- Two of the three Camry drivers in the Chase — Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth — advanced to the third round of the championship playoffs following Talladega. Four drivers were eliminated from the 12-driver field following Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race, including Camry driver Kyle Busch who was involved in an accident and finished the race 40th.
- Kenseth (second) was the first Toyota driver to the finish line in Sunday’s NSCS race at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway. Brad Keselowski was the race-winner.
- Camry driver Clint Bowyer (third) also recorded a top-five finish in Sunday’s 500-mile race.
- In the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship point standings, all eight drivers moving into the next round will start this coming Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway with 4,000 points in the standings.
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
Did you have anything to challenge for the win coming to the checkered flag?
“We got a pretty good restart there and had a bunch of guys up there that are really good at this stuff so I got with Kevin (Harvick) and got going with him the best I could. Then he made a move on Brad (Keselowksi) and Brad went to block so it kind of opened the door. I just couldn’t get a big enough run. I was almost under Brad off of (turn) two one time and I think it was Landon (Cassill) back there that did a good job of pushing me and giving me a lot of momentum, but I just didn’t have the speed to get in there and challenge them down to the flag. Overall it was a good day for us. We did what we needed to do It’s nice to get a good finish and move on to Martinsville.”
Did you stick with the strategy that was planned for the team today?
“I hate the strategy of riding in the back, but the one time we went to the front I just didn’t feel like we had the speed in our Home Depot Toyota to go up there and lead laps and be in a real safe spot so we just kept getting shuffled back. We had a good pit stop there at the end — Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) made a good call and got us some track position and a couple good restarts. Just in the right place at the right time.”
Are you surprised that Brad Keselowski was the driver you pushed to the win?
“That was his (Brad Keselowski) only way in I think was to win that thing and I gave Kevin (Harvick) a huge push. I thought Kevin was going to go right around him and Brad went for the block. I had to get a finish so instead of going with Kevin I went to the bottom. I thought maybe I would get a big enough run to get underneath Brad, but I just didn’t quite have the speed to do it, but it was a good day for us.”
Are you ready to leave Talladega and head to the next round in the Chase?
“I’m ready to go to Martinsville. It’s been a rough few weeks so it’s good to get a good finish here and looking forward to Martinsville.”
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 Pink Lemonade 5-hour ENERGY benefitting LBBC Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How was your race?
“Hell, that’s Talladega. That’s what it’s all about. The calm before the storm gets a little bit tiresome, but man you wake up from your nap there and go like hell and put it on the line. I’ve always kind of had the school of thought to ride around in the back a little bit. It’s boring to do that, but it’s the only way — I figure if I’m going to gamble and put it all on the line I’d just assume do it once and not a bunch of times.”
Did you have a strategy for today’s race?
“Well, my game plan worked. It’s so hard to strategize around this. You can a little bit, but you still got to bob and weave and take it as it comes. I have a rule of thumb that I try to go by. Not a lot of fun riding around the back. Got to work yourself up there and get back in the action. At the end of the day you have to throw a Hail Mary at one point to put yourself in contention to win at these restrictor plate tracks. As I always said, if I throw a Hail Mary, I don’t want to get intercepted more than I have to. There was a point in the race where they were three-wide in front of me. I was in a pocket where I felt it was safe. They got jumbled up and about wrecked. I thought that was my opportunity a little bit sooner than I wanted to go, but that was a good opportunity. I went from about 25th and drove up to what was going to be third. That caution came out when we were all on pit road. Like I said, it’s a fun, unbelievable experience. Hard to explain what happens, what goes through your mind, those last 10 laps or so, especially nine laps with the green‑white‑checkered. I was in contention. I was in the spot I wanted to be in there in that next‑to‑the‑last run in the middle. Really did think that I was going to have a true shot at the win. Then the caution come out and got me on the bottom. Still, third place is a good day for us.”
COLE WHITT, No. 26 Bad Boy Mowers Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 15th
MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 66 MyAFibStory.com Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 16th
How was the race today?
“This was a good day. We got a top-20. I just wasn’t as strong as I hoped. My car wouldn’t draft up as well as I envisioned it. We kind of struggled. I was in the back, but then when I tried to go I just couldn’t so I’m really thankful that we were able to make a good move at the end and get a lot of spots and get a good finish for everybody at MyAFibStory.com and Janssen. They’ve been a great partner and we’ve really enjoyed our journey with MyAFibStory.com to tell the story and spread awareness. I raced in honor of my Mom today and the thousands of people that submitted photos to be on our car. It’s a special day to bring them all home pretty much unscathed.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx One Rate Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 18th
How does it feel to move on to the next round of the Chase?
