Toyota NNS Daytona Post-Race Notes & Quotes

TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS)
Post-Race Notes & Quotes
Daytona International Speedway – February 23, 2013

Below are the Toyota Notes & Quotes from today’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.  At the time of this distribution, NASCAR has not posted the final results.

ALEX BOWMAN, No. 99 Florida Lottery Toyota Camry, RAB Racing
What happened at the finish?
“I just got to thank everybody at RAB Racing.  They gave me a great Toyota Camry.  It was awesome to have Florida Lottery and Windows 8 on the car, but man I just hope all of the fans are okay.  I saw the fence there and I’ve heard that there’s some fans injured and I’m just sorry for all of those fans out there, and my prayers are with their family and themselves.”

How was your race?
“It was kind of hard to get people to work with me, but I think that’s just part of being a rookie.  We pushed really well.  I mean, heck, I pushed guys like (Dale) Earnhardt Jr. and (Brad) Keselowski.  It’s really an honor for me to get to race with those guys.  It was a lot of fun.  I worked great with Parker Kligerman, my Toyota Racing teammate.  Just ready to move on to Phoenix and go out there and race short track style and not have deal with the two-car tandem.”

PARKER KLIGERMAN, No. 77 Bandit Chippers Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch Motorsports
What did you see coming to the finish line?
“A bunch of smoke — a finish line and full throttle.  The first part of the race we just hung out and this Bandit Chippers Camry was just fast, but I knew I’d just go ahead and bide our time.  It’s a long race — 300 miles.  And, then we just came to that last part there and the 32 (Kyle Larson) had got me up there to lead.  I can’t thank him enough.  I hope he’s alright. I hope all of the fans are alright.  He did a really good job getting us there and then the 99 (Alex Bowman) and I have done a great job all weekend.  Alex Bowman is a real wheel man.  He did a great job and we just kind of came down there and there was a bunch of smoke at the start-finish line knowing it was a checked we went full throttle.”

How was your race?
“This Bandit Chippers Camry was awesome.  These Joe Gibbs Racing motors just had a ton of power.  They were really reliable obviously in the draft being able to get up to hot temperatures and continue.  This entire Nationwide Series is just so fun and I had such a good time out there.  We obviously played it pretty safe in the beginning of the race, but I just knew how hot and slick it was and how many guys were unable to tandem for such a long time.  We were really going to struggle to stay up in that top pack without having some issues.  So, we just hung out — the 32 (Kyle Larson) was back there with me, the 22 (Brad Keselowski), 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) — I knew I was in good company.  I just kind of hung out there and we took this thing to the front at the end with the 99 (Alex Bowman).  The 32 (Kyle Larson) actually did an amazing job and I really hope he’s alright.  I heard he went into the fence — and I hope all of the fans are alright first of all. Thanks to the fans out there.  I hate to see stuff like that going into the fence.  We do our best and I know NASCAR does their best, but we can’t stop the unpredictable.”

ERIC MCCLURE, No. 14 Hefty/Reynolds Wrap Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
What does this finish mean to you?
“First of all, I hope everybody is okay up there.  Certainly, our prayers are with them.  You want everybody to come here and have a good time and be safe.  For me, this is the best day of my life professionally.  We raced for a lot of years — never had a whole lot to show for it statistically, but we raced up front all day, survived and had a great day.  I will never forget it.  This is the best place you can have your best day.  This place has so much history.  For a NASCAR driver, this is the ultimate place.  For my family, they won so many races here and gave me the opportunity to start the series and compete and so many people have helped me over the years — Hefty Brand, Reynolds Wrap, TriStar, Toyota — I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.”

MATT KENSETH, No. 18 GameStop Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How was the race today?
“It’s just frustrating.  Kind of missed that wreck and when Kyle (Busch) blew up I kind of lost my help.  Then I was going to try to find Elliott (Sadler), but it’s just frustrating.  You can’t talk to anybody.  The racing — you can’t do anything at all by yourself, which is always frustrating. I tried to help the 11 (Sadler) on that last restart because I thought we could help each other and he just went on without me and then I didn’t have a drafting partner.  We were just the last car that came back around there.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Was there any indication that there was an engine problem?
“There was — last year we ran our cars at 260 (degrees) or 270 all day and today I was about 250 to 260 so I thought being less I was going to be okay and not hurt anything.  Never really thought I pushed too much water out, but there at the end just started to heat up, the oil temperature got hot and the thing never wanted to cool back down.  I assumed it was short lived what was going to happen.  Hate it for all my guys.  It was entirely my fault — just pushing too hard during most of the day.  Running behind Matt (Kenseth) there trying to get air and I couldn’t get air.  He (Kenseth) kept backing up to me to get pushed and I’m like, ‘Man, I can’t.’  Just went a little too long.”