Toyota NASCAR Bristol Advance

Week of April 17-23, 2017

New Camry on Track: Toyota is racing its new 2018 Toyota Camry in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) that was introduced alongside the new 2018 production Camry at this year’s North American International Auto Show. The new Camry is currently competing on track months before the 2018 production Camry hits showrooms later this year – and Martin Truex Jr. captured the new model’s first win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. The introduction of the new Camry also coincides with Toyota’s 10th anniversary in the MENCS after Toyota and the Camry entered Cup Series competition in 2007.

Spring Time in Tennessee: Camry drivers have won the last two spring races when the MENCS visited Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway, and Toyota has won eight of the last 16 Cup events at the track. Former Camry driver Carl Edwards most recently won at the track in April 2016, while Matt Kenseth was victorious at the half-mile oval the prior spring. Of Toyota’s eight Cup wins at Bristol, Kyle Busch leads Camry drivers with four triumphs, while Kenseth has two, and Denny Hamlin and Edwards each have one victory in Tennessee.

Busch Bested Bristol in 2010: Busch became the first driver in NASCAR history to sweep three national touring series races in the same weekend when he won in the MENCS, NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) behind the wheel of Toyota race cars at Bristol in August 2010, where he led more than 100 laps in each race to capture the victories. While Busch started first and third in the Truck and XFINITY races, respectively, he started 19th in the MENCS race – and only seven drivers have ever won at Bristol in the Cup Series from further back in the field.

Toyota Tallies in Tennessee: Toyota has combined to tally 24 victories at Bristol across NASCAR’s three national series – and 15 of those wins have come with Busch at the helm of a Toyota. In addition to Toyota’s eight MENCS victories on ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile,’ Camry drivers have nine wins in the NXS and seven more visits to victory lane in the NCWTS. Busch has four wins in the MENCS, seven in the NXS and four in the NCWTS at the Tennessee facility in a Toyota.

Camry Cup Rookies in the NXS: MENCS rookies Erik Jones and Daniel Suárez will complete the Joe Gibbs Racing lineup for the NXS contest at Bristol and race alongside rookie teammate Matt Tifft. Jones won the spring NXS race at Bristol a year ago and has three top-10 finishes in four NXS starts at the track, while Suárez also has three Bristol top 10s in four starts with a best result of second in April 2015. Tifft finished 23rd at Bristol in his only NXS start at the track in April 2016. While Jones and Suárez are scheduled to make their first MENCS starts at Bristol in Sunday’s race, it will actually mark Jones’ second competitive Cup endeavor at the track. In April 2015, the 20-year-old rookie logged 476 laps (of 500) laps and finished 26th at Bristol when he substituted for Hamlin after the Cup veteran had to exit the car due to neck spasms after only 24 laps.

Staying Connected: You can follow Toyota Racing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter by using #ToyotaNation and online at www.toyotaracing.com. For media images, please visit www.toyotaracingmedia.com.

Toyota at Bristol – Notes & Numbers:
Kyle Busch has the most laps led in the MENCS at Bristol among active drivers –and the ninth most in Cup history – with 1,960 circuits led … The next closest active competitor is Matt Kenseth with 1,572 laps … Busch and his brother Kurt Busch are tied for the most Cup wins at Bristol among active drivers with five, but Kyle has nine less starts at the track with 23 … Kenseth has the most top-five finishes (13) and top 10s (20) among active Cup drivers at Bristol, along with four wins … Kenseth will make his 150th MENCS start in a Toyota Camry at Bristol … Across all three NASCAR national touring series, Busch has 18-career wins in 57 starts at Bristol – an average of nearly one win in every 3.3 starts at the track … In 2017, Busch and Martin Truex Jr. rank second and third in MENCS laps led with 413 and 316, respectively.
Toyota 2017 Statistics: