Catchfence

A First for Armstrong at Season’s Last Event: This season has been full of firsts for Dakoda Armstrong, but the Ford 200 will mark his first career start in any racing vehicle at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In his previous six starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), Armstrong and his No. 98 ThorSport Racing team chose tracks that the 20-year-old had visited in his ARCA Racing Series career or in a USAC midget. However, Armstrong’s best run of the season thus far came at Kentucky Speedway, similar to the 1.5-mile oval at Homestead.

“Even though I haven’t raced at Homestead before I’m not too worried. All tracks we go to have their differences but a lot of tracks have similarities, so I can apply some of what I have learned before. The thing I will work on the most is just the track’s differences and the line to run, which can be different from year to year anyway because of the way tracks age or just by how your truck is handling,” Armstrong noted.

New Partner in EverFi: The No. 98 will have a new sponsor donning the rear quarter panels this weekend at Homestead as EverFi joins ThorSport Racing. EverFi, Inc. is the leading education technology company to teach, assess, and certify students in critical skills. EverFi teams with major corporations and foundations to provide programs to schools at no cost and is spreading into new facilities in its national movement across the 50 states. EverFi enables students to learn using the latest technology, including rich media, high-definition video, diagrams and avatars.EverFi’s education learning platforms include Financial Literacy, Student Loan Management, Digital Literacy, Cyberbullying, Alcohol Abuse and Sexual Assault Awareness, and additional product areas to be announced in early 2012.

Drive For Savings and UMDF: Dakoda Armstrong will honor a foundation special to his family this weekend at Homestead with the help of Drive For Savings. The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (UMDF) logo will ride on the No. 98 to raise awareness for this debilitating disease. Mitochondrial diseases result from the failure of the mitochondria, which are responsible for creating more than 90% of the energy needed to support growth and sustain life and are located in the cells of our bodies. When mitochondria fail, less energy is produced causing cell injury or cell death. There is no cure for mitochondrial disease. Armstrong’s cousins, Erikka and Seth, were both diagnosed with mitochondrial disorders.

“We are very delighted that Dakoda is helping us raise awareness for mitochondrial disease. This disease affects his family, and we are honored that he is supporting us in so many ways, including putting the logo on his truck,” said CEO/Executive Director of the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Charles A. Mohan, Jr.

Prepped for 2012: With six starts prior to Homestead in the NCWTS, Armstrong and his No. 98 team lead by veteran crew chief Dan Stillman head into next season with some notes, ideas and real racing experience on their side. Armstrong feels his seat time this season, along with watching from his teammates’ pit boxes when he’s not competing, has helped prepare him for a solid run at the 2012 Rookie of the Year.

“It’s been hard sitting on the sidelines in between my races, but I’ve learned a lot from watching Johnny and Matt. I’ve learned that being very consistent is what’s going to win races and championships, and the more you can minimize your mistakes, the better your year is going to be. We really plan on using that strategy next year and just want to keep improving,” Armstrong said.

Gifts For The Holiday Season? ThorSport Has You Covered: Even though the season is coming to a close, you can still find that ThorSport Racing merchandise for the race fan in your family in our online store. We encourage everyone to check out our special deals at http://store.thorsport.com. If you can’t make it out to the new shop in Sandusky, you can now purchase merchandise online.

ThorSport Online Store Now Open: Long awaited by all, the ThorSport Racing online store is now open! We encourage everyone to check out our newest addition at http://store.thorsport.com. If you can’t make it out to the new shop in Sandusky, you can now purchase merchandise online.

Chassis History: The Ferrellgas/EverFi/Drive For Savings team has prepared “The Workhorse” chassis No. 23 for competition once again for the final event of the season. Armstrong has piloted this particular machine in three starts, including his best finish of the year (9th) at Kentucky Speedway in October.

Dakoda Armstrong on Homestead-Miami Superspeedway

What kind of preparations have you made before heading to Homestead-Miami for the first time?

“I’ve played some NASCAR 2011 to see what Homestead is like, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to anyone who has experience there about it much yet. I plan on doing that once we get there and it’s fresher in everyone’s mind.”

