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  • Chris Gayle to call 150th Xfinity race as crew chief at Atlanta

    Chris Gayle to call 150th Xfinity race as crew chief at Atlanta

    A significant milestone start is in the making for Chris Gayle, crew chief for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota Supra team piloted by multiple competitors in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. By participating in this weekend’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Gayle will call his 150th Xfinity career race as a crew chief.

    A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Gayle spent two years as a student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville before transferring to the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 2002. Not long after, he joined Joe Gibbs Racing to work as a race engineer.

    Eleven years later, Gayle, who was a senior engineer for Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series, was promoted to the crew chief role, where he was paired with veteran Elliott Sadler and JGR’s No. 11 Toyota Camry team for the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Throughout the 33-race Xfinity schedule, Gayle and Sadler earned nine top-five results and 20 top-10 results before finishing in fourth place in the final standings.

    Eight races into the 2014 Xfinity season, Gayle earned his first NASCAR career victory as a crew chief at Talladega Superspeedway in April, where Sadler held off the field in a three-lap shootout to return to Victory Lane following a one-year winless season. They went on to earn a pole, seven top-five results and 25 top-10 results before settling in third place in the final standings.

    Prior to the 2015 season, Sadler departed JGR and the team shuffled its crew chief lineup, placing Gayle as crew chief for the team’s No. 54 Toyota Camry piloted by multiple competitors, starting with Kyle Busch for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in February. The season, however, started off on a harrowing note when Busch was involved in a late multi-car accident that saw his car make head-on contact into a concrete wall installed with no SAFER barriers and the driver being transported to a local hospital, where he suffered a massive compound fracture to his right leg and a fractured left foot.

    With Busch absent and recovering from his injuries, Gayle spent the following 11 Xfinity events working with Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin and Boris Said. When Busch returned at Michigan International Speedway in June, he and Gayle went to Victory Lane after Busch completed a late pass on Chase Elliott en route to his first win of the season and in his first Xfinity start since the Daytona accident. A week later, Gayle went to Victory Lane with Erik Jones at Chicagoland Speedway. 

    In total, Gayle achieved seven Xfinity victories in 2015, six with Kyle Busch and one with Erik Jones. In addition, he notched five poles, 17 top-five results and 23 top-10 results throughout the 33-race schedule for JGR’s No. 54 Toyota team, which settled in the runner-up position behind Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang team in the final Xfinity owners’ standings.

    Gayle remained as JGR’s Xfinity “all-star” crew chief in 2016, where he worked with Dakoda Armstrong, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Drew Herring, Sam Hornish Jr., Owen Kelly, Bobby Labonte, David Ragan and Matt Tifft, all of whom took turns piloting the No. 18 Toyota Camry throughout the season. Throughout the 33-race schedule, Gayle earned 11 victories (10 with Kyle Busch and one with Hornish), 11 poles (nine with Kyle Busch, one with Ragan and one with Tifft), 19 top-five results and 23 top-10 results. When the final checkered flag of the season flew, JGR’s No. 18 Toyota team ended up in fourth place in the owners’ standings.

    Following the 2016 Xfinity season, Gayle moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series, where he worked as a crew chief for Erik Jones and the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry team. After a four-year run in the Cup Series, where Gayle earned two career victories between 2018 and 2019 with Erik Jones, Gayle returned to the Xfinity Series for the 2021 season, where he was assigned to JGR’s No. 54 Toyota Supra team piloted by multiple competitors, starting with Ty Dillon for the season-opening event at Daytona in February. 

    Following a 14th-place result with Dillon at Daytona, Gayle returned to Victory Lane the following weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course with Ty Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, winning his first Xfinity race in his series’ debut. Since then, Gayle has achieved four additional victories this season, three with Kyle Busch and another with Ty Gibbs. Currently, with seventeen races of the 2021 season complete, JGR’s No. 54 team led by Gayle is ranked in second place in the owners’ standings.

    Through 149 previous Xfinity appearances, Gayle has achieved 25 victories, 20 poles, 63 top-five results and 102 top-10 results while working with 15 different competitors.

    Gayle is primed to call his 150th Xfinity race as a crew chief at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 10, with Kyle Busch scheduled to drive the No. 54 JGR Toyota Supra and with the race scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Dakoda Armstrong Sees New Ride as ‘Greatest Opportunity’

    Dakoda Armstrong Sees New Ride as ‘Greatest Opportunity’

    Twenty-two year old former Truck Series driver Dakoda Armstrong has been tapped by the ‘King’ to drive the iconic No. 43 Ford Mustang full-time in the Nationwide Series. And for Armstrong, he sums up his new ride simply as the ‘greatest opportunity.’

    “Obviously, the iconic number has so much behind it that it would be impossible to live up to the expectations of that,” Armstrong said. “But the fact of knowing that I’m going to be able to run a full season is the greatest opportunity, especially with Richard Petty Motorsports.”

    “I’m very excited and really ready to get going on it and get everything working.”

    As with so much in the sport of NASCAR, Armstrong acknowledged that the deal with RPM came about quickly.

    “One thing in this sport, stuff happens overnight,” Armstrong said. “We were looking for a deal where we could do as much racing as we could.”

    “This deal opened up with Michael Annett leaving and it just worked out perfectly.”

    Armstrong is grateful to not only Richard Petty Motorsports for the opportunity but is also thankful to his sponsor, Winfield, for stepping up to the next level with him.

