- Denny Hamlin (ninth) was the top-finishing Camry driver in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was today’s race winner.
- BK Racing Camry drivers JJ Yeley (14th) and Matt DiBenedetto (18th) also tallied top-20 results on the 2.66-mile superspeedway.
- Five Camry drivers are currently in the top-20 in the unofficial NSCS point standings – Matt Kenseth (eighth), Hamlin (10th), Clint Bowyer (17th), Carl Edwards (18th) and David Ragan (20th).
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
Did you need help at the end of the race?
“Yeah, we didn’t have any – the 4 (Kevin Harvick) helped us at the end, but we just didn’t have enough help. I knew the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) would be content to push the 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), so just in a tough spot there. The odds were very stacked against us. The Hendrick (Motorsports) cars and engines were just extremely tough today and really I did my best just to kind of hang with those guys, but they’re definitely in a league of their own right now for sure. When there’s eight legitimate Hendrick cars, they’re going to work together. I work together with my teammates as well, but there’s just a handful of us and some of them got wrecked. Those guys are going to go with the guys they have alliances with – that’s just part of this type of racing. You’ve got to have the pushers and get those runs when you can, but it’s just so stacked against you, especially when we’re the only Toyota up there as well. Great day though – we didn’t get a scratch on the car, but we obviously wanted to win. That’s why I wanted to make that move – just to try to get something going.”
What was you strategy at the end of the race?
“My goal was to push (Ryan) Blaney, but he was going to have to make a move. We were coming to the white (flag) and I wanted to him to – I told them on the radio, but it didn’t get back to him to him – but I wanted him to get back from the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) so we could go get a run and I’d already had the brigade pushing me – the 4 (Kevin Harvick) and the other Hendrick guys behind him – so I was like, ‘I have to make a move, because I don’t think the message got to him quick enough’.”
Did the single-file racing at the end surprise you?
“Little bit, but usually you get some kind of line going with about 10 (laps) to go. I just think there were too many of one manufacturer up front and there were all fine with the way it was going.”
Would you make a different move if you could run the final laps over again?
“I mean, I wanted to push the 21 (Ryan Blaney) to the front, but he didn’t get back far enough from the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) to really make anything happen and as soon as I started backing up, the 4 (Kevin Harvick) had me – he was pushing me pretty good – so I ran up on the 21 with a huge run and I kind of had a choice of whether to hit him or go around him and I thought going around him would be better, especially if I could get beside the 48 and the 48 he just kind of jumped in front of us right there and it stopped our run. Really worked out well for them.”
JJ YELEY, No. 23 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 14th
MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 83 Dustless Blasting Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 18th
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 25th
“There is a lot of passing when it’s two and three wide at the beginning – it’s just that the 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was fast and he got everybody lined up at the top. It’s always baffling to me to get behind in 16th or so and nobody would pull out of line. A couple guys will try, but other guys are just happy to finish 16th. It’s just the craziest thing to me. Everybody is just happy riding along. Then there was that wreck at the end and I had to lift so I didn’t send Carl (Edwards) to the hospital. I’m just dumbfounded that NASCAR didn’t throw a caution. We were driving past wrecked cars for half a lap at 180 mph – it was a crazy ending.”
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 Peak Commercial & Industrial Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 30th
What happened in the final laps to get your shuffled back?
“I don’t know what happened there at the end. We got up to the front when we needed to and were in line coming to the last few laps. I don’t know. Someone got into us. Don’t know how we finished where we did. I haven’t seen exactly what happened, but someone got into us there at the end. Hate it for the guys — they gave me a good Peak Toyota.”
CARL EDWARDS, No. 19 ARRIS Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 32nd
How was the race today and what happened on the final lap?
“Our ARRIS Toyota was really good. I thought we had a great run and then Casey Mears just spun me out going into (turn) one. That was frustrating. I was driving down here and I thought we were going to have a good run and I thought we’d get a top-five and as he pushed and pushed I was just hoping he would let go. I tried to save it and I have to apologize to everybody for my language on the radio – I was really upset as I was saving it. There were people going by 100-plus mph and they never checked up. I really think that’s the most dangerous thing in the sport right now at these places. When there’s a wreck, guys have to get on the brake or we’re going to have a lot of problems here. We don’t want to see that. Overall, great performance – we didn’t get what we wanted. We’ll get this monkey off our backs and go win some races – Kansas is next week and I love that place.”
What exactly happened on the final lap and do you feel NASCAR should have thrown a caution?
“I really just got spun out and I know everybody is trying really hard and that’s what this racing produces, but like I said on the TV broadcast, I have to apologize for my language over the radio. I was just really frustrated that I could spin out for a quarter mile over there and there are still people going by wide open. Really, NASCAR does such a great job making these cars safe and these tracks safe that the biggest cause of injury is going to be one of us not checking up when there’s a guy sideways. I mean, I have my door facing the field and the 51 (Justin Allgaier) car I think it was went by at about 160 or 180 mph. That’s just not the way I try to race these guys when there’s a wreck.”
MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 36th
What happened in the accident between yourself and the 33 car?
“It looked like maybe the 33 (Brian Scott) blew up and then he spun out and we’re creeping by on the bottom and he just turned right into my lap. Nothing I can do, but the team is working hard. We’ve come prepared with the whole front end, radiator and everything just to bolt right on and we’ll get back out there. The Aaron’s Dream Machine was a little bit of a handful – it wasn’t handling great – so I just kind of took my time.”
DAVID RAGAN, No. 18 Pedigree Camry Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 38th
What happened in the accident on the back straightaway?
“It looked like the 6 (Trevor Bayne) car and maybe another white car got turned sideways down the back straightaway and we were in the top groove and tried to slow down. Someone on our left side just kind of came across our nose. It’s very unfortunate with our Pedigree Toyota. I felt like we had some good speed. Just one of those things at Talladega – if you’re not up in the top-two or three or if you’re not running 38th to 40th then you’re very subject to being involved in some accidents like that. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but had a good run with the 18 guys. Have to thank everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing for the opportunity and wish it would have worked out a little bit better.”
How was the tone of the race up until the accident?
“I felt like it was very much the same for a sunny Talladega race. Our Pedigree Toyota handled well and thought it had good speed. The bottom lane wouldn’t work very well for some reason – didn’t have a lot of speed with the pack on the bottom so you’re forced to run the second and the third groove. I thought it was a pretty normal race. We got single file for a little while and pretty low key until someone gets turned sideways at 200 mph.”
What did you see in front of you in the accident?
“I just saw two cars sideways coming across the track in front of me. We were in the third lane and tried to get checked up. I thought we were really going to be fine and then someone from the inside spun across our nose and collected us to the outside wall. Just very unfortunate to tear up a lot of good race cars that early in a 500-mile race, but that’s what you have at Talladega. You have to take the good with the bad at a place like this. It’s just one of those things. You hate for the employees at Joe Gibbs Racing, for Pedigree, for all the folks at Toyota – they put a lot into it and we had a car that was capable of winning today. When you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time and guys are wrecking in front of you, that’s just one of those things here.”
Are you looking forward to jumping into the 55 Camry at Kansas?
“I wish Kansas was in about an hour. I just don’t like the five or six days that you have to dwell and think about last week’s race. Certainly, this is not a good race to go out on. I was hoping we could get a good finish and contend for a win here today, but just wasn’t meant to be. I’m very thankful for everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing and M&M’s/Mars, Interstate Batteries for their support. We had a lot of fun. We didn’t end on a good note, but you have that at Talladega sometimes.”
