HAMLIN, TRUEX JR. SCORE TOP-THREE FINISHES IN DAYTONA
Hamlin drives to 10th top-two finish of the season
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (August 16, 2020) – Denny Hamlin (second) and Martin Truex Jr. (third) scored top-five finishes in GoBowling 235 to lead Toyota at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Sunday afternoon. It is Hamlin’s series-leading 10th top-two finish of the season, and Truex’s fifth consecutive third-place finish.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Daytona International Speedway Road Course
Race 23 of 36 – 234.7 miles, 65 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Chase Elliott*
2nd, DENNY HAMLIN
3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
4th, Jimmie Johnson*
5th, Chris Buescher*
11th, ERIK JONES
21st, CHRISTOPHER BELL
27th, DANIEL SUÁREZ
29th, TIMMY HILL
37th, KYLE BUSCH
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
How hard were you pushing in the final laps and was there anything else you could have tried?
“I just would have liked to have stayed closer to him (Chase Elliott) to put a little pressure on entries. My entries were the strong point against him, but I was giving him four car lengths so he could kind of drive the entries the way he wanted to make sure he got a good exit. I wasn’t quite clean enough the last few laps, but I definitely gave myself a chance. Those last couple corners, I felt like I did as much as I could to get to him and tried to do it the right way.”
What is your opinion on these cars at this road course?
“This is a made road course – this road course has been here a long time. Unlike Charlotte, where they kind of made one after years of being a race track. This was made for a road course. It’s got more braking points, more passing zones than Charlotte, it’s wider. I like this track. It’s definitely got some racing characteristics to it where if you have a good car, you can get to the front. The Roval is a little tougher where it’s more of an attrition-type race. Either way, still like road racing. It’s fun and this is another good second-place finish. I think that’s four of the last five. We’re running well.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
Can you describe your run today after passing so many cars during the event?
“Just a strong run for our Bass Pro Toyota. Thought we had a chance to win, no doubt about it. Just got caught speeding on pit road. Had to go to the rear and then got damage so we had to go to the rear again. We passed a lot of cars that last run. I know we had the speed at the end there, we were faster than anyone. Just ran out of time, but that’s how it goes. Proud of everybody on the team and still feeling really good about these road courses.”
How did these cars compete and feel on this road course?
“It was a lot more fun than I anticipated it to be. My opinion, this track suits our cars better than the Roval does for whatever reason. Even though the tire was really hard and not much tire wear, it was pretty slick out there. It was drivable and manageable. Charlotte kind of chatters and it’s hard to feel. This place was actually a lot of fun. I look forward to coming back.”
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