    “Winfield came on board all this year and helped us out in the Truck Series,” Armstrong said. “They are really, really new to the NASCAR scene but everything they’ve done, they have done a great job with, being able to activate the sponsorship and making sure it’s not just a car and a number.”

    “I think it’s going to be a great fit and our sponsor is really happy to be on board and have that No. 43.”

    Winfield, a Land O’Lakes Company, is a natural fit for Armstrong because of the young driver’s farming background.

    “We deal with them a lot on our family-owned farm so that is how we got in touch with them,” Armstrong said. “It’s all worked out on a local level, then a national level, and now on this new NASCAR level.”

    “They are really excited and I’m really excited for this year and to be able to slap the No. 43 on with their logos puts a big smile on their faces.”

    Although Armstrong will be the new kid on the block, he will have continuity with his crew chief, Philippe Lopez, and the team at the shop and at track.

    “Everyone at the shop, which I’ve just recently met, were already there,” Armstrong said. “Philippe is going to be our crew chief and he has been the crew chief for the last couple of years with the Annett deal.”

    “He’s staying there and I don’t think anyone has left,” Armstrong continued. “So, it’s going to be a team that’s ready to go, which should be good.”

    Armstrong acknowledged that it will take some time for the team, crew chief and himself to gel. But he has every confidence that will occur, especially when they get to their first race together.

    “I’m still learning everybody and they are still learning me,” Armstrong said. “We’re all trying to figure it out.”

    “Once we get to Daytona we’ll be together and ready to go for the season.”

    One of the greatest opportunities that Armstrong has enjoyed so far since the announcement of his No. 43 ride is getting to spend some quality time with the big boss Richard Petty.

    “I’ve talked to him a few times that I’ve been there,” Armstrong said. “He’s just so humble and just like a normal guy that you forget when you’re talking to him that he is the ‘King’.

    “It’s kind of surreal,” Armstrong continued. “He’s told me some stories and how different racing is nowadays. So, that’s pretty cool.”

    The ‘King’ is equally impressed with his new young driver.

    “Dakoda will help us continue the success of our No. 43 Nationwide Series program,” Richard Petty said.  “Dakoda is a driver who has grown up in the sport and has paid his dues.”

    “He has proven himself at every level and we will now give him the tools he needs to be successful in the Nationwide Series and believe he can win races for us.”

    So, what is Armstrong doing in the off-season to prepare himself for the next leap in his career? Why racing of course.

    “I’m actually at Pensacola to do the Snowball Derby right now,” Armstrong said. “I’ve never run a late model in a big race like this.”

    “I did one race when I was 16 years old, so it’s been awhile,” Armstrong continued. “I don’t really know how these things drive so I’m just going to go out and have a lot of fun and a good time.”

    After he finishes his Snowball Derby racing, Armstrong plans to head home to the farm and family in Indiana before he starts the hectic race season.

    “I think I’ll get to see my family a little bit for the holidays,” Armstrong said. “Anytime you can get home to Indiana, I want to and try to.”

    “Definitely after New Year’s I want to really get focused, go to the shop and get ready for the season.”

    An important part of getting ready for the new race season for Armstrong, however, has been taking at least a moment or two to reflect on his good fortune in securing this new ride for a full race season.

    “A month ago, I really didn’t know what would happen,” Armstrong said. “I thought we would just do a partial deal.”

    “Being able to compete for points and being there each and every week is a great benefit,” Armstrong continued. “We’re going to have to make sure that we’re competitive and getting better every week.”

    “One thing about this sport is that you can’t win every week but you can get better each time and that’s what we have to work on.”

    So, what does this new ride really mean to the young driver taking the next step in his career?

    “In one word, other than to be boring and just say like it’s awesome or exciting, I’d have to say it’s the greatest opportunity,” Armstrong said. “Nowadays in this sport, you never know what’s going to happen.”

    “There are so many people looking in from the outside that to have a ride and know I’m doing something full-time for this team is great,” Armstrong continued. “It’s something I’m really excited about.”

    “And now we just have to get ready for Daytona and have some fun.”

  • Dakoda Armstrong Hopes His Racing Teaches

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”175″][/media-credit]Dakoda Armstrong, behind the wheel of the No. 98 EverFi Toyota in the Camping World Truck Series, has racing on his mind. But he also hopes to educate his fans through his new season sponsor EverFi.

    EverFi is an education technology company that helps high school students and high school graduates with financial literacy. The company offers its technology online and it is in use at no charge in over 4,000 schools nationally.

    Armstrong’s sponsor includes curriculum covering everything from how to balance our check book to credit scores, student loans and mortgages.

    “Every day across the United States, students are in their own race to gain the critical skills they need to succeed in life,” Tom Davidson, EverFi Chief Executive Officer, said. “Dakoda Armstrong and his team embody the speed, dedication, and urgency on the race track that we feel every day in the classroom.”

    “EverFi couldn’t be more proud to support Dakoda Armstrong and the No. 98 ThorSport Racing team.”

    Armstrong could not agree more with his sponsor.

    “It was a good deal helping them out to get more awareness,” Armstrong said. “They’re really big about teaching these kids that come out of high school about financial literacy.”

    “ I wish I could have had more help on that when I got out of high school,” Armstrong continued. “It’s tough. You just get thrown into the real world and have to make your own mistakes.”

