Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Bristol Motor Speedway
Race 25 of 36 – 266.5 miles, 500 laps
August 18, 2018
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kurt Busch*
2nd, Kyle Larson*
3rd, Chase Elliott*
4th, Joey Logano*
5th, ERIK JONES
14th, DENNY HAMLIN
18th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
20th, KYLE BUSCH
27th, BLAKE JONES
28th, TIMMY HILL
30th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
35th, JESSE LITTLE
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA DRIVER POINT STANDINGS**
1st, KYLE BUSCH 1003 points
2nd, Kevin Harvick* 960 points
3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR 849 points
4th, Kurt Busch* 796 points
5th, Clint Bowyer* 776 points
10th, DENNY HAMLIN 707 points
13th, ERIK JONES 635 points
18th, DANIEL SUÁREZ 479 points
*non-Toyota driver
**unofficial point standings
· Erik Jones was the highest-finishing Toyota driver in Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
· After starting third, an accident on Lap 2 sent Camry driver Kyle Busch two laps down where he fought through the field to break into the top five before ultimately finishing 20th due to damage to his car.
· Busch continues to lead the regular-season point standings while Martin Truex Jr. remains third with two races remaining before the playoffs.
TOYOTA QUOTES
ERIK JONES, No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
What more did you need to get to the front?
“The run before last, we could’ve got up front when Kyle (Busch) and I were kind of running through the field. We were probably the best car, but you know there at the end, I didn’t have enough. I was too tight. I think our Sport Clips Camry was just lacking a little bit all night. We were close, but we could never find that last little bit to get up there and compete for the lead. I’m wore out. We worked hard all night trying to get ourselves a shot. It just wasn’t quite enough.”
What did you need on the short run?
“We were a little bit tight on the short run. It was good on the long run – about 80, 60 laps in we were pretty good, but just didn’t have enough. It felt like we were having to hustle really hard all night – harder than you really should to be good here. The Sport Clips Camry was alright. We got up there and contended for a bit. Restarted second, that’s all you can ask for – having a shot. Just didn’t have enough. This is a good day for us. Bristol is a good spot for us and happy to run in the top five, but obviously want to go and contend for the win.”
Was the racing aggressive tonight?
“It was just an edge. I’m wore out. It was a lot of hustling. Everybody seemed to be kind of wide open the whole time, which makes for some contact and makes for some exciting racing. It was rough at times. I roughed it up a few times. Our car has got some scars on it, but it’s fun. It’s Bristol. It’s a short track and that’s what it’s supposed to do at the end of the day.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s White Chocolate Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 20th
How were you able to come back through the field after being nearly three laps down early in the race?
“That was just me and this team and never giving up and being able to drive up through the field like that. This M&M’s Camry was fast, even torn up and wrecked and everything else, it was fast. We had a shot to win the race there, just got to racing with guys three-wide and couldn’t get clear of them and was boxed in by the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and the 11 was choking up the top in front of me. Every straightway I was side-by-side, I just wanted to clear them and if I could have cleared them then I could shoot to the bottom and get by the 11. I was kind of stuck and mired where we were. Maybe if we would have stayed out, Monday morning quarterback, if we would have stayed out, we would have inherited the fourth starting position on that restart and been ahead of all that. Ifs, ands or buts, we should have never been in that position with how torn up this race car was. We probably finished where we should have, but we had a shot anyways. Congratulations to Kurt (Busch), that’s cool, but he forgot his helmet on the roof and just chunked his helmet. Have something else for him that I’ll tell him in private.”
What happened with the contact with Martin Truex Jr.?
“Totally my fault, man, I feel terrible about that. Obviously I just misjudged it by a little bit – four inches, six inches, whatever and I got in the gas and was coming up off the corner and was going to slide in behind him (Martin Truex Jr.) and I didn’t think I was next to him yet and I clipped him and sent him for a whale of a ride. Hopefully, he’s alright and everything is okay there. I hated that I clipped him, I know he could have had a good shot to win the race too.”
How was your team able to stay focused and come back to be in a position to almost win this race with the damage?
