Dakoda Armstrong Bio
Dakoda Armstrong (born July 16, 1991) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 28 Toyota Camry for JGL Racing. Over the course of his career, Armstrong has competed across the ARCA Racing Series, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series, building a reputation as a versatile short-track and stock car talent from the Midwest.
Early Life and Background
Dakoda Armstrong was born on July 16, 1991, in New Castle, Indiana. He grew up on a working family farm in rural Indiana, where his family operates a corn and grain operation that produces 1.9 million gallons of ethanol fuel each year for various energy programs. Armstrong began working on his own race cars in the facilities on his family’s property, a hands-on upbringing that helped shape his mechanical understanding of racing from an early age.
He started racing go-karts at the age of six and quickly found success, winning the 1998 World Karting Association national championship in his first year of competition. He continued to develop his skills across quarter midgets, Bandoleros, micro and mini sprints, Kenyon midgets, 410 non-wing sprint cars, and midgets, accumulating more than 200 feature wins across those disciplines.
Path to NASCAR
Armstrong added pavement stock car events to his resume and captured the 2000 and 2001 Nascart championships. In 2004, at age 13, he became the youngest driver to win a USAC national championship when he captured the USAC Mel Kenyon Midget Series title, adding another major open-wheel trophy to his collection. Those early accomplishments helped position him for a jump into the national stock car ladder.
From 2007 to 2010, Armstrong entered select USAC events across the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Championship, and National Midget Series, sharpening his pavement racing skills. He signed a driver development deal with Penske Racing and moved into the ARCA Racing Series with Cunningham Motorsports in 2009, posting a best finish of third and earning ARCA Rookie of the Year honors in 2010. Those results opened the door to NASCAR’s national series.
Dakoda Armstrong Career
Early Career (2009–2011)
Armstrong’s first major stock car opportunity came in 2009 with Cunningham Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series, where he ran seven events and recorded a best finish of third. He returned to the organization in 2010 for a full ARCA campaign in the No. 22 Dodge, earning Rookie of the Year honors. In just his 12th ARCA start, he scored his first series win at Talladega Superspeedway, added a second victory at Salem Speedway, and closed the year seventh in the standings with two wins, five top fives, 12 top tens, and a pole.
In 2011, Armstrong scaled back his ARCA schedule to focus on his move to NASCAR. He still managed one ARCA win at Winchester Speedway and posted two top fives and four top tens in six starts. That same year, he signed with ThorSport Racing and made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on July 17, 2011, at Iowa Speedway, finishing 21st, and recorded his first Truck Series top 10 later that season at Kentucky Speedway.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Breakthrough (2012–2013)
Armstrong attempted a full Truck Series season with ThorSport Racing in 2012, but was released from the team before the race at Iowa Speedway in September because of poor performance. He regrouped quickly, and in February 2013 it was announced that he would drive the full Truck Series schedule for Turn One Racing, with sponsorship from WinField. He also began branching into the NASCAR Nationwide Series, running five races for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 33 and No. 21 entries, and later drove the No. 19 for TriStar Motorsports at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2014–2017)
On December 4, 2013, Richard Petty Motorsports announced it had signed Armstrong to compete full-time in the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series in the No. 43 Ford Mustang. He opened his Nationwide career with his first pole position, awarded for the Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona after qualifying was canceled due to rain, and finished 13th in the final 2014 standings.
Armstrong returned to Richard Petty Motorsports in 2015 with new crew chief Frank Kerr. He earned a career-best Nationwide finish of sixth at Daytona by avoiding two major incidents, but on November 23, 2015, he and RPM parted ways due to inconsistent performance. He joined JGL Racing in 2016 to drive the No. 28 Toyota Camry and returned to the team in 2017. That season produced his two best Xfinity results, a fifth-place run in the American Ethanol E15 250 at Iowa Speedway on June 24 and a career-best third place in the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 at Daytona on July 1. He was released by the team on September 25, 2017, because of a lack of sponsorship.