    Armstrong is also most impressed with his sponsor’s use of technology in their educational programming.

    “It’s good the way they do it with the gaming and the kids figure it out on their own by making their mistakes and getting with it,” Armstrong said. “I’m glad we can help EverFi out and hopefully we can keep giving them more and more exposure so they can get into more and more schools.”

    The relationship between Armstrong and his sponsor EverFi seemed to both to be a match made in heaven. And they hope it will continue all season long.

    “I have some people that work for me finding sponsorship,” Armstrong said. “They figured out it was a pretty good fit.”

    “They wanted to come into NASCAR and I just got out of high school so it was a good fit,” Armstrong continued. “I’m glad they’re a part of our 98 team for sure.”

    “We’ve had them on since the beginning of the year and are looking for more and more sponsorship to help them out and to stay on the truck,” Armstrong said. “It’s been a great deal and hopefully we can continue it forward.”

    With his sponsor on the truck, Armstrong turned his attention to trying to master the Monster Mile. His priority was to not only finish the race but also to continue to improve throughout the race, which he did, finishing 20th in the rain-shortened race.

    “This was a different place for sure,” Armstrong said. “It was very fast and challenging being on concrete.”

    “You go to a track that is a mile and you can almost hold it wide open, it gets your attention real fast.”

    “This place to finish was priority one,” Armstrong said. “The biggest thing was getting better, improving on where we start and making sure our pit stops get better each week.”

    Since his sponsor is all about educating high school students, Armstrong reflected on his season in terms of a letter grade.

    “I think we are probably a ‘B’, Armstrong said. “There are things we could improve on but we’ve gotten better and better each week. That was our goal. We’ve improved our finishes a lot.”

    “One thing we need to work on a lot is qualifying,” Armstrong continued. “It hasn’t been hurting us but starting in the back, it’s hard to make your way up with the level of competition.”

    “Hopefully, when we start up closer, we will finish up closer to the front as well.”

    But Armstrong’s focus was really all about the kids and his commitment to helping them achieve financial literacy. What would he say to each and every youth about EverFi?

    “Really just check it out,” Armstrong said. “It’s a tough deal getting thrown out into the world.”

    “I didn’t know a whole lot when I got out and fortunately I had my parents ,” Armstrong continued. “They were very smart with money and help me out a lot.”

    “Fortunately they help me still,” Armstrong said. “ But it is tough, so check out EverFi.”

    “It is free and we want to help kids,” Armstrong said. “It’s a good thing because what got our economy into trouble is people not knowing how to handle money.”

    “So, to teach everybody to be better and better with it is a good deal.”

     

     

  • Dakoda Armstrong Has Sights Fixed on Truck Rookie of the Year Honors

    Dakoda Armstrong Has Sights Fixed on Truck Rookie of the Year Honors

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: dakodaarmstrong.com” align=”alignright” width=”100″][/media-credit]The youngest and newest member of ThorSport Racing, Dakoda Armstrong, has his eye on just one prize. The up and comer plans to take his No. 98 EverFi/Drive for Savings Toyota Tundra ride straight to the Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors.

    While some may argue that being ROTY does not really mean all that much, Armstrong definitely takes exception to that notion. For him, it is not only a special honor, but one that lasts a lifetime and cannot be taken away.

    “You only get one shot at it in any series you go in,” Armstrong said. “I try to go for it in any series that I run in.”

    “The names of people that have received that award and the competition that you go against, it’s a really big honor.”

    “This year, the Rookie of the Year title will be one of our goals,” Armstrong said. “Hopefully we can go out there and run well for it.”

    Armstrong is no stranger to Rookie of the Year honors. In fact, he secured that honor in the ARCA Racing Series and definitely felt that has helped move him along in his career.

    “Getting the Rookie of the Year honor has definitely helped propel me forward,” Armstrong said. “It’s the title you have and it is always brought up.”

    “So, it’s definitely a good thing,” Armstrong continued. “And it’s another banner we’d get to put up in the ThorSport shop.”

    While Armstrong acknowledges that there are plenty of drivers that he will be competing with for the ROTY honors, he feels that his biggest competition will be one of the Dillon boys.

    “For Rookie of the Year, my biggest competition is definitely Ty Dillon,” Armstrong said. “I competed against him in the ARCA Series.”

    “He’s got really good equipment and he’s a really good driver,” Armstrong continued. “We will definitely have some good racing and some good competition with him.”

    In addition to the ROTY honors, Armstrong has a few other goals in mind for this 2012 season at ThorSport Racing.

    “The main thing is just consistency,” Armstrong said. “I want to go out and reel off top-tens left and right and start getting top-fives.”

    “If we can get wins, I’m definitely going to try for it,” Armstrong continued. “We just want to get more consistent from where we were qualifying last year and even finishing.”

    “That’s what we want to work on, just getting better each and every week.”

    Armstrong is also most grateful to be on a team like ThorSport Racing, particularly with teammates like Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton.

    “Having those teammates, Crafton and Sauter, is one of the reasons that I went with ThorSport Racing,” Armstrong said. “Starting up this No. 98 team, it’s not like we’re starting up all three teams from scratch. I just keep trying to build off of them.”

    Armstrong advised that, although his mantra will be consistency, he like the rest of his team will be experiencing some change when it comes to their Truck manufacturer, this year switching to Toyota.

    “It’s a change for me as far as in the stock car world,” Armstrong said. “I’ve been with Toyota in the open wheel world where my dad owns a team.”

