THREE CAMRYS IN THE TOP FIVE AT ATLANTA
Busch scores fourth top five finish in the last five events
ATLANTA (June 7, 2020) – Kyle Busch (second), Martin Truex Jr. (third) and Denny Hamlin (fifth) earned top five finishes for Toyota at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Race 10 of 36 – 500.5 miles, 325 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kevin Harvick*
2nd, KYLE BUSCH
3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
4th, Ryan Blaney*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
18th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
28th, ERIK JONES
31st, DANIEL SUÁREZ
39th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
How was your race today?
“Our Fudge Brownie M&M’s Camry was pretty decent. We had good speed, you just couldn’t really push too hard. Every time I pushed too hard, it would really hurt my tires in the long run. I think that was for everybody. That last run, I was trying to keep up with those front guys and as soon as I felt like I was pushing too hard and they were inching out on me, I just gave up and decided just to run and try to make sure I didn’t slip a tire and do the best I could without pushing anything too hard. Was able to get Martin (Truex Jr.) at least there at the end. Can’t say enough about all my guys – Adam Stevens (crew chief) and everybody, they’re doing a really good job. We’re working hard and trying to get it all better. Certainly want to give a shout out to TRD, Toyota, Rowdy Energy, Rheem, Stanley and everybody that makes this happen for us.”
The entire Joe Gibbs Racing team was fast today, how was your Camry?
“We ended up second and not too far behind the 4 (Kevin Harvick), who was the best here. Hard to beat him when you come to his home turf if you will – at Atlanta, they’re really fast. Overall, my guys did a great job and they gave me a great M&M’s Fudge Brownie Camry. We were able to keep it up front all day. We had good pit stops all day. I didn’t screw up and speed on pit road today so we’ve got that going for us. I want to give a shout out to Interstate Batteries, TRD, Toyota, Rheem, Rowdy Energy and everybody that makes our stuff possible. Hopefully we can keep building on this momentum and keep rolling.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
What did you need at the end of the race after winning the first two stages?
“The last two or three runs there, we just got too tight. Not sure what happened. The car was really good. The guys did a great job. Auto Owners Camry was fast all day. Got our first two stage wins of the year, which was huge. We just can’t seem to get over the hump at the finishes. With about 25 (laps) to go, I was clicking off some good lap times, but I knew I was pushing it too hard on the right front tire and with about 10 to go, it said, ‘oh hell no more.’ Just ran out of tires at the end and lost second to Kyle (Busch). I figured at that point, I could see the 4 (Kevin Harvick) and was just going to give it all I had and see if there was any opportunity, but he was just too good. Just got too tight at the end. I don’t know why, but we’ll go back and look at it. Hell of a job by everybody and a good, solid day.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx #SupportSmall Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
How was your race today and is this a good sign moving forward for the strength of JGR?
“It was okay. Our FedEx Camry got up there on a restart late in stage one. Thought we had a second or third-place car, somewhere in that range. Then we had a bad pit stop leading into the final stage and that took us back to ninth. Just kind of clawed our way back to fifth. We weren’t stellar, the last run of the day was kind of the worst run that we had. Still good enough for a top-five. Pretty encouraged by that and it looked like all of our cars were running a little bit better. Hopefully this is a good sign for us.”
Would you be in favor of the ‘choose’ rule being used in the Cup Series?
“I think so. Guys stopping at the end of pit road is just kind of ridiculous. We’re trying to merge into traffic and guys are literally just stopping. Something or at least give us some options there. It’s not that hard, they do it at every local short track.”
What did it mean to be part of the video and moment in pre-race today?
“It was great to be able to do that and pay our respects for three individuals that lost their lives and come together as a community to listen to people that have been fighting injustice for a long time.”
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