You scored your best finish of the year at another 1.5-mile oval at Kentucky. Do you think there will be any similarities?

“We had a really great truck at Kentucky and I think some things will transfer. We’ve had a long break since that race at Kentucky and that might challenge us a little, but we’ll just have to continue to work on it and get more speed out of the truck right away during practice and adapt quicker.”

What do you think about having another teammate in Frank Kimmel?

“Obviously the more teammates you have, the more information you have available to you, and that’s helpful no matter where you go. But having someone like Frank Kimmel who has been racing longer than I have been alive means there is a lot of experience there and I’m looking forward to picking his brain on some things this weekend.”

About ThorSport Racing:

ThorSport Racing, based in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest tenured active NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. ThorSport Racing’s first came at the Milwaukee Mile on July 6, 1996. NASCAR’s only Ohio-based team, which has run full season schedules annually beginning in 1998, currently runs the No. 88 Menards Chevrolet Silverado driven by Matt Crafton, and the No. 13 Safe Auto/Curb Records Chevrolet driven by Johnny Sauter.

ThorSport Racing has wheeled into Victory Lane with Terry Cook, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter since its inception and has finished a dominating seven times within the top 10 in points with both trucks. In April 2011, Sauter wheeled into Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway. In 2009 and 2010, both Crafton and Sauter finished in the top five in driver points. In 2011, ThorSport Racing has moved into a state-of-the-art, world-class, 100,000 square foot racing facility in Sandusky, and has also expanded its operations with the addition of a third NCWTS team, the No. 98. The team is set to run select races in 2011, and full-time in 2012 with Rookie of the Year contender Dakoda Armstrong.

Ferrellgas

Ferrellgas originated as a family-owned propane company, founded in 1939 in Atchison, Kansas. Now headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, Ferrellgas has grown through acquisitions and an unwavering dedication to customer service and safety, and is now the premier propane provider in the United States. It is also the largest provider of propane by branded propane tank exchange through its Blue Rhino brand and serves approximately 1 million Customers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.Ferrellgas.com.

EverFi

EverFi, Inc. is the leading education technology company to teach, assess, and certify students in critical skills. EverFi’s education learning platforms include Financial Literacy, Student Loan Management, Digital Literacy, Cyberbullying, Alcohol Abuse and Sexual Assault Awareness, and additional product areas to be announced in early 2012. The company is powering a national movement in 50 states that enables adults and students to learn using the latest technology, including adaptive pathing, rich media, high-definition video, simulations, and avatars. To date, over 4 million students have been certified in EverFi’s online learning platforms, which not only track knowledge gains but also measure student attitudes on these important topics. Learn more at www.everfi.com

Drive For Savings

Drive For Savings, based in Middletown, Indiana, was founded as a fundraising company, providing solutions to the lack of funding issue that most organizations face on a daily basis. Honored to be a member of a network that has been built over the past 27 years and has served over 15 million members, Drive For Savings creates innovative fundraising programs that are designed to meet the specific needs of any organization through the sale of discount cards. The Drive For Savings (DFS) cards are linked to a nationwide discount program that offers discounts at over 260,000 locations and are sold for $25 each. Each card sale earns money for the specific organization that sells it. The goal of DFS is to help organizations succeed by earning necessary funds and will increase revenue without adding labor. Each program is 100% designed, managed and tracked by the DFS staff. Drive For Savings is proud to sponsor NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Dakoda Armstrong and the No. 98 ThorSport Racing team. For more information, please visit www.DriveForSavings.com.

ABOUT THE UMDF

Founded in 1996, the UMDF works to promote research and education for the diagnosis, treatment and cure of mitochondrial diseases and to provide support for affected individuals and families. Since its inception, the UMDF has funded nearly $8 million in research, making it the leading non-governmental contributor of grants focused solely on mitochondrial disease. The UMDF, based in Pittsburgh, PA., is a national organization, represented by 65 chapters, groups and ambassadors around the United States and thousands of members who participate in groups and as ambassadors around the world. For more information about mitochondrial disease or the UMDF, visit www.umdf.org.

- ThorSport Racing Press Release