    “But this will be new for me and for ThorSport,” Armstrong continued. “We’re glad to have them and they’ve been a big help so far.”

    “Hopefully, we can go out and keep getting better with their equipment.”

    While looking forward to an exciting racing season, particularly with the ROTY honors in sight, Armstrong admits that he leads a ‘pretty boring’ life off the track. But he does have one fairly interesting hobby.

    “I’m actually a pretty boring person,” Armstrong said. “But bowling is one of my biggest hobbies right now.”

    “I got out of high school where I used to play basketball and a lot of other sports,” Armstrong continued. “But bowling is something you can go do so that’s been pretty fun.”

    “I think I bowl good enough to be in a league but I haven’t got there yet,” Armstrong said. “I just have fun with it.”

    On reflection, however, Armstrong advised that his new hobby did have some critical factors in common with his racing passion.

    “It’s a really hard sport as far as making sure that you do the same thing over and over again,” Armstrong said. “I guess it’s like hitting the same line over and over each lap.”

    “So, that way it is connected to racing so I feel a whole lot better about going to play it now.”

    While enjoying his off-track hobby, Armstrong remains committed to pursuing his racing passion. The young driver also has progression on his mind when it comes to his career.

    “I definitely do want to be racing on Sundays in the Cup Series eventually,” Armstrong said. “Whether that happens or not, I don’t know.”

    “The main thing is that I have a great opportunity right now in the Truck Series with ThorSport,” Armstrong continued. “So, I just have to make the best of it and go out and try the best I can each and every week.”

    Most of all, Armstrong just cannot wait to get his 2012 season started so that he can begin his quest for the Truck Series Rookie of the Year prize. He will start work early this week as he heads off to Daytona International Speedway.

    “I actually take off Monday and we have a rookie meeting on Tuesday,” Armstrong said. “We have a call on Wednesday and practice on Thursday.”

    “It’s pretty nerve-wracking,” Armstrong continued. “I’ve been there in the ARCA Series so I know pretty much where everything is.”

    “I know the facility but we will actually be racing the same weekend as the Daytona 500 so the atmosphere will be crazy.”

    “But if I could sum up in one word my feelings going into Daytona, it would be excited, especially because this is something new,” Armstrong said. “I am going to be a rookie and the trucks are still really new to me.”

    “So, I’m just looking forward to getting the opportunity to go out and show what the 98 team can do.”

     

  • Johnny Sauter: From Runner Up to Running for the Championship

    Johnny Sauter: From Runner Up to Running for the Championship

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America” align=”alignright” width=”100″][/media-credit]Although not as close as Carl Edwards’ loss of the Cup championship in a tie breaker, Camping World Truck Series driver Johnny Sauter had an eerily similar experience. The driver of the No. 13 ThorSport Toyota Tundra came up short by just six points in his bid to win the Truck title last season.

    Yet Johnny Sauter’s runner-up status has served as nothing short of a motivator, enhancing his desire even more to run all out for that most coveted honor in the upcoming 2012 season.

    “I guess the competitor in you will look back on last season as a really good year, winning a couple of races, leading close to 500 laps, getting a couple of poles,” Sauter said. “But ultimately finishing in second place by six points is tough.”

    “Do I feel like Carl Edwards?” Sauter continued. “Look, if you’re second in points it’s great, as long as it’s by fifty points or so.”

    “When it’s one point like with Carl, it’s really tough,” Sauter said. “But six points is also tough to swallow.”

    “You go through the whole season and put your best effort out there,” Sauter continued. “And if you come up six points short, you come up six points short.”

    “I’m just thankful that I have the opportunity to go try it again.”

    Sauter is definitely keeping himself focused on what is really important, including not dwelling on the the past. Plus, Sauter is just plain practical in his approach to racing.

    “I’ve spent a lot of times focusing on the positives,” Sauter said. “There are instances where I could have done things better but I’ve learned from my mistakes.”

    “So, hopefully we can pick up where we left off and make a run of it in 2012.”

    “It’s easy for me,” Sauter said. “I’ve got kids and they like to eat. So, I don’t have an option but to dig hard and race hard week in and week out.”

    “I feel like I’m with the team and the organization where it’s not just about the driver,” Sauter continued. “The team can carry me and it’s a mutual relationship that works really well.”

    “I have all the faith in the world in my crew chief and in my guys,” Sauter said. “So, I see us picking off where we left off and contending for the championship and winning races.”

    “At the end of the day, it’s something that you want to do, so you do it.”

    Sauter credits his confidence in going into the 2012 season with his consistency with his team and crew chief. But he acknowledged that his team is indeed facing a challenge this season in the move from a Chevrolet race truck to a Toyota.

    “It’s actually a perfect time to switch manufacturers in the off season when you have a bit of down time and when you’re re-bodying your trucks anyway,” Sauter said. “We were essentially switched over to a Toyota a week or two after Homestead.”

    “And we were in the wind tunnel and already learning what we needed to do,” Sauter continued. “We were pleasantly surprised that we were good right out of the gate.”

    Sauter is also pleased that his long-time friend and teammate Matt Crafton will be at his side at the track. Additionally, he is looking forward to working with 18 year old Dakoda Armstrong, who will be running for Rookie of the Year honors for ThorSport Racing.

