Dakoda Armstrong Hopes His Racing Teaches
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[/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.”
Paulie Harraka: Graduate, NASCAR Truck Series Driver, and Entrepreneur
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[/media-credit]In spite of being just 22 years old, Paulie Harraka is already wearing many hats, including graduate, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver of the No. 5 Wauters Motorsports Ford, and entrepreneur.
One of Harraka’s most prized hats to wear is that of graduate, recently completing his walk for his college diploma from Duke. Harraka graduated with a double major in marketing management and sociology and a minor in history.
“It’s amazing that it’s over,” Harraka said. “When you’re a freshman, it seems so far away.”
“Four years just go by,” Harraka continued. “I look back and I got to do so much that I took advantage of. It’s been awesome.”
“It’s exciting not to have to write papers and to not have to take exams anymore,” Harraka said. “But at the same time, I miss not living with all my closest friends within a quarter of a mile.”
Now that he has had a chance to reflect on his college career, Harraka said that he learned so many lessons. In fact, there were so many, yet each and every one has made him the driver that he is today.
“So much of what I did at Duke was about supporting my racing career and augmented what I do at the race track, whether that was networking with Duke alumni or leadership classes or marketing classes,” Harraka said. “There is no question that I would not be here right now without my Duke education.”
Although Harraka had a double major, as well as a minor, he selected his college course with just one thing in mind, how they would impact his racing career.
“Racing was really my focus at Duke,” Harraka said. “I took engineering classes, leadership classes, business classes, marketing classes and anything that would help me at track.”
“If you looked at my Duke transcript not knowing that I race, you would think that’s a pretty random grouping of classes that don’t go together,” Harraka continued. “But understanding that they fit together into a racing context, it all makes sense.”
As a race truck driver, Harraka is wearing another hat, that of debutante at Dover International Speedway, known as the ‘Monster Mile.’ And while he is looking forward to it, he acknowledged that the track is indeed a bit monstrous.
“This is a tough place,” Harraka said. “Dover is different. You drive right off the straightaway and down into the corner and it’s like a three story drop.”
“Matt Crafton described it as the best roller coaster ride you’ll ever have and I definitely understand what he means,” Harraka said. “It’s big. It’s fast. It’s a lot of fun, but it will be a challenge with 30 plus other trucks.”
Harraka may be making his debut at Dover, but his Truck is sporting sponsorship from Phoenix International Raceway. Because of a close relationship between the PIR track president and Harraka, the two decided to do a special promotion for the Phoenix fall race.
“Today is June 1st and the day that the tickets go on sale for the Phoenix fall race,” Harraka said. “So, they wanted to do a promotion around the first day of their ticket sales.”
“Anyone that buys their tickets online or by calling today or this month gets a discount,” Harraka said. Second, anybody that tweets #GoPaulie during the race gets entered into a drawing and if we win, they get a whole package at the track.”
While Harraka has Phoenix Raceway on the car, the Truck race driver is also sporting the familiar puzzle piece for the charity Autism Speaks for his Dover debut, calling awareness to the full spectrum of the disease which affects so many.
“What Dover does with the whole weekend is great because they tie in Autism Speaks to the entire weekend,” Harraka said. “Everybody has met someone or has a friend or family member with autism.”
“To be a part of that, in a micro way, is cool.”
Harraka’s final hat, but probably one of the most important, is that of entrepreneur. And that hat is most critical as it is the basis for funding for his racing career.
“A number of the investors will be at the race, which I’m excited about,” Harraka said. “That part of the business is going really well and I’m excited about that.”
“A number of our investors have really become engaged in coming to a number of the races,” Harraka continued. “Our Executive Chairman, this will be his fourth race this year.”
“We’re bringing this whole group of people as NASCAR fans that in the past have never had a connection to the sport,” Harraka said. “They are interested in getting involved both in my racing career and helping us improve our whole program.”
“They’re not just silent cash,” Harraka continued. “They are people that are not intrusive or invasive but want to help however they can.”
Harraka acknowledges that his business model may just be working a bit better than his on-track performance. And in many ways, he might just be the Jeff Gordon of the Truck Series, having just as much bad luck as the four-time champion.
“At some point performance will affect the business model,” Harraka said. “But, we’re still moving forward and improving and as long as we are, we’ll be in good shape.”
“Some of it’s been bad luck but some of it’s been self-inflicted,” Harraka acknowledged. “Some of it is situations that we’ve been put in, but at Charlotte, I screwed up.”
“It happens,” Harraka said. “It’s the beginning of the season. It’s a new race team with a rookie driver. It’s a lot of things we need to work through.”