Later Career and Sprint Car Return
After his Xfinity release, Armstrong stepped back from full-time national NASCAR competition. In 2018, he finished 12th in the ARCA/CRA Super Series Redbud 400 at Anderson Speedway. He returned to open-wheel competition in 2021, entering two USAC Sprint non-points races at Indianapolis Raceway Park, with a fifth at the Thursday Night Thunder Homecoming and a 10th at the Hoosier Classic.
In 2022, Armstrong finished second at Anderson’s Little 500 sprint car race and was runner-up on the Indiana-based 500 Sprint Car Tour. He also entered four USAC Midgets non-points races at Indianapolis Raceway Park, posting a best result of third at the Carb Night Classic.
JGL Racing Era
Armstrong’s most recent full national series work came with JGL Racing, where he drove the No. 28 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Across his JGL tenure he delivered his two career-best Xfinity finishes and helped establish the team as a steady midfield operation. Although he was released in late 2017, the No. 28 Toyota has remained the car most closely associated with his top-level stock car results.
Driving Style and Strengths
Armstrong is known for a smooth, patient driving style that plays well on short tracks and intermediate speedways, where he can manage tire wear and stay out of trouble. His open-wheel background gives him a confident feel for lighter cars, and he has shown a knack for surviving chaotic superspeedway events such as the Daytona races that produced his first pole and his career-best Xfinity run.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his first ARCA win at Talladega Superspeedway in 2010, his first Xfinity pole at the 2014 Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona, and his career-best third-place Xfinity finish in the 2017 Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 at Daytona. His runner-up effort in the 2022 Little 500 at Anderson Speedway also stands out as one of his most competitive short-track performances of recent years.
Dakoda Armstrong Career Wins
Armstrong’s verified national and regional wins span karting, midgets, ARCA stock cars, and sprint cars. He is a former WKA national karting champion, a two-time Nascart champion, a USAC Kenyon Midget Series champion, and a multi-time ARCA race winner.
ARCA Racing Series Highlights
Armstrong won three ARCA Racing Series races during his time with Cunningham Motorsports, beginning with his first victory at Talladega Superspeedway in 2010. He added a second 2010 win at Salem Speedway and a 2011 victory at Winchester Speedway, finishing seventh in the 2010 ARCA standings while earning Rookie of the Year honors.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond ARCA, Armstrong captured the 1998 World Karting Association national championship, the 2000 and 2001 Nascart titles, and the 2004 USAC Mel Kenyon Midget Series championship as a 13-year-old. He has also recorded runner-up finishes in major short-track events such as the 2022 Little 500 at Anderson Speedway and the 2022 500 Sprint Car Tour standings.
Dakoda Armstrong Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Armstrong comes from a New Castle, Indiana, farming family that produces corn and grain used to generate 1.9 million gallons of ethanol fuel each year. His younger brother, Dalton Armstrong (born 1994), is a racing driver who has competed in the CARS Tour and marquee late model events such as the Winchester 400. His younger cousin, Caleb Armstrong (born 1992), was a developmental driver for Venturini Motorsports and ran a handful of ARCA races with the team in 2012 and 2013.
Personal Life
On February 5, 2017, Armstrong married Karlee Hensley. Outside of racing, he enjoys working out, competing against friends on iRacing, and watching football, and he often attends open-wheel events to mentor his younger siblings when they race. He remains connected to his family’s Indiana farm and continues to work on race cars at the property.
2025 Season Performance
As of 2025, Dakoda Armstrong is not listed as an active driver in a full-time national NASCAR series ride. His most recent national series work was with JGL Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and he has spent recent seasons running selected sprint car and late model events in the Midwest.
He continues to appear in regional open-wheel events, including USAC Sprint and Midget non-points races at Indianapolis Raceway Park, and has posted competitive results such as a third-place run in the Carb Night Classic and runner-up finishes in the 2022 Little 500 at Anderson Speedway and the 500 Sprint Car Tour. His activity has remained selective, focused on events he can combine with family and farm responsibilities in Indiana.
Looking ahead, Armstrong has not announced a full-time 2025 national NASCAR campaign, and his competitive focus appears to remain on select short-track and open-wheel events. Should sponsorship or a competitive ride materialize, his prior Xfinity experience with JGL Racing and his ARCA win totals suggest he remains a viable candidate for a part-time national series return.