    “I’ve always had a great relationship with Crafton,” Sauter said. “Dakoda is a really good kid. He’s one of those guys that has proved himself already and he seems to be really open to learning.”

    “I see it working well, really well,” Sauter continued. “You throw Kimmel in there with the ARCA team and that’s even better.”

    “We have a lot of changes but a lot of good things working this season and I couldn’t be more pleased with my fellow drivers, crew chiefs and team members. The whole deal is pretty solid.”

    While much in Sauter’s racing life is staying the same, including long-time sponsor Curb Records, the driver is also looking forward to welcoming new sponsor, Hot Honeys Honey-Roasted Chipotle-flavored peanuts, to the fold.

    “Well the Hot Honey Chipotle Peanuts sponsorship is good,” Sauter said. “Let’s face it, this is a sport that’s sponsor driven and takes a lot of money for us to do what we do.”

    “A new relationship with The Peanut Roaster Company is great and I look forward to working with them this upcoming season,” Sauter continued. “It’s fun to see some fresh paint schemes in the garage.”

    “They are very excited to be in the sport and hopefully we can do a good job in representing them.”

    In addition to preparing for his championship run in the upcoming season, Sauter has been busy at home with his family, as well as with his ‘other’ hobby.

    “My hobby is racing,” Sauter said. “I’ve got a late model car that I spend most of my time working on when I have any free time.”

    “I went and raced a couple weeks ago in Georgia,” Sauter continued. “I finished dead last due to mechanical issues.”

    “But it was fun,” Sauter said. “That’s what I do. Anytime I get an opportunity to race, that’s what I do other than spend time with my family.”

    Yet even with his ‘other’ racing hobby to keep him occupied, Sauter admitted to being not only surprised at how fast the off season has gone, but also at how ready he is to get back to the Truck Series track. He is especially excited realizing that his date with Daytona is right around the corner.

    “It’s an exciting feeling for me,” Sauter said. “Everybody that is fortunate to get to drive in one of the top three divisions in NASCAR and make their living doing it, that’s exciting in and of itself.”

    “But to pull into Daytona, with the history of that race track and knowing that at a restrictor plate race that anyone can win that race, it’s an exciting feeling.”

    “But you kind of have to manage your expectations,” Sauter continued. “I’ve been down there and taken out before I’ve even completed a full lap of the race.”

    “So, you take the good with the bad. Daytona is one of those places that can grab you but it’s still an exciting feeling.”

    “My program is solid,” Sauter said. “I love having the opportunity to race with the same group of guys.”

    “Being so close to winning the championship, I feel so fortunate to race another year and ultimately, hopefully, to be the champion.”

  • Matt Crafton Leader of the Pack at ThorSport Racing

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]Celebrating his twelfth season at ThorSport Racing, 35 year old Matt Crafton may well be known as the ‘leader of the pack’ among his fellow drivers, including championship runner-up Johnny Sauter and Rookie of the Year contender Dakoda Armstrong.

    And although the driver of the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra is fine with that ‘leader of the pack’ moniker, as well as being the ‘wily veteran’, he does take exception to anyone who pins the ‘old’ label on him.

    “That’s what they’ve named me,” Crafton said of his ‘leader of the pack’ status. “I didn’t so much come up with that but I guess that’s what they’re calling me.”

    Whether leader or wily veteran, Crafton admits that he definitely has had an unusual amount of time with the same team, especially in the ever-changing sport of NASCAR racing.

    “It says so much for Duke and Rhonda Thorson (ThorSport owners) and Menards (sponsor) who have been behind me for these past years,” Crafton said. “Duke has run this like a business and has grown each year but has not overspent, like so many race teams do.”

    “Duke said if I’d stick with him as he was growing, we would be just fine,” Crafton continued. “And he has been a man of his words.”

    Will this long-term relationship with ThorSport Racing lead to a championship run for the ‘wily veteran’ this upcoming race season?

    “I sure hope so,” Crafton said simply. “That would be a dream come true for the Thorsons and for me.”

    In addition to his teammate Johnny Sauter, who has been with ThorSport Racing for several years, Crafton is also looking forward to his newer teammate Dakoda Armstrong. With the trio racing together for ThorSport, Crafton is convinced that they may just be that team to beat for the Truck Series championship.

    “It’s definitely going to help us,” Crafton said of his teammates. “It will give us some more people to bounce ideas off.”

    “There’s going to be some weekends that me and Johnny will struggle and Dakoda and his team might be on a different path and able to help us,” Crafton continued. “That’s one of the great things about having a multi-truck deal.”

    “Dakoda’s going to do a good job,” Crafton said. “He’s got a lot of learning to do and he’s definitely green.”

    “But if he keeps calling me ‘old guy’, we’re going to have a problem,” Crafton said with a chuckle. “He’s going to have to learn to respect his elders.”

    In addition to his young teammate, Crafton also has another major change facing him for the 2012 season. For the first time in his Truck career, he will be driving a Toyota instead of a Chevrolet.

    “It’s been great,” Crafton said of the change. “Toyota has been a great company to work with so far.”

    “I’ve been with Chevy since I started in the Truck Series and that’s all I’ve ever known,” Crafton continued. “So, I had no idea how this was going to go.”

    “But they give you so many tools and their door is always open to ideas and questions you might have,” Crafton said. “They have 40 engineers on staff and you can go to them and they thrive on figuring out the answer.”

    “That’s one of the cool things that Toyota has given us.”

