Dakoda Armstrong and the No. 43 WinField team came to Homestead ready to battle for every point possible during Ford Championship weekend. The WinField Ford showed great speed during the race, responding well to adjustments. The team ran into issues fueling the car and had to pit twice under the yellow in order to adequately fill the fuel cell. With some help of good luck, the cautions fell at the right times that Armstrong never ran out of gas. Armstrong persevered and finished 15th. He finished 13th in the Championship Points Standings.
 
Armstrong started the race from the 19th position. The race began with an 11 lap green flag stretch. Armstrong dropped back to 21st position after racing for position in traffic. The first caution flag of the day came on Lap 11 for a single car accident in Turn 1. Armstrong stayed out for track position as others pitted. The race restarted on Lap 13 with Armstrong in 20th position.
 
The race went green over the next 14 laps. Armstrong fought in traffic and fell back to 23rd spot. The second caution of the day came on Lap 27 for the competition caution. Armstrong came down to pit road on Lap 28. Crew Chief Frankie Kerr called for a track bar to help with stability on corner exit. The WinField crew changed all four tires, attempted to fill the fuel tank, and made a track bar adjustment. The gas man told Kerr that car was having issues taking fuel and began to investigate the problem. The race restarted on Lap 30 with Armstrong 16th position.
 
The next stage of the race was an 88 lap green flag stretch. Armstrong fall back to 19th after the restart. As the race went deeper into the run, the strength of the No. 43 WinField Ford began to shine. As Armstrong was searching for speed and grip around the track, the leaders caught him on Lap 64 and put him one lap down. As other competitors lap times fell off, Armstrong was able to maintain similar speed over the duration of the run. Kerr told Armstrong over the radio that the car was just an adjustment or two away from being a Top-10 car. Armstrong found his preferred line around the bottom on the track and began picking off cars. By Lap 74, Armstrong had moved into 16th position one lap down. Green flag stops began to cycle shortly after. On Lap 84, Armstrong came to pit road. The WinField crew changed four tires, added what fuel the car would take, and made a track bar adjustment.
 
After green flag stops cycled through, Armstrong was in 16th position. On Lap 106, Armstrong lost his second lap. At this point in the race, only four cars were on the lead lap. The car responded well to the adjustments and Armstrong raced into the 13th position on Lap 116. The third caution of the day came on Lap 118 for a single car wreck in Turn 4. Armstrong said the car felt better and needed more of the last adjustment. Kerr called for another track bar adjustment. The WinField crew a changed four tires, added fuel to the tank, and adjusted the track bar. Armstrong came back down the pit road to try to take more fuel The race restarted on Lap 122 with Armstrong in 20th position two laps down.
 
Despite losing track position pitting twice for fuel, Armstrong's car continued to gain speed. Armstrong quickly moved into 19th position and maintained the spot until the fourth caution of the day came on Lap 142 for rain. Armstrong pit twice under the yellow, taking tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment during the first top and adding more fuel during the second. The race restarted on Lap 146 with Armstrong in 21st position.
 
The next caution came on Lap 174 with Armstrong running in the 19th position. Armstrong opted to stay out and take the wave around, regaining one of his laps. The race restarted on Lap 179 with Armstrong in 18th position. Just three short laps later, the sixth and final caution of the day came out for a two car wreck on the front stretch. With one fresh set of tires left, Kerr called Armstrong to pit road. The WinField crew changed all four tires, added fuel, and made a track bar adjustment. With enough fuel to make it to the end, Kerr told Armstrong to charge hard to the end. The race restarted on Lap 184. Armstrong immediately made progress and raced into 16th position. With less than 10 laps to go, Armstrong raced into the 15th position and began to chase down the next competitor. Armstrong ran out of time as he approached 14th place and crossed the checkered flag on Lap 200. He finished in 15th position and 13th in the Championship Points Standings.
 
"We were really fast today, definitely a Top-10 car. We easily drove up to the 13th and were catching the next group ahead of us before having to pit. I tried to work the top side of the track like most of the fast cars, but we were just too good on the bottom. I doubt anyone was as fast as us on the bottom groove through Turn 1 and 2. We ran into issues trying to fuel the car. We had to come down to pit road twice under caution to make sure we had enough fuel. Even dealing with that, we drove up through the field. Our Ford was fast. We had a great car. This team never gave up and worked through the problems the best we could. We tied with JJ in the points standings and moved up a spot to 13th. We don't have anything to be upset about today. That's just how racing is sometimes. I'd like to thank WinField, Ford, Richard, Andy, my crew, and everyone at RPM for all their hardwork and dedication this year. It means a lot. "

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.