- All three Camry drivers in the Chase — Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth — advanced to the second round of the championship playoffs following Dover. Four drivers were eliminated from the 16 driver field following today’s race.
- Kenseth (fifth) was the first Toyota driver to the finish line in the 400 lap event.
- Busch registered a 10th-place finish and Hamlin recorded a 12th-place result.
- Jeff Gordon was the race-winner, followed by Brad Keselowski (second), Jimmie Johnson (third) and Joey Logano (fourth).
- Camry drivers Clint Bowyer (ninth) and Brian Vickers (15th) also registered top-15 results at the Delaware oval.
- In the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship point standings, all 12 drivers moving into the next round will start this coming Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway with 3,000 points in the standings.
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
How was your race?
“It was pretty solid. We had good pit stops down here. The Home Depot guys did a good job. We just lacked a little bit. We were pretty competitive in the middle of the race and then just got too free one run and got too tight one run. Just couldn’t quite get it, but overall it was a good day for us.”
What did you lack today during the race?
“It was off a little bit. We had a couple runs that were real good. I couldn’t do very good on restarts, and that really hurt us bad. I’d lose so many spots over the restart and just too hard to get them back. Overall, we were pretty good. We were back and forth a little bit. There were times when the car was better than where we finished and other times it was worse.”
How do you look at the next three races in the Chase?
“Honestly, I haven’t really put a lot of thought into it except for Kansas. Just go to Kansas and try to win the race.”
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
How was your race?
“Our car, especially on the long run, was a ’10 tight.’ We did what we needed to do today with our Interstate Batteries Camry, but I’m not sure what the problem was on the last couple runs of the race. We were tight all day, but it just got worse at the end. Dave (Rogers, crew chief) and the guys are going to take the car back to the shop and see if they can figure out if something was wrong. We’ll move on to the next round and hope we can have a better race next week.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 12th
How was your race?
“Wish we would’ve ran a little bit better, but luckily we had good track position from qualifying and just kind of kept it all day. Was sliding there at the end a little bit — but just enough to get through.”
What do you need to do now heading to Kansas?
“It just all starts over again, so you’ve got to obviously minimize your bad days again and you can’t have finishes like we had last week. But, finishes like this — you’re going to have to perform a little bit better. I’m excited for my team.”
How do you feel about advancing to the second round of the Chase?
“I feel great. You never know what can happen. I knew we had a car that was capable of racing our way in, but I didn’t think it was going to be that close. We just started fading there at the end. A little bit on the defensive on my part, but still we lost the handle. Just happy this all resets and all starts from scratch again and we’ve got another life.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing (continued)
Can you go on offense at Kansas and Charlotte coming up?
“Yeah, absolutely. The tracks just keep getting better for us as this Chase goes on for our FedEx team — so we’re sitting in good shape. We’re as level as anyone right now. This is going to be a great comeback story if we can keep going.”
Were you nervous late in the race?
“I was, but we were towards the tail end of the lead lap there. I knew if a caution did come out we were at least going to be on our own lap — separate from those guys. But the problem is — then they pull some kind of strategy and put you in a bad spot. Glad the race played out. We had that long green flag run at the end. Everything just played out the way it should have. Happy for our team. This is a new life.”
How does it feel advancing in the Chase?
“It feels great. You know, you got less than a 50-50 shot going in when you’re six points behind. So, I knew we were going to have to stay in the top-five to 10 all day. We did. We slipped up there a little bit at the end, but probably a little bit reserved on my part on the race track.”
What was your day like knowing you had to have a good finish?
“That was the biggest thing — we knew we were going to have to run really well. We weren’t plus points — we were minus. So, that means we needed to be on the offense and we need to be the team that picks up spots. This is a great day for our FedEx team. They work so hard. They deserve to be in the next round. Glad I give my team a chance.”
How do you look at the next three races in the Chase?
“You just race each one individually, week-to-week. I’m not really going to look too far past Charlotte. For me, it’s all about just getting our best finish each and every week. I mean, that’s all you can do in this deal and make sure you don’t have any bad days. That’s the biggest thing.”
Is having won at Talladega earlier this year an advantage?
“No. Not really. No old stats there matter, so you got to just try to stay out front there and avoid the wreck. A big wreck is going to happen — you just hope you’re not part of it.”
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 15th
How was your race?
“Not what we had hoped for. Just struggled a little more with the car than we thought. Lost some track position and got behind early in the pit sequence, and just never made it back up.”
COLE WHITT, No. 26 Uponor Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 30th
ALEX BOWMAN, No. 23 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 34th
TRAVIS KVAPIL, No. 83 Burger King Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 38th
MIKE WALLACE, No. 66 Toyota Camry, Jay Robinson Racing
Finishing Position: 40th