    “Chevy was great to us but we were racing against Cup-associated and affiliated race teams,” Crafton said. “To get to the next level, we felt we could get that Cup technology by going with Toyota.”

    Not only does Crafton have a new manufacturer, but he also has a new crew chief, Carl Joiner. And while Joiner may be new to the top of the pit box, he has been a long time team member and friend of the veteran driver.

    “He’s actually been our shock guy for, oh my God, seven years if not more,” Crafton said of Joiner. “I just got married this year and he was my best man.”

    “The year I won the championship on the southwest tour, he and my dad were my crew chiefs,” Crafton continued. “He was doing it back then and we’ve always had a great relationship.”

    “I’m really, really super-stoked about working with him this year.”

    While he may be looking forward to the 2012 Camping World Truck Series season, Crafton has been busy off the track as well.  In fact, he has been on the road during his time off just about as much as during his race season, even taking time to tie the knot.

    “I have been traveling,” Crafton said. “From the time I left Homestead to two days ago, I’ve only been home eight days.”

    “Everybody always says we should be resting but I love to travel so I’m not complaining,” Crafton continued. “Right after Homestead, we went to southern California and played in the sand.”

    “Then we came home and flew off to go get married just south of Cancun, Mexico and then we went to honeymoon in Costa Rica,” Crafton said. “When we got home from our honeymoon, we were home for two days and went to play in the sand again in California and then drove our motor home back.”

    “We actually take our motor home and leave it out there all winter and before the season we drive it back,” Crafton continued. “And that is not very much fun.”

    “But if we made it through that long drive stuck in the motor home for three days, I guess we can be married.”

    As hectic as his off-season has been, Crafton can barely contain his excitement for the beginning of the Truck season at Daytona this weekend.

    “I am just super-excited,” Crafton said. “I’m so looking forward to this season.”

  • ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards Returns To Winchester Speedway

    This weekend’s ninth race of the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season marks the return to Winchester after spending three years without going there.

    After success last year and an eighth place finish back in May at Toledo Speedway, Dakoda Armstrong will once again team up with Cunningham Motorsports for the Winchester 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts at Winchester Speedway in Indiana on Saturday.

    Crew Chief Paul Andrew is expecting good things following a test last week at the half-mile, 37-degree banked track.

    “We did have a good test,” said Andrews. “We started with our Salem setup and tuned on it from there. Winchester is very similar to Salem, just much smoother. Our times on the longer runs were very consistent and our mock qualifying lap was good. With the history of the track and all of the laps that Dakoda has on the track, we are hoping for good things.”

    The Newcastle, Indiana native has had success in ARCA before as he was crowned the 2010 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year with two wins – Talladega and Salem.

    This marks the first race for the ARCA Series at Winchester Speedway since 2007.

    “It’s important for the ARCA Racing Series to go back to Winchester Speedway,” ARCA president Ron Drager said. “It’s exactly the type of Midwestern facility where the ARCA brand is well-known and has the chance to be successful. Winchester is big enough and fast enough to play to the very nature of our cars.”

    When Armstrong got the news, he jumped at the opportunity to run it.

    “(I am) excited about racing again at Winchester,” Armstrong said. “I really like the track. After our test last week and the similarities Winchester has to Salem, where we run well, I am expecting a good run.”

    Meanwhile, series veteran Frank Kimmel has a lot of experience at Winchester and leads the series in victories at Winchester with five.

    “Winchester is exactly the kind of track we need to be racing at,” the Indiana,native said. “It’s perfect for these big heavy stock cars, and what a show. I think Winchester is one of the best half-miles in the country, bar none. When it was repaved, I thought it wasn’t going to be as good, but it actually got a lot better. It made a lane in the middle and made it a really racy race track.”

    Racing began at Winchester in 1914 as it was originally a flat half-mile dirt oval, with the banking added in 1922. It would then become an asphalt oval in 1952, followed by a re-paving in 1995.

    “Before they repaved it, it was a lot like Salem where you had really only one good lane to work with – through the middle in one and two and higher up in three and four,” Kimmel said. “But now, you can put the car about anywhere on the track. You can actually pass someone without running them over.”

    The return to Winchester marks the first race at the track on the short track radial tire, which Hoosier introduced in 2008.

    “The speeds will be up,” Kimmel, who sits second in points behind Ty Dillon, said. “The radial is just a better tire than the bias-ply so I’m curious to see how that could affect the outcome.”

    The Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts is a one-day event, with a 90-minute practice session beginning Saturday at 1:45 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell will take place at 4:45, with a 45-minute autograph session at 6:45. The 200-lap, 100-mile event begins at 8. Live timing and scoring for all of the events will be featured at ARCARacing.com.

  • Chase Elliott, Johanna Long and Dakoda Armstrong Prove Racing is a Family Affair

    Chase Elliott, Johanna Long and Dakoda Armstrong Prove Racing is a Family Affair

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Up and coming NASCAR racers like Chase Elliott, Johanna Long and Dakoda Armstrong may have loads of talent but they also have one other thing in common, the love and support of their family. And each one of them has proven that racing is truly a family affair.

    Thanks to the coaching of his NASCAR champion father Awesome Bill Elliott and the unfailing support of mom Cindy, Chase Elliott is already proving that racing for him is filled with family. The young racer also recently signed with one of NASCAR’s most famous team families, Hendrick Motorsports.

