TOYOTA NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS)
Post-Race Notes & Quotes
Texas Motor Speedway – April 10, 2015
· Toyota driver Erik Jones recorded his first-career NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) victory at Texas Motor Speedway.
· Jones led 79 laps (of 200) after starting from the pole position on the 1.5-mile track.
· He has now finished three-consecutive races in the top-five after finishing third at California and fifth at Phoenix.
· The victory marks the first for Toyota in 2015 and the 99th since joining the series in 2007.
· Camry driver Denny Hamlin (seventh) also earned a top-10 finish Friday night.
ERIK JONES, No. 20 GameStop Mortal Kombat X Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
How does it feel to be standing in victory lane?
“I don’t even know what to say right now. It’s surreal! That confidence has been something that I’ve never doubted in myself. I’ve always believed in myself as I’ve grown up. Sitting here in victory lane at Texas in the XFINITY Series – it’s amazing, just amazing. We beat Cup guys tonight. That’s huge for us, huge for our team. I never once doubted in these guys. I knew from the start that this is going to be a good deal. It’s definitely showing now. I can’t wait for the rest of the year. I think we’re going to be hopefully seeing us some more often.”
What was it like battling Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the win?
“We had an awesome GameStop Toyota Camry from the start of it, but man, he (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) raced us hard. We threw it right back and raced right back with him. I hope he had fun, I had a blast. I know I came out on the better end, but it was so much fun racing hard like that with all those guys. They’ve been doing it so long and know exactly what they’re doing. I’m just trying to figure most of it out. I learned a lot by racing side-by-side with those guys. Just so happy right now to get a win this early in the season in the XFINITY Series.”
What are your feelings as you earned your first NXS race win?
“It’s just surreal. It’s going to take a minute for this one to sink in. This has got to be one of the biggest wins in my career by far, to race against these Cup guys and being able to go out and get a win. I knew we had a fast Camry, I never go into a race thinking we can’t win, but it’s still far-fetched to think – man, it’s amazing, I watched the other guys do it, win races as young guys and I want to be that guy. Now we’re here in victory lane and take it all in and honestly can’t wait to get to the race track again.”
Was it special to beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski?
“Yeah, especially with Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) with the battle we had there. Man, that’s one I can’t wait to go back and watch. That was so much fun. That was two guys giving 100 percent and giving it all they got, saving nothing. That’s what it’s all about. That’s how you’re supposed to race and hopefully the fans enjoyed it. Man, we put on a great show, I was having fun – one of the most fun times I’ve had in the race car by far.”
How special is Texas Motor Speedway becoming to you?
“I guess it’s more special every day. I ran a truck race here last year, and ran 11th, so I was like, ‘Texas, I don’t know if it’ll play out like that.’ Sure enough it’s going to hold a certain spot for me forever from now on. Just a cool day and something that I’m really, really proud of, not only for myself but everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. We worked hard to get here and to have it all pay off now is really great to see.”
Did your race car perform better on the bottom of the race track at the end of the race?
“I honestly thought of taking the top for the last restart, but I felt good about what we had on the bottom and getting lined up down there. We had been beat by the top side, but at the same time I thought maybe we can make it work down there. It just seemed like the right thing to do. It worked out for us at the end. It wasn’t easy, but obviously the 22 (Brad Keselowski) and the 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) were on the top and trying to push on by, but we made it work. I was told to take the bottom by somebody and stuck with it all day.”
Who was the somebody?
“I texted Kyle (Busch) before the race and asked him what he would do.”
How much has running so many XFINITY races this year helped you get to this point?
“It’s been huge. For the last two years of my career, even before that, I’ve been in and out of the seat 15 races a year and now being in the seat every weekend pretty much during the year has been a huge help for me. Getting that seat time, learning what these cars want and what these cars need and having that extra seat time is really, really big. I don’t have to get in the race car anymore and knock the rust off like I was the last couple of years. It eliminates that whole feeling and gives me the confidence that I know what I’m going to do this week and how I’m going to do it and that’s a big boost for a driver.”
MICHAEL WHEELER, Crew Chief, No. 20 GameStop Mortal Kombat X Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
What was it like for your driver Erik Jones to be so dominant in the race and win?
“I was impressed. I was waiting for something to happen, but Erik (Jones) got the lead and we were going to short run him, but he definitely paced himself and got himself a gap and worked traffic well and I was able to pull out front and couldn’t do any better.”
JOE GIBBS, Owner, No. 20 GameStop Mortal Kombat X Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Are you impressed by the talent of Erik Jones and the success he’s had so far in his young career?
“I think Erik (Jones), first of all has a great family support, has everybody around him that has done a great job with him and he really carries himself well. He’s very talented, obviously. I had to call Kyle (Busch) and give him credit. I let Erik talk to him. We are really proud of him to be able to do what he’s done. The big thing is, he beat some big people – those are good cars up front in really quality stuff. We’re proud of him and he should be proud of himself.”
Does this win give the opportunity for more races for Erik Jones at JGR?
“Right now with Erik (Jones), we felt like he had a full plate this year because he’s running for a championship in Trucks, so Kyle (Busch) wanted him to do that and we all did, too. Then we tried – he’s maxed out as far as the number of XFINITY races he can run because some of them conflict with Trucks. As far as down the road, there’s no question that at some point very quick he’s going to be in a Cup car some. I think we have a bit of a strategy there that we talked about. I think he’s ready to go at any time. We’ll just work with that as we go forward.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
DANIEL SUAREZ, No. 18 ARRIS Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 18th
JJ YELEY, No. 28 Texas 28 Spirits Stage Toyota Camry, JGL Racing
Finishing Position: 19th
DAVID STARR, No. 44 Zachry Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 23rd
MIKE BLISS, No. 19 Dealer Associates Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 24th
ERIC MCCLURE, No. 24 Hefty Easy Grip Cups Toyota Camry, JBL Racing
Finishing Position: 29th
BLAKE KOCH, No. 8 AQUAhydrate Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 32nd
CALE CONLEY, No. 14 IAVA Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 34th
JEFF GREEN, No. 10 Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 38th