“The worst thing you can do is to just put your head down,” Harraka continued. “You’ve got to keep your head up and look at what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Eventually, we’ll fix all the problems and have a good day.”
One other hat that the young driver is wearing is that of perpetual learner.
“You just got to keep learning,” Harraka said. “I was pulling in to the track and my phone rang and it’s Ricky Rudd, who has been a long-time mentor of mine.”
“So, we start chatting and he said that he just wanted to remind me of something,” Harraka continued. “And he reads down the list of Sprint Cup drivers and how many cars they wrecked at the beginning of their careers.”
“And the moral of the story is that Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch topped that list,” Harraka said. “So, he said that is what I needed to think about and work on.”
The last hat that Harraka is wearing at the Monster Mile is that of hometown hero. In fact, a whole busload of family and friends are heading from Wayne, New Jersey to Dover, Delaware to watch their boy make his debut.
“I have friends and family that are coming down,” Harraka said. “In fact, a whole busload with Paulie T-shirts will be filling the front stretch.”
Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 14 Dover International Speedway – FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks – June 3, 2012
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[/media-credit]It’s off to the first state to ratify the United States Constitution this weekend to a track that ranks up there in my list of personal favorites. Contrary to a belief that Delaware would be full of parks, monuments, historic sites, battlefields, etc… it remains the only state without a National Park System unit. This doesn’t mean there is not any NASCAR history in the state of Delaware. In 1995, Dover Downs International Speedway became the first NASCAR racing venue to be paved with concrete rather than asphalt. The concrete is one of the 1,000 elements that make Dover such a popular spot for NASCAR fans, and Sunday’s FedEx 400 will be nothing shy of exciting.
Coca-Cola 600 Recap
Jimmie Johnson was my guy for last week’s Coca-Cola 600, coming off his win in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race two weeks ago. Johnson had been on fire for Hendrick Motorsports, claiming their 200th win at Darlington and winning the All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but his flames were put out last Sunday by a stop-and-go penalty on lap 354. His night was rather uneventful up to that point, creeping around the top five for the majority of the laps, but Johnson left his pit box with the fuel can still attached to his Impala on lap 354. Johnson couldn’t recover from the stop-and-go penalty and ended his night on a bitter note in 11th place.
My Dark Horse pick had even less luck on his side than Jimmie Johnson in last week’s Coca-Cola 600, retiring early due to mechanical failure. Marcos Ambrose had been on my radar to step up and make a statement in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on an oval. I was on the right track through the first 200 of the 400 lap stanza as Ambrose took the lead on several occasions last Sunday evening, when a rare hub failure ended my hopes of pulling a pick from where the sun don’t shine. Ambrose limped his No. 9 DEWALT Ford Fusion to the garage for repairs on lap 218, and eventually claimed the 32nd spot in the 2012 Coca-Cola 600.
Dover Picks
I’ve got two practice sessions but no starting positions to base my picks off of this week as qualifying for the 43rd Annual FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks is on the unusual Saturday this week. There are a few guys on my list of contenders this week because of the difficulty the Monster Mile brings on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers.
Winner Pick
Its ‘Concrete Carl’ who I’m going with this week to win at Dover International Speedway. There is one team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series which has three drivers in the top 10 in points thru the first 12 races of the season, yep its Roush Fenway Racing. Concrete Carl has the best average finish (7.3) of all active drivers and the third-best Driver Rating (106.5). His first and only win on the high-banked, one-mile concrete oval back in September of 2007 and Edwards is looking to solidify his spot in the top-10 in drivers points this weekend in Dover.
Dark Horse Pick
Its Martin Truex Jr. who will prevail as my Dark Horse this week. The Southern New Jersey native calls the Monster Mile his home track, and his first and only win came five years ago at Dover. Much like five years ago, the weather forecast is questionable for Sunday’s race, and coincidentally the forecast for Truex’s first win was less than optimal, as his first win came on Monday, June 4th, 2007 rather than Sunday, June 3rd, 2007. Truex currently sits solidly in sixth in NASCAR Sprint Cup points, and has won two of the last three Coors Light poles at the Monster Mile. His stats are mixed at Dover, last five finishes are 30th, 8th, 34th, 12th, and 33rd, but he is really in the groove this season and Truex is looking for a solid homecoming to add to the banner season he has had thus far.
That’s all for this week, so until next time…You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Passionate About Racing, Points Battling and Singing
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[/media-credit]Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has many passions, from sporting his Nationwide championship belt buckle from last year to racing hard in his No. 6 Cargill Beef Ford against the likes of Elliott Sadler and Austin Dillon for the points lead in this year’s Nationwide season.
