- Toyota driver Denny Hamlin was victorious in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Chicagoland Speedway.
- The victory marked Toyota’s 12th victory this year, 77th win in NSCS competition and was Hamlin’s second of the season.
- Hamlin led the field twice for nine laps (of 267) en route to the win at the Illinois oval.
- With the victory, Hamlin is now locked into the next round (Challenger 12) in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
- Camry drivers Carl Edwards (second), Matt Kenseth (fifth) and Kyle Busch (ninth) also earned top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile track.
- Four of the five Camry drivers competing in the Chase are ranked first through fourth in the point standings after the first of 10 playoff races. Hamlin leads by two points over second-place Hamlin with Edwards (third) and Busch (fourth) also among the top-five. Clint Bowyer sits 15th after Chicagoland.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
What was going through your mind on the final restart with all the cars with fresh tires behind you?
“It was 50-50 – I was going to get in there and hope that everything worked out. I want to thank this FedEx Ground team. This is unbelievable. Our Camry was so fast today. I told them when they changed it – they changed it to FedEx Ground just for this race because we needed consistency and reliability and that’s what FedEx Ground is and that’s what we were today. Coming back from a lap down – we had a fast car. We were running under green over and over and over and I thought we would never get back on the lead lap. Thanks to all of our partners at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) for building a fast race car. Everyone that helps support this. Can’t thank Sprint and the fans enough – this was a great race to start the Chase.”
How was your team able to recover from the spin and get you the win?
“We were passing the eighth-place car and we started in the back on that first green flag run, before I crashed so I knew there couldn’t be a lot of cars on the lead lap. Luckily, that one caution came out that allowed us to get the wave around and get back on the lead lap. We had a fast car and that was the most important thing. We stretched out there at the end even with no tires. I’m proud of this effort. The pit crew did a phenomenal job again and now we’re looking forward to the next round.”
How will you approach the next two races before the next round begins?
“It feels great and we’ll go have fun the next couple weeks, but the stress never ends of this Chase. You still have a long way to go.”
What did you think about the move you made to take the lead on the final restart?
“It was ballsy, but I’d been stuck so many times three-wide in the middle. The front cars almost have a disadvantage to the back cars the way it all plays out. We got a great restart and I just held it wide open through (turns) one and two and it stuck. We were able to get in that clean air and take off.”
Did you ever think you could be in victory lane after starting from the 29th position?
“I knew it was possible – we passed 10 cars before I went in there and spun out. This car was so fast today. Can’t say enough about this team, especially on the long runs where we were extremely fast. It’s great to have runs like this.”
Did you feel you would have a shot at the win when Dave Rogers told you to stay out on the final caution?
“I thought that if we could stay out on the front row we would have a great shot. The second row with tires on the outside, I wasn’t sure about our shot. You just have to make a move and hope it sticks.”
CARL EDWARDS, No. 19 Stanley Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
How would you describe the first race of the Chase?
“We fought back. We did a good job. Everybody at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) is working together. This is cool, an awesome day for everybody — just unbelievable. Denny (Hamlin) hung on tough at the end. I thought I had him. Great race with Kurt (Busch) — that was fun. I don’t think we could be more aggressive there. I just couldn’t clear him. I thought I was going to get him. Thanks to Stanley – all these sponsors – ARRIS, TRD (Toyota Racing Development), Toyota, Sport Clips. I spent some time at the track this week that was great. I was having fun – this is great – it’s a good way to start.”
Were you concerned early in the race with the speeding penalty?
“I was really concerned. Darian (Grubb, crew chief) did a great job on the box. Everybody stayed cool and had fast pit stops. I have to thank Sprint for putting on this show – this is going to be a good Chase. That was a pretty racy race track. The crew did a good job and I had a good time.”
How important is it to start the Chase with a second-place finish?
“It’s good. I just can’t say enough about JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and everybody who puts all the work into this. I think I had some sort of engine happen at the beginning of the race, but that’s a Toyota for you, it got me home and the guys have been doing a great job. It’s a cool team effort. We’ve really rallied and we’re going to be tough.”
MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
How was your race?
“We didn’t run well today, really all weekend. We never were able to make it drive like we wanted it to and never found the speed that we wanted to. We were very, very fortunate to come home fifth. We had about a 15th-place car all day.”
How were you able to recover with a top-five finish?
“The last restart, we were on the bottom and Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) made some good adjustments. They got all bottled up in turn one and I think I passed about eight of them on the first corner. It turned pretty good on that restart and starting on the bottom was an advantage for us. I slipped up the hill trying to drive Brad (Keselowski) or maybe we could have got one or two more, but can’t complain about that – way more than we should have.”
What was the handling of your Camry in the closing laps?
“We just couldn’t get the balance right all weekend.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
ADAM STEVENS, Crew Chief, No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
How was the race for the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Camry team?
“We weren’t that great in practice. We had a pretty good M&M’s Crispy Camry the first part of the race and it got away from us a little bit. Probably a second or third place car. Certainly the second-to-last run we fell off a little bit in (turns) one and two and the 24 (Jeff Gordon) got around us. We caught the late caution and wanted some tires on it since we weren’t very good and just didn’t get a good restart and got passed by some cars. All-in-all it was a good points day. It showed we had speed and still got a top-10 out of it. These first three races in the first round – that’s what you need.”
DAVID RAGAN, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 15th
CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 Peak Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 19th
JJ YELEY, No. 26 Maxim Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 35th
JEB BURTON, No. 23 Estes Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 38th
MATT DiBENEDETTO, No. 83 James Madison University Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 39th
