Toyota Post-Race Recap
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Pocono Raceway
Race 21 of 36 – 400 miles, 160 laps
July 30, 2017
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, KYLE BUSCH
2nd, Kevin Harvick*
3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
4th, DENNY HAMLIN
5th, Brad Keselowski*
7th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
8th, ERIK JONES
9th, MATT KENSETH
25th, COREY LAJOIE
32nd, STEPHEN LEICHT
34th, DERRIKE COPE
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA DRIVER POINT STANDINGS**
1st, MARTIN TRUEX JR. 823 points
2nd, Kyle Larson* 738 points
3rd, Kevin Harvick* 726 points
4th, KYLE BUSCH 723 points
6th, DENNY HAMLIN 649 points
9th, MATT KENSETH 594 points
16th, ERIK JONES 469 points
18th, DANIEL SUÁREZ 464 points
34th, COREY LaJOIE 143 points
*non-Toyota driver
**unofficial point standings
· Camry driver Kyle Busch scored his first win of the season in Sunday afternoon’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at Pocono Raceway.
· Busch’s victory was the 100th MENCS win for Toyota since joining the series in 2007. Busch was also the driver to claim Toyota’s first MENCS win in March 2008 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
· After starting from the pole, Busch led a race-high 74 laps (of 160) and earned a stage win en route to the win.
· With today’s win at Pocono Raceway, there is only one race track remaining where Busch has not been to victory lane in a points race – Charlotte Motor Speedway.
· Camry drivers Martin Truex Jr. (third), Denny Hamlin (fourth), Daniel Suarez (seventh), Erik Jones (eighth) and Matt Kenseth (ninth) all scored top-10 finishes in today’s race.
· Truex (31 laps), Hamlin (18 laps), Jones (four laps) and Kenseth (nine laps) also led laps in today’s race giving Camry drivers a total of 136 laps at the 2.5-mile Pocono triangle.
TOYOTA QUOTES
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Caramel Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
Was the word ‘finally’ the overwhelming thought when you crossed the finish line?
“For today, that was the word. It’s been a frustrating year and this certainly relieves a little bit of that – I wouldn’t say all of it. Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and these guys did an awesome job today. I can’t say enough about this M&M’s Caramel Camry – Toyota, this is their 100th Monster Energy Cup Series win. I can’t say enough about all of our partners and everyone on this team. All these guys, the pit crew – they do a great job each and every week. We had to rely on them on that final stop so we didn’t lose too much time to those guys because we had so much distance that we were letting them have it on us with those fresher tires that they had. It’s been a frustrating year, but an awesome day today.”
Were you comfortable with Adam’s strategy for this race?
“I knew exactly what he was doing, we talked about that before. I was all on board with everything we had going on there. Our car was really fast on the long run with nobody in front of us – we were just flying there. When those guys were in front of us, we were running 53.30s or whatever and then they dumped off and peeled off and we had clean air and we were running 52.50s – faster than they were on older tires. We were fine. You can’t get through traffic and it’s kind of frustrating in that regard. This is also a meaningful win for me in another way, this is the first time I’ve been to victory lane in a points paying race since my grandmother passed away. This one’s for her and she’s smiling down on us here today and I appreciate that.”
How were you able to catch the leaders in the closing laps with the strategy?
“I knew what Adam (Stevens, crew chief) was doing and I knew what he was thinking and I was all on board for that. When all those guys dumped off, they were all in traffic with one another and they were slowing each other down just with the aerodynamic deficit so they were running 53.30s or whatever when I was with them and then they pulled off to pit road and I could run 52.60s and 80s so I was a half-a-second faster and just being able to run those laps in clean air and kind of pick off a few seconds from what they were going to have when they cycled back to old tires again, then that was kind of making up ground for us and we had to go to the long, long end of that before we put our tires on to make our fresh tires and our mechanical grip make up for the deficit that we gave them with them having fresher tires before us. I knew what he was thinking and that’s what it all came down to. We didn’t really out smart anyone today, we just kind of played our race and our own strategy and thought about it a little differently than others and it worked out for us.”
What was causing your handling issues midway through the race?
“Traffic, I got by Brad (Keselowski) on the outside there and got a run down the frontstretch and was clear of him, but he had help from behind him that kept him right on my tail so when we all kind of pulled off into turn one under the brakes and at my rear bumper and it made me really, really loose – I about wrecked. Glad I held onto it there so that was interesting and I just heated up the right rear for the next few laps and couldn’t do anything. Once the car was settled down and ready to go forward again, I was at a deficit with just the aerodynamics so I couldn’t make up any time on anybody. We just played a different strategy today and that worked for us. Really excited to get this M&M’s Caramel Camry to victory lane again and thanks to Interstate Batteries – this is Toyota’s 100th win in the Monster Energy Cup Series so this is awesome for them, for us, for me and then of course the fans. We appreciate the KB fans all here today and everybody. It’s been a long time coming trying to win a race here at Pocono. This one means a lot and it’s pretty special for all of us, this team and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing.”
What does it mean to score Toyota’s 100th Cup victory and get a victory at Pocono?
“It’s awesome, anytime you’re able to accomplish something it means extra – you’re glad to be the guy to be able to do it. I have won at that other race track in the Monster Energy Cup Series, there’s an asterisk next to that one. It never ends, there’s always something. I was hoping this one was the last one, but there’s still one more to go so we’ll figure that out.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
What did you think of your race strategy today?
“It wasn’t the right strategy, but I think we still had a shot at it if we hadn’t got caught up there at the end in traffic so bad. Just kept catching lapped cars in the wrong spots and that cost us second without a doubt. I don’t know if we could have beat Kyle (Busch), he was really, really fast there at the end and we were off there at the end. Congrats to the 18 guys and Adam (Stevens, 18 crew chief) and all them. They’ve been real fast lately so I’m glad they finally got one. Proud of Furniture Row and everybody did a good job this weekend. Tried a new package and new setup and just never could get it quite right today. We were okay out front and in the lead, but still felt like a couple guys were a little better than us. We’ll get to work and hats off to the fill-in pit crew guys, I don’t even know their names yet, but they did a really good job. We weren’t the fastest guys on pit road, but they did what we needed them to and I have to thank them for that and see our guys in a few more weeks. All in all, a good day.”
ERIK JONES, No. 77 SiriusXM Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing
Finishing Position:
How was the race today?
“It was okay, just up and down, just needed track position most of the day and then got behind, had a loose wheel and put us way behind. Just had to work back from that. The SiriusXM Camry had good speed, but just the handling wasn’t great all day – rear grip really. We made some adjustments throughout the day and just have to keep working at it.”
