TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
Post-Race Notes & Quotes
Dover International Speedway – September 29, 2013
Toyota driver Kyle Busch had the top-finishing Camry (fifth) in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Delaware’s Dover International Speedway.
Busch started 14th and led the field once for 30 laps (of 400) en route to his third-consecutive top-five finish to start the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Fellow Camry Chase drivers Matt Kenseth (seventh) and Clint Bowyer (10th) also tallied top-10 results on the one- mile, concrete track.
Kenseth started from the second position and led the race twice for 36 laps.
Other Toyota drivers in the field included Brian Vickers (12th), Martin Truex Jr. (15th), Denny Hamlin (20th), AJ Allmendinger (26th), Cole Whitt (27th), David Reutimann (28th), Travis Kvapil (31st) and Joe Nemechek (39th) .
After the third of the 10 races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoff, Kenseth leads the series standings by eight points over second-place Jimmie Johnson. Kyle Busch ranks third — and sits 12 points behind his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kenseth — and Bowyer is in 10th-place.
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
How was your race?
“We were about a fifth to seventh-place car much of the day and we ended up fifth. The Interstate Batteries Camry got what it could out of it. Certainly, I wish we definitely could’ve gotten more. We probably could’ve if I could’ve got the outside lane on the final restart I probably could’ve finished third, but we didn’t get that. We had to fight through it and pass a couple cars the hard way and we ended up fifth. It’s certainly the finish that our car was today. It’s frustrating to be fifth, but yet you look at the grand scheme of things and it’s three straight top-fives to start the Chase so not bad.”
Where do you feel like you missed it today?
“A little bit of everywhere. I mean, we had fought the same exact things in practice. We didn’t make any gains on it really this weekend, which is frustrating, but yet we knew we had a good car. We had a top-five — fifth to seventh place actually. We got a fifth out of it, so we got the most of what we could with the Interstate Batteries Camry today. Thank M&M’s, Toyota, Monster Energy, but it’s three straight top-fives to start the Chase. It’s certainly appealing and you could be happy with it, but we’re a little disappointed at the same time. We felt like we wanted to come in here, we wanted to run better, we could run better here, we have before and just could never really get the feel that I was looking for the whole weekend with the front tires.”
How loose was your Camry during the race?
“There was a few times probably should’ve wrecked, but I’m glad I didn’t and we hung onto it and we made it to the next pit stop. We were definitely wrecking loose during the middle stages of the race — middle third probably — and just was happy that we were able to work hard and continue to get good changes to the car. There at the end, we got good changes to it. The balance was really, really close. There wasn’t much that I could say to change as far as the way the car felt. It just wasn’t fast enough. We just didn’t quite have enough front turn like some of the other cars had. We’ve definitely got to go to work on a different package for here I believe.”
Was it a tough decision to take two tires during the final pit stop?
“No, we wouldn’t have made up any spots whatsoever if we would have taken two. We would have came out where we came in, so four (tires) was definitely the right call. Definitely glad we made that call and I just wish that maybe I would have come out one spot worse off pit road so I could have had the outside. As quick as everything happens in this sport, you can’t always predict and get what you want. Felt like we had a fifth to seventh-place car from practice yesterday and today I thought that we got what we could out of it.”
What makes the inside lane so difficult?
“The inside lane just doesn’t get going here. I think it’s because you’re lower in the bowl than the outside lane is and you’re coming up out of it and you’re just having to come uphill and obviously the more uphill you have to go that’s — it’s harder whether you’re a human being or mechanical horsepower.”
DAVE ROGERS, crew chief, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
What does three top-five finishes in the Chase say about your team?
“It says we’ve got a Chase contending team, but it’s one week at a time. We’ve got seven more to go. The first three were good, but we’ve got to back that up for seven more weeks and we’ve got to put this 18 car — this M&M’s, Interstate Batteries Camry — we’ve got to put it in victory lane here sooner or later.”
Do you feel like you got the most out of your car today?
“Yeah, absolutely. We were really fast in the morning practice yesterday, but we lost a little speed in happy hour. We fought to get it back. We just couldn’t get it back. The track went away from us and we couldn’t ever get back to the balance we had, so we were probably a third to seventh-place car all day long. We got fifth out of it, so you’ve got to be pleased with that.”
Did your performance in the final 10 races last season propel you to the start in this year’s Chase?
“Yeah, I think last year we proved ourselves and our fans that we can perform in these final 10, so you come into the Chase — obviously, winning the number of races we did, leading the number of laps we did this season, knowing we performed well the final 10 last season — you come into the Chase with a lot of confidence, a lot of momentum and it helps to have your teammate, the 20 car (Matt Kenseth), up there running too because it just emphasizes that you’ve got the equipment. When two cars can do it out of the same stable, that shows that your Toyotas are really fast and that gives you even more confidence.”
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Home Depot “Let’s Do This” Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
Are you disappointed with a seventh-place finish today?
“When you look up, it’s everybody that finished in front of you — it’s all cars that you’re racing for points. Overall, for how bad I felt like we struggled with the car, that was a decent finish.”
Did you feel like you held steady today?
“Not really. We kind of missed it today, but there’s times we ran a lot better than that. We got caught with being the last on two tires and restarting on the inside, which was really bad. Still salvaged a respectable finish, but certainly I wanted to do better than that.”
Were you happy to see that last caution?
“Actually, from the driver’s seat, I don’t really know what’s all going on. But, no, I really wasn’t because we were running second I think and Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) said nobody could really make it. None of the guys that were going to win the race were going to make it and a lot of those cars that I think were trying to make it were already a lap down, so I wish it would have went green to the end. I think that would have got us a top-three or four.”
Do you look at today like you put another race behind you and still have the lead?
“No, if we would have won I would say that, but, no, not really. I mean, I feel like it’s one of our best race tracks and you want to do better than seventh at one of your best tracks and now that all the guys you’re racing beat you, so — overall, it was a solid day, but we wished for a little bit more.”
Is it disappointing to not finish higher on a track you like?
“You never know what’s going to happen. I mean, I kind of — I don’t want to say dread it, but Loudon (N.H.) has always been one of my worst tracks and this has always been one of my best, so you just never know what’s going to happen. I feel good about this stretch — Dover, Kansas, Charlotte have all been great tracks I really enjoy that our performance has been pretty good at it. I’m looking forward to getting there.”
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 Raspberry 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
How was your race?
“I’m proud of everyone on our 5-hour ENERGY team. We’ve had a rough start to the Chase, but we worked hard and put ourselves in a good position to go for the win today. Unfortunately, that caution there at the end ruined our plan, but we were good enough and smart enough to get a win today. That is a tough one to swallow, but I’m ready to go to Kansas next week. It’s my home track and I’m looking forward to racing in front of my home crowd.”
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 12th
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Shocks Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 15th
How was your race?
“Chad (Johnston, crew chief) took a real chance today with our setup and I am proud of him for it. We had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Sometimes you have to think outside the box. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite right and a long green- flag run cost us a lap. But we fought back with some really big changes and got us in position for two chances to get our lap back, but it just didn’t happen for us. It’s a shame because we were turning top-five, top-10 times. Chad did a great job adjusting on our NAPA Shocks Toyota. It was a top-10 car from halfway on. We made a lot of progress. If we would have gotten our lap back, we would have had something for them.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 20th
AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 47 House-Autry Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing
Finishing Position: 26th
COLE WHITT, No. 30 Swan Energy Toyota Camry, Swan Racing
Finishing Position: 27th
DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 83 Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 28th
TRAVIS KVAPIL, No. 93 Burger King/Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 31st
JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports
Finishing Position: 39th
