ToyotaRacing_Stationary_02
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race 36 of 36 – 400.5 miles, 267 laps
November 18, 2018
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Joey Logano*
2nd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
3rd, Kevin Harvick*
4th, KYLE BUSCH
5th, Brad Keselowski*
12th, DENNY HAMLIN
27th, ERIK JONES
30th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
37th, TIMMY HILL
38th, TANNER BERRYHILL
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA DRIVER POINT STANDINGS**
1st, Joey Logano 5040 points
2nd, MARTIN TRUEX JR 5035 points
4th, KYLE BUSCH 5033 points
11th, DENNY HAMLIN 2285 points
15th, ERIK JONES 2220 points
21st, DANIEL SUÁREZ 674 points
**unofficial point standings
· Toyota NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch finished second and fourth, respectively, in Sunday’s championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
· Truex drove his Camry to four NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2018 with 20 top-fives and 21 top-10s.
· Busch had a career-best season in the NASCAR Cup Series – collecting eight wins, 22 top-fives and 28 top-10s in his Toyota.
· Camry drivers had 13 NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2018 headlined by Truex, Busch and Toyota teammate Erik Jones.
TOYOTA QUOTES
MARTIN TRUEX JR, No. 78 Bass Pro Shops /5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What did you need at the end of the race?
“I just needed time. That’s all I needed. They were faster than us for 15 or 20 laps all day long. It was like a reverse scenario from last year. Last year we took advantage of the short run car at the end – the 18 (Kyle Busch) car should’ve won the race and tonight we should’ve won the race and they (Joey Logano) took advantage of the short-run car. I don’t know what else we could’ve done. Honestly, we worked our guts out all weekend and just to get here, I told you earlier we shut a lot of people up and made them eat crow and that felt good. To come here and almost upset the field and almost win it back to back was really awesome. I just wish that last caution hadn’t come out. Other than that, I don’t know what we could’ve done.”
What’s it like climbing out of the 78 for the last time?
“I’m not sure yet to be honest with you. I don’t know. I’m going to miss these guys. Wish we could’ve won it. We had it. We just couldn’t go over 15 laps. I knew that last restart was going to be tough. We were able to get the lead, I just couldn’t do anything. I was just slow for 15 laps. We turned and I’d try to go as fast as those guys and I’d be dead sideways and I just I couldn’t do it. I don’t know what else I could’ve done. He passed me so fast I didn’t even get a chance to do anything. We needed more laps. We just needed more time. Proud of my guys and proud of everybody. Thanks Johnny (Morris) and Bass Pro and Auto Owners and 5-Hour, TRD, Toyota, everybody here helped us the past few seasons. Not the way we wanted to go out, but hell of an effort.”
What was it like working with this team for the past five years?
“Best time of my life. I don’t know what else to say. Those guys have been amazing. They’ve made me a superstar in NASCAR. I’m just very thankful for them all.”
What more did you need in the closing laps?
“More time. That’s all we needed was a little more time. We had the car to do it at the end, it just didn’t work out. They were so much faster than us for a couple laps on the short runs. Just couldn’t hold him (Joey Logano) off.”
Did you have to adjust much with the change from day to night?
“We adjusted a lot. We got better all night long. We were the best at the end, we just couldn’t go for 15 laps. It came down to a 15-lap shootout. Unfortunately, that’s happened to us a lot this year. It stinks, but that’s the way it goes. We won one that way last year and this year we lost one that way. Not much more I can say about it. Proud of my team.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
How disappointed are you with the race tonight?
“I don’t know, just not at all what we wanted obviously and not what we expected either. We knew the 22 (Joey Logano) was fast, but man, I thought we were way closer than that. We kind of held up the first half of the race, but after that we were just never close. I don’t know what happened, just didn’t have the feel in the race car that I needed tonight. Just all night long, as soon as we got out of the gas and into the corner we were just sideways, just turning to the right and trying to save it. You do that for 50 or 60 laps, whatever it is on tires and you just can’t hang on. I couldn’t hang after eight laps, let alone the 50. Bummed for all of our guys, Adam Stevens (crew chief) and my guys did a phenomenal job. This M&M’s Camry team was really, really good – just not good enough on the night we wanted the most. We finished fourth, last of the Playoff guys. That’s not what it takes these days.”
How did you feel about the strategy to stay on the race track for the long run while the other contenders came to pit road?
“That was just the fact of the matter of nobody giving up. Don’t give up behind the wheel and just keep driving and keep trying to swing a hail Mary and see what we could get. The strategy fell right in our lap and the pit stall fell right in our lap, but none of it meant anything if you don’t have a fast enough race car. I knew I was just a sitting duck on that restart. I figured I could hold them off for four laps or five laps maybe, but damn, not even a straightaway and they’re gone. That’s just all there is to it.”
How will you remember this season?
“Lots of wins and forget about it now, move on.”
Did you feel the pit strategy would work out in your favor?
“We were a sitting duck with all those guys anyways. Our car was just not even close. I don’t know what happened to it, I thought we were way better than that and way closer than that. We wouldn’t have unloaded today if we thought we were that far off. I’m not sure what happened and where we missed it. We fought hard, Adam (Stevens, crew chief) did a great call on strategy there and I didn’t think it was going to work. Figured it wasn’t going to work, figured we were going to finish 12th or 13th and it fell in our lap, pit stall fell in our lap, everything we needed to be able to go out there and do the job and I didn’t get the best of restarts, but it didn’t matter because they were gone – turn one, checked out.”
Is there anything you can take from a season with so many race wins?
“It’s all for not, we won eight races, but forget about it now and move on.”
What did you struggle with regarding the handling with the race car?
“We just didn’t have the rear grip that we needed and I don’t know if the rear grip that we were missing on the runs related to the restarts, but I never had a good restart all night long either. Every time I’m sitting there modulating throttle and not giving it gas, I’m getting beat by those guys and if I give it gas, I spin the tires. There was just nothing to be had.”