    Elliott raced this past weekend at Greenville Pickens Speedway in one of NASCAR’s developmental series under the banner of HMS. With that start, Chase officially became the youngest driver ever to start a K&N Pro Series East race at the tender age of 15 years.

    Elliott followed in his most popular father’s footsteps from the moment he pulled into the historic race track in South Carolina. Fans lined up well into Turn Four to get the youngster’s autograph and the line remained until the session finally had to be ended so the race could start.

    Elliott, in his No. 9 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, qualified for the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 in the 26th position. His qualifying lap, at a speed of 85.531 miles per hour, was a definite improvement over his practice time but he still started the race deep within the field.

    Elliott had to not only pick his way through the field gradually but also had to overcome a spin on lap 97 to soldier forward. With 23 laps to go, the young driver, with his father in his ear as spotter, manhandled his way to eighth, eventually finishing the race in the fourth spot.

    Ever the competitor, just like his father, Chase Elliott had this to say after his debut.

    “The weekend wasn’t quite what we wanted it to be,” Elliott said. “But it ended up being a pretty good night for the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet.”

    “Having the support of your family and friends for any first time event in your life is always special,” Elliott continued. “I have been fortunate to have the support of a lot of family and friends that have been with me each step of the way.”   

    Just as family has been critical to Chase Elliott’s rise in the sport, so has the family of Johanna Long been instrumental in her move up as a rookie in the Camping World Truck Series this year. She too is following in the steps of her racing father, Donald, who raced in the NASCAR All-Pro Division back in the day.

    Long, at age 18, admits that she is struggling a bit to get that handle on her No. 20 Panhandle Grading and Paving Toyota Tundra truck. In the first three Truck races, she has finished 32nd, 20th and 31st respectively.

    “It’s going,” Long said of her Truck run to date. “We’ve had a lot of bad luck but every time we go to the race track we’ve been learning a lot.”

    “I’m learning and learning and learning.”

    Long was very excited to race this past weekend at Martinsville in the Kroger 250 this past weekend. She was able to harness her excitement to get her best finish to date, bringing her truck to the finish line in one piece and in the 18th position.

    But she still goes back to crediting her family for putting her in the position to pursue her racing dreams.

    “My mom and my dad and my grandparents and my uncle, they all own my team,” Long said. “They are a big part of my career.”

    “They have given me a great opportunity and I can’t thank them enough,” Long continued. “My mom and dad come to every single race and they would not miss it for the world. It’s really neat for them to come and experience this with me.”

    At age 19, Dakoda Armstrong may be the eldest of this group of up and coming racers, but he too got to where he is today thanks to the nurturing of his family, in his case from down on the farm. Thanks to his family’s support, Armstrong recently signed with ThorSport Racing to run a third team to current powerhouse Truck racers Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton.

    Armstrong will run the No. 98 Chevy Silverado for a select number of races this year. Armstrong will also continue his ARCA racing, where last year he won the Rookie of the Year honors.

    Armstrong credits his family with jump starting his racing career. He grew up on a farm in the Midwest, born in New Castle, Indiana.

    “When I was younger, we had cattle and we actually had to sell them so we could go racing,” Armstrong said.

    The investment paid off and this racer’s family farming avocation has even led him to several sponsorship deals, specifically with ethanol coming into the sport and the greening of NASCAR.

    “It’s kind of funny how it worked out,” Armstrong said. “My dad’s farming career and my racing career are starting to mesh right now.”

    “It’s been really neat and it’s a great experience for my family,” Armstrong said of his racing. “They really love it.”

    Regardless of their ages or current racing series, there is no doubt that all three of these up and coming NASCAR future stars have succeeded in moving forward in their young careers thanks to the love, support and nurturing of their families.

    And there is also no doubt that the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles of Chase Elliott, Johanna Long and Dakoda Armstrong could not be more proud.

  • Dakoda Armstrong To Drive No. 98 for ThorSport Racing

    Dakoda Armstrong To Drive No. 98 for ThorSport Racing

    ThorSport Racing announced this weekend that  2010 ARCA Series Rookie of the Year Dakoda Armstrong would be driving a third truck for their team.

    [media-credit name=”DakodaArmstrong.com” align=”alignright” width=”135″][/media-credit]The 19-year old will drive the team’s No. 98 Entry in a select number of races while competiting for the Sonoco Rookie of the Year award. ThorSport has won the award twice before, in 2007 with Willie Allen and in 2009 with Johnny Sauter.

    “Driving for such a strong team with a long history in this series is an unbelievable opportunity for me,” Armstrong said. “I grew up building my own midget cars on our farm, and it was always my dream to make it to NASCAR to drive for an organization like ThorSport Racing.  Team owners Duke and Rhonda Thorson have proven that they can put the trucks on the track to  race consistently for the win with both veteran drivers and rookie drivers through two prior Rookie of the Year awards. I had the opportunity to be a guest of the teams at Phoenix, and I was so impressed to see how well both the 13 and 88 teams work together to get the best performance out of the weekend.  I have so much respect for team manager David Pepper and crew chiefs Bud Haefele (No. 88 team) and Joe Shear, Jr. (No. 13 team); who work tirelessly to put the best quality & equipment out there.” 

    The New Castle, Indiana native joins Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter, who both are seen as legitimate title contenders this year.

