Catchfence

“ThorSport Racing Rookie Leads into July Iowa Speedway NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Debut with Winning Momentum”

SANDUSKY, OHIO – Dakoda Armstrong of New Castle, Ind., 2010 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year, currently looks to his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Iowa Speedway with ThorSport Racing with a “winning momentum.” This past weekend, Armstrong powered home to take the checkers at Winchester Speedway in his home state’s ARCA Racing Series event with Cunningham Motorsports – his last ARCA Racing Series race before embarking on his NCWTS career in 2011.

Armstrong admitted that Ryan Blaney’s No. 25 Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet was the car to beat before his late tire woes. Nonetheless, he called the win a good one for his team, saying, “We’ll definitely take it.” A native of nearby New Castle, Ind., Armstrong knew that passing at the track just 35 minutes from his hometown would be tough, but did not allow that to slow him.

“I thought it was going to be hard to pass here because it’s one line around the top,” he said. “Luckily, when cars starting falling off we were able to get a nice run off of the corners and get up under them.”

In just under three weeks, on July 16 – incidentally, his 20th birthday – Armstrong will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut for ThorSport Racing as a teammate to Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter, two series veterans.

“They’re great guys,” Armstrong said. “I’ve met them all, and we’ve been gearing up for this race all year. I’m really excited to go up and jump in the truck. I wish I could be running ARCA at the same time, but I think we’re going to focus on the truck race there. Hopefully, we’ll have about six more races this year and try to get a full season in the Truck Series next year.”

“First and foremost, congratulations to Paul Andrews, crew chief at Cunningham Motorsports for an outstanding win and weekend. Obviously, coming off a victory at one of the country’s toughest short tracks, I’m very excited about the future of this young driver,” said ThorSport Racing Team Manager, David Pepper. “He’s shown he can run up front and win races. Clearly it takes a lot of hard work & determination on everyone’s part to build a competitive team in the NCWTS, as we’ve shown with our current lineup of Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter. ThorSport Racing is very in tune with running up front and competing for wins. We’re looking forward to having three entries that can compete for those in the very near future.”

Armstrong’s win made him the 101st driver in ARCA Racing Series history with three career wins, following Ty Dillon, who became the 100th earlier this season by winning at Talladega Superspeedway. He will have a truck and crew chief unveiling at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, July 7th at 12:30pmET in the media center. Armstrong’s debut will be at Iowa Speedway Saturday, July 16th, 2011 in the No. 98 Chevy Silverado.

- ThorSport Racing Press Release