“It was close — we were tied for eighth on the last lap. Just trying to fight through. Hate lagging in the back, but couldn’t afford to have what happened to the 18 (Kyle Busch) happen to us and take our chances out. Still proud of our effort and happy that we made it.”
How is the team’s confidence heading into the next three races?
“I think these are all good tracks for us and now we definitely have to capitalize, especially at these race tracks that we’re really good at.”
BRIAN VICKERS, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 20th
What happened to the car?
“We got some damage and I’m not sure what happened in front of us there when we got in that wreck. The car had no speed after that. We were wide open getting everything it had and just couldn’t quite run with them.”
MIKE WALLACE, No. 49 Royal Teak Collection Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports
Finishing Position: 38th
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 40th
DAVE ROGERS, crew chief, No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How hard did the team work to try to advance to the next round following the accident?
“My hats off to all these guys — everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and everyone at TRD (Toyota Racing Development). It’s a shame, everyone has been working really hard. I felt like we got off to a slow start early in the season and we were advancing through the playoffs pretty well with hard work and good decisions and good teamwork. The team was performing really well and working extremely hard. I thought we were in a decent spot coming into the race and rode around in the back. Kyle (Busch) got checked up for the wreck and had everything saved up, but he got run over from behind. There is no safe place in here. Everyone, every time we come to a speedway everyone will strategize — we’re going to ride in the back, we’re going to ride in the front, we’re going to do this. The truth is that if you’re out there on the race track at Talladega or Daytona, you have a pretty good chance that you’re going to get in a wreck and today was our day. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it is.”
How did Kyle Busch react?
“I can’t praise him (Kyle Busch) enough. He’s really stepped up to be a great leader of this race team in the Chase. We’ve had a couple things go against us — getting the nose knocked off at Loudon, today and Kyle’s done a really good job of biting his lip and just backing the race team to let us do our job. Kyle, I can’t say enough good about him. I’m really proud of him. It’s been a lot of fun working with him and we’re not done yet. We can’t win the championship, but we can still advance in points and work our way up to fifth. We’re going to go to Martinsville working hard and we’re going to try to win all these races.”
What was the biggest challenge to repair the car?
“Everything — the rear suspension was broken, the track bar was messed up, the spindles were bent, the brake studs and the spindle broke, the right front upper control arm was broke and then you had all the body damage. There was just so much damage and the crew was spread so thin. If you go back and look at it and I play it over and over and over — what could we have done better? There are some things that we learned that I think we can shave some time off, but realistically the way the race unfolded we had to finish on the lead lap. It didn’t matter. There was nothing these guys could have done any better that would have changed the results from today. It is what it is and we’ll walk away from Talladega with our heads held high and we’ll go try to win that clock at Martinsville.”
Was the strategy always to ride in the back for this race?
“Coming into it I was hoping we could sit on the pole and lead all the laps. We missed our timing line and we didn’t get back to the start finish line in time and missed that by a half-second and that put us in the back. Once you’re there, we just chose to ride back there. If you look at it, we got wrecked from behind. We didn’t drive into a wreck, we got our stuff stopped and the guys behind us didn’t and they just ran us over. It doesn’t matter if you’re first or 40th, if someone is going to run you over from behind, they’re going to run you over from behind.”
Do you feel this Chase format is fair?
“It’s a fair format because they give us the rules before the Daytona 500. They told us what the rules were and we all signed up the play. I love this game and I love playing this sport. They can change the rules every year and the points format — that’s none of my business. I just have to read the rules and try to perform at our best according to them. I’m bitter and I’m discouraged, but I’m not going to sit here and say it’s unfair. The rules are the rules — they didn’t change them halfway through Talladega. Nothing to complain about there.”
Is it a shock to not advance after being second heading into this race?
“It’s not a shock — you’re just here at Talladega and you know things can happen. It happens. It’s not a shock, but on the other hand it’s by no means an indication of what this race team is about. These guys have worked hard and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota and everyone on this M&M’s Camry. They’ve worked hard and we’re better than an eighth place team or a ninth place team. It’s the way it worked out. If you look at it — the 2 (Brad Keselowski) car did a great job and my hats off to Paul (Wolfe, 2 crew chief) and them guys for winning the race. They had to do what they did, but they had a horrible round. They are way better than that. If they got knocked out today you would be talking to Paul Wolfe and he’d say, ‘We’re way better than a ninth place car.’ There’s nobody in this business that can argue that they’re not. They are really good, but they stepped up and they did what they needed to do today and they got the win and they are advancing on.”
JJ YELEY, No. 83 Burger King Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 42nd
ALEX BOWMAN, No. 23 Dustless Blasting Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 43rd