    “We’re excited to add Dakoda Armstrong, such a fresh talent and unique ‘voice’ in the agricultural, entrepreneurial and alternative energy world; to our growing NASCAR Camping World Truck Series program in 2011,” Matt LaNeve, vice president of Motorsports Partnerships at ThorSport Racing said. “Dakoda is a very inspirational young driver who has had a lot of success in every series he’s competed in, and he’s part of the next generation of NASCAR drivers.

    “Add to the fact that he’s one of many corn growers who are helping to feed and fuel America, it’s a winning combination with the effort of our series to use Sunoco Green E15 fuel. What better than a potential Sunoco Rookie of the Year who helps produce ethanol fuel from home? We think he’s such a compelling NASCAR story.”

    Last year in the ARCA Series, he collected two wins, including Talladega Superspeedway. Beyond the ARCA Series, Armstrong has had a lot of success, including the 1998 WKA National Championship; 2000 & 2001 Nascart Championships; 2004 Kenyon Midget Championship in his Rookie Year; 2008 PRI Mopar Midget Classic National; Three USAC Midget races in 2008 & “Hard Charger” in Hooters Pro Cup final year.

    Beyond the race track, Armstrong hopes to educate fans about the green energy American farming initiatives.

    Armstrong Farms, Dakoda’s family operated farm for four generations, is one of the largest producers in the Midwest of corn used for the production of ethanol.  Armstrong Farms provide 700,000 bushels of corn to Cardinal Ethanol and Anderson Ethanol annually.  With a single bushel of corn producing 2.8 gallons of ethanol, Armstrong Farms is responsible for approximately 1.9 million gallons of ethanol each year.

    “I’m also excited to be able to shed more light on what farmers like my family are doing to help Americans become more energy independent,” Armstrong said. “Our corn is used to produce ethanol, which provides us a renewable fuel that reduces emissions and creates jobs right here at home.  That’s a tremendous source of pride for me.”

    “As NASCAR uses an ethanol-blended fuel made with corn grown in the U.S., we are thrilled to see a fourth-generation family farmer competing at the top level of our sport,” Dr. Mike Lynch, Managing Director of Green Innovation for NASCAR, said. “We support Dakoda Armstrong’s efforts to tell the story of Sunoco Green E15 — the ultimate high-test fuel contributing to conservation, U.S. jobs, and energy independence.”

    Armstrong’s debut race is tentatively scheduled at Iowa Speedway in July. Further details about the program will be made at a later date.

  • ARCA Driver Tom Hessert to Ken Schrader Racing in 2011

    ARCA Driver Tom Hessert to Ken Schrader Racing in 2011

    ARCA driver Tom Hessert announced that he would be running the full 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule with Ken Schrader Racing after finishing third in points in 2010.

    Hessert, who drove the No. 77 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge to one win, 10 top-fives, and 15 top-10 finishes in 2010, informed Cunningham Motorsports owner Kerry Scherer last week that he will drive in 2011 for Ken Schrader Racing.

    Hessert had a solid year as he was in the thick of one of the tightest points battles in recent years with Patrick Sheltra and Craig Goess.

    [media-credit name=”tomhessert.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]”It was an awesome year,” Hessert told the ARCA Racing Network last month. “Obviously, I’ll say that this was the best season in my career to this point. I’m a little disappointed to not win after we came from such a difference after the first eight races – 220 points down – to lead the championship for a couple of hours (laughing), at least, after Salem. We got our first win and had a bunch of top-10s and top-fives, so I’m pretty pleased.”

    The first win is a moment that many refer to as the highlight of the year, as he held off Ty Dillon to win the Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway.

    “It’s incredible,” he told me of that first win. “It’s my first win in a quite awhile and to win it in that fashion and leading all those laps at Iowa Speedway in front of a great crowd and with the Camping World Truck Series teams being on hand and all those people in the garage area and on Speed, it couldn’t have been a better day.”

    Hessert got into racing through his father.

    “My dad raced in sports car for a long time in the late 80s/90s and I grew up going to the races,” he told me. “I went to my first race when I was two weeks old and fell in love with it then.”

    His father, among others, has now given him the advice needed to get to where he is.

    “My dad’s been a mentor of mine all throughout my career, as he’s obviously a race car driver,” he said. “In our series, it’s Frank Kimmel, which everyone has been saying. Kenny Schrader’s also been a great friend, a great mentor the last year-and-a-half, and there’s Andy Hillenburg.”

    Hessert found himself with Cunningham Motorsports this season after a discussion near the end of last year.

    “Last year, I drove the first half of the season for Andy Belmont Racing and then the second half of the year for RAB,” he said. “Then near the end of the year, one of the guys from Cunningham Motorsports called me and I went down to Georgia and met with him and it was a very attractive offer. They ran really well last year and their affiliation with some of the big teams in NASCAR was very appealing and so far, so good. I couldn’t be happier.”

    Hessert had some experience running some Camping World Truck Series races near the end of the year of 2010 and has expressed interest in moving into the NASCAR ranks. Therefore this move to Ken Schrader Racing puts him in position to do with that with Schrader’s program and connections.

    Cunningham Motorsports may be in trouble as Dakoda Armstrong, Hessert’s teammate in 2010, has not yet informed Cunningham Motorsports of his plans for 2011, according to a team press release. 

    Cunningham Motorsports is actively looking for sponsored drivers for 2011, and continues to prepare for the January 11-13 ARCA Racing Series open test at Daytona International Speedway.