“That’s not what we do, we probably finished where we should have anyways with as torn up as our race car is. We had a shot to be able to come back there and win the race realistically. If it wasn’t for getting mixed up with the 37 (Chris Buescher) and the 48 (Jimmie Johnson), if I could have got clear of them, I think I could have got to the front. But Monday morning quarterback also says that if we would have inherited fourth and not pitted on that last pit stop then we might have been ahead of all that. I don’t know, we were certainly going to way overachieve tonight, but we just didn’t get to.”
What happened with the early accident on lap two?
“I was trying to stay out of the glue because I knew it was going to be slick to start with and I got a little more into the glue that lap and every lap I was going to try to work my way down. The guys on the outside were kind of pinching you a little bit and when I got to the glue, it slipped right out of the glue and back up the race track and whoever was on my outside, I hit them in the door and went around.”
What happened between yourself and Martin Truex Jr.?
“That was just a misjudgment on my behalf, I crashed the 78 (Martin Truex Jr.) so that was my bad totally. Totally misjudged that one just coming off the corner and knowing there was still plenty of laps left, I wasn’t even in a hurry and I just misjudged it by four or six inches, whatever it was and I clipped him there and sent him for a ride. He knows that wasn’t intentional at all and we’ve worked really, really, really, really well together these last two or three years and that shouldn’t ruin anything between us.”
Will you have to do damage control with the Furniture Row Racing team?
“No, Cole’s (Pearn, 78 crew chief) and Martin’s (Truex Jr.) really cool and I think they’re fine. Maybe I’ll send them a sorry cake to the Denver shop for the guys having to work extra. They’ll probably throw that one away anyways, but it ruined their day from being able to get a win or even a second.”
Was it the track surface that you struggled with here at Bristol this weekend?
“No, I don’t know what it was, it just wasn’t meant for us this weekend I guess. You come in here with a vengeance and try to go out there and be able to achieve and succeed and do what you need to do and know what you’re capable of doing and what both teams were capable of doing. I don’t know why we had a flat tire, why it jumped the cushion – I wasn’t really even pushing that hard. The car was really good yesterday and it got in the wall and three laps later it had a flat tire and today I wasn’t even pushing that hard, I was just trying to maintain and not get hit and I ended up sliding up the race track and spinning myself out. We fought back all day long and just stupid circumstances at the end running three-wide with guys. Just wasn’t good.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/Ducks Unlimited Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing
Finishing Position: 30th
What did you feel there before that wreck?
“I just got hit in the left rear. Pretty simple. It’s a shame. We had a good night going. Started off rough. Battled hard and got the car pretty good there. I don’t know, I just got hit in the left rear.”
Is this intensity just short track racing or what’s happening as the playoffs are approaching?
“It’s just Bristol. Trying to get that first short track win. This place has been so hard on us. I mean I can’t even explain it to you how good we’ve run here in the past three or four years and crap like this every single time. It’s like just one thing after another. Sucks that it happened, but at the end of the day it’s racing at Bristol. I feel like I probably should’ve took the lead there. I probably should’ve bumped the 14 (Clint Bowyer) out of the way just to get the lead and I wouldn’t have been in that position. Sometimes you’re the nice guy and you get knocked out of the way. We’ll just have to race him a little harder next time.”
Was that just impatience or an accident?
“I couldn’t tell you. I’ve seen the replay real quick, but I didn’t really pay much attention to it. It’s hard racing at Bristol. The corner exit’s really slick where the VHT wore out. There’s some real slick patches. I’m sure he (Kyle Busch) hit one of them. Probably didn’t obviously do it on purpose, but it’s hard Bristol racing. Probably could’ve shown a little bit more patience. He was a lot faster than me at that point in time. He just caught me and probably another lap or so he would’ve went right by. Half his fault, half my fault for following the 14 (Clint Bowyer) so long. I should’ve knocked his butt out of the way because he held me up for 15-20 laps and burnt my front tires off screwing with him. Played too nice and got the crappy end of the stick.”
