellow flag of the day flew after a competitor blew his engine and laid oil on the race surface. Armstrong stayed out during the yellow for track position.
The race restarted on Lap 202 for a Green-White-Checker finish. Armstrong battled hard for position, going three wide into Turn 4 and drag raced to the finish line. The checkered flag waved on Lap 204. He finished in 20th position and remains 14th in the Championship Points Standings.
"It was a challenging day for the WinField Ford team. Things just didn't fall for us the way would have liked. Our car was good on the long runs, so we were hoping the race would stay green for most of the day. We were fast in qualifying. The track changed very quickly and went to the loose side by race time. We were fortunate that the cut tire didn't take us out early in the day. Luckily we got a caution to make the repair but it cost us track position and moved us out a sequence. It cost us the finish we deserved. We had a better car than where we finished. We have a two week break then we race at Texas. My team works very hard and they deserve the time off. We led laps at Texas in the spring and had great speed all weekend. We're all looking forward to that race."
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.