TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)
Post-Race Notes & Quotes
Chicagoland Speedway – September 15, 2012
Camry driver Kyle Busch (second) was the highest finishing Toyota in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Chicagoland Speedway.
Joey Logano (ninth) and Brian Scott (10th) also earned top-10 results for Toyota at the mile-and-a-half track. Logano started the 200-lap race from the pole and led three times for a total of 67 laps.
Other Toyota lap leaders included Busch (50) and Joe Nemechek (one).
Among the other Toyota drivers in the field were Mike Bliss (13th), Nemechek (16th), Tayler Malsam (18th), Kenny Wallace (20th), Eric McClure (25th), Jason Bowles (28th), Benny Gordon (29th), Jeff Green (31st) and Blake Koch (36th).
KYLE BUSCH, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch Motorsports Finishing Position: 2nd How was today’s race? “We had a really good car. It ran well throughout the race. It was fast. I thought that there wasn’t anybody back there that we had to deal with — and then the No. 6 (Ricky Stenhouse) came out of nowhere there at the end. I don’t know where he came from, but he had a fast race car. Really excited about that run. We had a solid run. Ran up front most of the race. Was able to capitalize on a good finish there. Hopefully, we build on that and keep it going — a couple more mile-and-a-half’s coming up.”
Did you fade a bit on that last run? “We didn’t fade, we ran really good. The No. 6 (Ricky Stenhouse) just blew our doors off. And it’s frustrating to see those guys drive by you like that and know there’s still two-tenths out there somewhere and you don’t have it. We had a great race car. The Monster Energy Camry did great. The guys did a really good job at preparing it for me — Mike Beam (crew chief) and everybody at KBM Chassis. They give us a good piece today. Today we just come up a little bit short. I hate that that’s the case, but a couple more mile-and-a-half’s coming up where that could be something good for us that we can continue to build on.”
What did you say to Mike Kelley (Ricky Stenhouse’s crew chief) after the race – Did you ask him where the two- tenths were? “I just said, ‘Where did that come from?’ The middle part of the race and even the run before the last run, it was me and the No. 3 (Austin Dillon). That was about it. I figured that’s the only guy I’m going to have to deal with and I got out there and start pulling away and the 12 (Sam Hornish) was behind me at that point and I’m like, ‘I got nobody to worry about here.’ And, then the No. 6 (Ricky Stenhouse) comes up out of nowhere with two-tenths on me. Just don’t know what that was all about. Have to draw it up and find it ourselves.”
Why did you run this race rather than your brother Kurt? “Kurt (Busch) was originally slated to run this race, but then talking about it we decided that we haven’t had very many tracks yet this year that we’ve had the same guy in the car for the second time for the second race to see how our program is progressing. I felt like that would be a positive for me to run the race here because I ran the spring race here. As far as that remains for the rest of the year — Kurt is still in at Kentucky and I think a couple others. We’ll keep playing it by ear and see what happens. I think I own it so I can run as many as I want, right?”
JOEY LOGANO, No. 18 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 9th
BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 10th How did your car handle in the race? “Just real loose to start and then a little too tight at the end. We didn’t have as much speed as we needed to pass in the top-10. We could drive all the way up to there, but once we got there we just got stalled out and weren’t quick enough. Tough day for Dollar General — they sponsor this race and we wanted to have a good run for them. I really love this race track and feel like I can beat anybody here. We just missed it and we need to be better. I’m sure these guys are going to go back to the shop and get to work on it a little bit more.”
BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing (continued) Was it difficult to come up through the field from the rear? “It wasn’t too bad. It’s just tough when you’re real free. We were able to get up through there and never get a lap down. We raced for the most part in the top-10 — we need to scratch our heads and figure out how to get more speed in these things.”
MIKE BLISS, No. 44 Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports Finishing Position: 13th
JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 AM/FM Energy Wood Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 16th
TAYLER MALSAM, No. 19 G-Oil Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports Finishing Position: 18th
KENNY WALLACE, No. 99 Family Farmers Toyota Camry, RAB Racing w/Brack Maggard Finishing Position: 20th
ERIC McCLURE, No. 14 Hefty/Reynolds Wrap Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports Finishing Position: 25th
JASON BOWLES, No. 25Hill.com Now on DVD Toyota Camry, MacDonald Motorsports Finishing Position: 28th
BENNY GORDON, No. 24 OCR Gaz Bar Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports Finishing Position: 29th
JEFF GREEN, No. 10 Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports Finishing Position: 31st
BLAKE KOCH, No. 00 O.C.R. Gaz Bar Toyota Camry Finishing Position: 36th