But who knew that he had another secret passion?
“I really like to sing,” Stenhouse said. “I sing a lot, but I’m not really good at it.”
“I like country music,” Stenhouse continued. “I know a lot of lyrics but I can’t get them to come out the right way.”
“I karaoke to myself in the cars, but not on the stage or in front of anybody.”
Unfortunately, the young Roush Fenway Racing superstar did not have much to sing about after last weekend’s race in Charlotte. He finished the History 300 in the 26th position after suffering mechanical problems.
“You’ll have those bad races,” Stenhouse said philosophically. “We started out the season with a bad race at Daytona and then we had nine good races after that, with the worst finish being sixth.”
“We kind of had a stumble last week,” Stenhouse continued. “Charlotte, I feel like normally I would be disappointed and look at the bad things that happened.”
“But I feel like we got to look at the positives, in that we were really fast and we were able to learn some stuff when we got back out,” Stenhouse said. “Our guys changed a transmission and drive shaft in twenty green flag laps.”
“So, all in all, there were a lot of things that were really good about our day and one little bad thing in that we didn’t get the result that we felt we could have.”
Stenhouse also credits his ability to put things behind him as a major saving grace in the midst of his racing passion. Although he admitted that he does give himself just a little bit of time to brood after a bad session.
“You put it behind you and go on,” Stenhouse said. “You have to take one race at a time, especially because it is a long season.”
“The way I generally look at things is that I reflect on it for a day and then move on,” Stenhouse continued. “So, Sunday, I thought about it and Monday I was thinking about Dover.”
Stenhouse Jr. is also pretty passionate about points racing, especially since it is with his nemesis Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet. He currently has a 13 point advantage over Sadler in the point standings.
“We always want to outrun him,” Stenhouse said of Sadler. “We want to be the highest finishing Nationwide guy each week.”
“We want to win every week and beat all the Cup guys,” Stenhouse continued. “We’ve done it this year at the companion races and that always feels a little better.”
“We’re focused on beating everybody, not just the 2 though,” Stenhouse said. “Like I said, when we race, we’re both going to be right there.”
Stenhouse Jr. also acknowledged that he might not just be racing the No. 2 car exclusively for the championship. One other challenger may well be Austin Dillon, in the No. 3 American Ethanol/New Holland Chevrolet, racing for his grandfather on the Richard Childress team.
“He’s definitely there every week, running really strong and really consistent, like we knew he would,” Stenhouse said of Dillon. “He’s really good and has a lot of seat time and has run a lot of these race tracks.”
“He’s in really good equipment and has someone to learn from like Elliott,” Stenhouse continued. “I think he’s going to be there all year.”
“Right now, everybody’s talking about Elliott and me but Austin is not that far out,” Stenhouse said. “One bad race for us or for Elliot and I and he is right there in it.”
“It will be a tough battle all year.”
Stenhouse Jr. will next unleash his racing and points battling passion on the Monster Mile, a track where he has not quite had the finishes that he would have liked.
“Dover’s been good to us but we haven’t been the best,” Stenhouse said. “We’ve been really fast in practice but kind of missed it in the race.”
“We’ve had some good luck and finished in the top-five,” Stenhouse continued. “This race last year, we were probably an eighth place car and finished fourth after the wreck coming to the front straightaway.”
“There’s things we need to do to get better,” Stenhouse said. “It’s a fun race track and I really enjoy it.”
“There’s a lot of things you can do like move your car around or change your line on the race track to improve your car,” Stenhouse continued. “We’ve led laps here, just not at the right time.”
Stenhouse Jr. is not, however, as passionate about racing on the concrete. But he also realizes that everything that challenges him at the Monster Mile affect the other drivers as well.
“We’ve struggled a little bit on the concrete,” Stenhouse said. “We’ve been decent at Bristol and at Dover, but just haven’t been really, really great.”
“The concrete creates some challenges as far as the seams and the expansion joints so it gets a little rough,” Stenhouse continued. “But I like tracks that are a little rough that makes it fun and really challenging.”
“The way I look at it is that it’s the same race track for everybody so it really doesn’t matter,” Stenhouse said. “If it’s a problem for one, it’s a problem for everybody.”
Stenhouse’s final passion was fulfilled prior to his ever setting foot on the track at Dover. He got to participate in the local golf tournament raising money for autism awareness.
“I don’t have any family members or anything like that with autism but I was able to play in the Drive for Autism golf tournament and had a lot of fun doing it,” Stenhouse said. “It was my first time there and to meet all the kids and to try to find a cure, it was really cool to be a part of it.”
“It was a great atmosphere and I won’t miss it ever again.”
