Clint Bowyer (10th) was the first Camry driver to the finish line in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at California’s Sonoma Raceway.
The result is Bowyer’s sixth top-10 finish of the season.
Carl Edwards won the Toyota SaveMart 350 at the 11-turn, 1.99-mile road course ahead of runner-up Jeff Gordon.
Camry driver Brian Vickers (14th) also registered a top-15 finish at Sonoma.
Camry drivers Kenseth (fourth), Kyle Busch (11th), Denny Hamlin (13th) and Bowyer (14th) are all in the top-15 in the point standings following Sonoma.
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
Finishing Position: 14th
How was your race?
“I’m really frustrated that we didn’t show our potential. We had a fast race car, the fastest car at times and certainly a top-five car and we just couldn’t get a break. That’s how it’s been for us lately. But, we started off and we were horrible — way, way too tight. But Billy (Scott, crew chief) and the guys did a phenomenal job taking a 30th-place car and making it a top-five car. We were out to lunch when the green flag — we were actually good for the first five laps and then got so tight that first run. We were probably a 25th or 30th-place car and for Billy and the guys and the Aaron’s team to turn that into a top-five if not the fastest car during the second half of the race. We got up to the top-five and we just couldn’t get the cautions to fall our way. A couple guys wrecked in front of us and then caught our right front and it was just too much damage, we had to pit. To be able to come back with missing have a car and finishing 14th, I guess we’re proud of that but disappointed we could get better.”
What happened between you and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.?
“When he hit me? He bumped me coming out of (turn) seven. He just drove into my right rear and I had no idea. I was just going straight and I felt this bam in my right rear. I can’t control what happens behind me. If you drive into me, you drive into me — that one is on you, man.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Pretzel Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 25th
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 26th
What happened on the last green-white-checkered finish that dropped you from 11th?
“I don’t know. I got spun, I don’t know by who.”
COLE WHITT, No. 26 Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 27th
ALEX BOWMAN, No. 23 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 29th
TOMY DRISSI, No. 66 MightyHercules.com Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 38th
RYAN TRUEX, No. 83 Burger King Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 41st
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 42nd
Did you know Dale Earnhardt Jr. was on your side before you spun out?
“Yeah, I knew he (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was on my right side. On the restart we were side-by-side and I got him going into (turn) seven and left him plenty of room when we were racing side-by-side. He tapped me on my right rear and wrecked me. I don’t know if he got out of the groove with his car — I don’t really know what happened and it doesn’t matter at this point. Unfortunately it ended our day.”
How your race before the accident?
“I thought there was times when we ran competitively, in the top-10, top-15, somewhere in there. It seemed like we had tires at the right time. It seemed like everything was going okay up until that point. You know, on restarts you have to run side-by-side and everybody was real courteous to that point. I just got hit in the right rear and turned and that’s unfortunate.”
How hard was the hit you sustained?
“Those tire barriers do a lot of damage. You catch on to that thing and it whips it around. It’s unfortunate that it destroyed the car as I wasn’t really going that fast when I hit it. Wish it would have been concrete, I probably would have kept going. Just hit in a bad spot.”
