TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS)
Post-Race Notes & Quotes
Texas Motor Speedway – April 11, 2015
· Carl Edwards (10th) was the highest-finishing Toyota driver in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Texas Motor Speedway, an event won by Jimmie Johnson.
· Fellow Camry drivers and Edwards’ Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin (11th) and David Ragan (13th) also logged a top-15 finishes at the 1.5-mile track.
· Five Camry drivers are currently in the top-20 in the unofficial NSCS point standings — Hamlin (eighth), Ragan (10th), Kenseth (12th), Carl Edwards (14th) and Clint Bowyer (18th).
CARL EDWARDS, No. 19 Stanley Racing for a Miracle Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
How was your race?
“I want to make a statement. I just appreciate Stanley being a part of this. This is a big race for us. We had a good run, and we just ‑‑ that last restart kind of got us, but the kids were ‑‑ it was cool, got out of the car and saw the kids over there at the pit box, seemed like they had a good time. It’s not a win, but for us it is our first top-10 and we dug hard all day, and we had a lot of fun. It’s a good race track.”
DARIAN GRUBB, Crew Chief, No. 19 Stanley Racing for a Miracle Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
What did you think of tonight’s race?
“It was a pretty good day for us getting our first top-10 of the year. It’s kind of sad to say in race seven. We had a really strong Toyota Camry all day. It was pretty stout, racing for Stanley this weekend with the kids on the pit box the whole time, we really wanted to get that million dollars for them. I thought we were in good shape, we were racing for second there on the last restart and not sure what happened with a set of tires or whatever, but went backwards to 10th. Good day overall, lot of learning went on this weekend. We feel like we really made gains on our mile-and-a-half program for the year. We’re looking forward to going to Bristol next week.”
How important is it to break into the top-10 with this new team?
“It means a lot, but it’s still frustration. We feel like this should have been our top-three. We feel like we had the car that could have been right there in third at least. I don’t know if we had the speed to win, but we were definitely in contention for that at the end. The pit crew did an awesome job and fighting all day. Wish we could have finished there.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 11th
Are Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick the drivers to beat right now?
“Right now, for sure. Stats don’t lie and the stats say that those guys or really anyone with a Hendrick engine or chassis is going to be capable of winning right now. To be realistic, we need stuff to go our way. We need cautions and track position. We just can’t drive through the field like that – what those guys are capable of – and we’re a work in progress. We were way, way off last year and we gained on it by the time the Chase came around and then we got I’d say within a tenth by the time we got to Homestead within the fastest cars. I think we’ve started this year about two tenths off and we’re still right where we’re at – that’s two tenths off – but we’re still finishing okay. From our standpoint, we’ve got to win so we can afford to be patient. If I didn’t have my win, I’m sure I’d be sitting here saying we’ve got to get better. We’ve just got to be patient with it. You’re not going to gain two tenths in a matter of a week. We know those guys are the ones to beat, but it’s going to take six months for us to get there. From ideas to design to on the race track is six months and sometimes it’s year and I’m confident though that by the time we get to the Chase, we’re going to have something that’s capable of running with those guys. We don’t right now.”
DAVID RAGAN, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 13th
How was your race?
“Our overall race was really good considering where we started at. We didn’t have the best pit stall selection, we were having to drive around cars all night. Adam Stevens (crew chief) and our Interstate Batteries team did a really nice job adjusting on our Camry and I felt like we had a chance at a certainly a top-10 or maybe even a top-five if the cautions would have fell right. We just weren’t at our best the last 50 laps. I don’t know if it was track changing a little bit, adjustments where we were at, track position is very important at these tracks. Not too excited about our finish, very pleased with our race. I think we learned a few things and certainly overcame a poor qualifying effort. When you have a good car, you need to capitalize on it and I felt like we gave up a little bit there at the end. We’ll look at it and learn from it. This is an important race here in the fall, so hopefully we can learn from it and these guys can be a little better in the fall.”
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 22nd
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 23rd
BRETT MOFFITT, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 29th
MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 83 Burger King Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 34th
JJ YELEY, No. 23 American Cancer Society Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 43rd
