Catchfence

No. 98 Ferrellgas / Agrisure Viptera Chevrolet Silverado

Dakoda Armstrong Iowa Preview

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race 11 of 25 – Iowa Speedway

New Sponsors Unveiled: Dakoda Armstrong and his ThorSport Racing team held a press conference at Kentucky Speedway to unveil the paint scheme and sponsors that will decorate his No. 98 Chevy Silverado for seven races in 2011, and the full season in 2012. Ferrellgas and Agrisure Viptera will serve as the main sponsors of the truck, with Drive For Savings as an associate. ThorSport Racing welcomes the three new sponsors to their racing stable and to NASCAR, and is excited about their new relationship during tough economic times.

“Creating new partnerships with sponsors during tough economic times like this is something ThorSport is really proud of. Ferrellgas, Agrisure Viptera and Drive For Savings are all really great organizations that have given Dakoda the support to be where he is today, and we can’t wait to represent them proudly on the track,” Matthew LaNeve, Vice President of Motorsports Partnerships commented following the announcement.

Week of Preparation in Sandusky: Assisting his new team with preparations on the No. 98 machine, Dakoda Armstrong visited the race shop in Sandusky, Ohio for the week leading up to the events at Iowa. He was able to climb behind the wheel of a NCWTS truck for the first time in his career and complete a few laps of shake down at nearby Sandusky Speedway, as well as help his crew with any last minute duties.

Iowa Appearance Schedule: Armstrong will join teammate Johnny Sauter for an autograph session and appearance at Karl’s Chevrolet in Ankeny, Iowa on Thursday evening from 5-8 pm CST. He will also be attending the NCWTS Autograph Session at Iowa Speedway from 2:45-3:45 pm CST.

Chassis History: Armstrong will be piloting chassis No. 23 this weekend at Iowa Speedway for his debut. This particular chassis visited Victory Lane at Las Vegas and Kansas last year with Johnny Sauter at the controls.

Dakoda Armstrong

What made you choose Iowa Speedway for your debut?

“When we sat down with the team to decide which races I’d run this year, we wanted to pick ones that I have been to before for the most part. I raced at Iowa last season in the ARCA Racing Series and had a good run there, so I felt comfortable with that as my first choice.

“Iowa Speedway is a unique track; you have to run it almost like a short track, but it still has the tendencies and high speeds of a big track. I’m excited to go to a familiar track for my first race so I can just focus on getting used to the truck, and not the track too.”

ThorSport has prepared a truck with a lot of success behind it for your first race. What are your goals for this weekend?

“I’m really confident in my team and the level of work they put into these race trucks. ThorSport always has really fast trucks; this particular chassis has had a lot of success and I’m going to be lucky enough to drive it. The goal is to just go out and run a clean race and get as much experience as possible.”

What are you most looking forward to in NASCAR competition?

“The racing is tough every week, no matter where you go. There’s always going to be a challenge, and I’ll be racing against some of the best in the business. I’ve watched a lot of these guys on TV as I’ve grown up and I’ve looked up to them for so long. It’s an honor to be able to race against them now, and I’m lucky to have veteran teammates like Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton to really help me get adjusted and be successful.”

Race Info:

July 16, 2011

Iowa Speedway

0.875-Mile Tri-Oval

Coca-Cola 200 Presented By Hy-Vee

200 Laps / 175 Miles

Broadcast Info:

TV: SPEED will broadcast live at 8:00 p.m. EST

Radio: MRN will broadcast live at 7:45 p.m. EST

Team Facts:

Crew Chief: TBA

Chassis: 23

Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)

Dakoda Armstrong

Starts: 2 (ARCA Racing Series, 2009-2010)

Wins: 0

Poles: 0

Top 5: 1

Top 10: 2

Average Start: 7.5

Average Finish: 5

- ThorSport Racing Press Release