BELL CONTINUES STRONG EARLY SEASON PERFORMANCE
Rookie Ty Gibbs scores third-straight top-10 finish
RICHMOND, Va. (April 2, 2023) – Christopher Bell (fourth) led Toyota with a top-five finish in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. For Bell, it was his series-leading fourth top-five finish in the first seven races this season. Bell’s teammate Ty Gibbs continued his recent performance surge with his third consecutive top-10 finish as the rookie driver came home in ninth.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Richmond Raceway
Race 7 of 36 – 300 miles, 400 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kyle Larson*
2nd, Josh Berry*
3rd, Ross Chastain*
4th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
5th, Kevin Harvick*
9th, TY GIBBS
11th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
16th, TYLER REDDICK
20th, DENNY HAMLIN
22nd, BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
Did you want to see that caution?
“No. For us, we needed it to stay green. It didn’t work out today.”
How was the race?
“It was pretty disappointing. I felt like we had enough speed in our Rheem Camry to be up there all day, but I had a couple of restarts that put us in the back. We would lose spots when the yellow flags would come out, so it was just an uphill battle all day.”
What happened with William Bryon there at the end?
“I don’t know. It was a pretty standard restart with the 1 (Ross Chastain) behind you. I tried to protect from him going to the inside and he still made it three-wide there at the last minute and there wasn’t enough room.”
TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
How was your race?
“It has been a pretty solid for us. The biggest thing is just minimizing mistakes. I think my team is the best, and only going to get better. My pit crew did a great job today. I’m happy. My Monster Energy Toyota Camry was fast today, and I’m excited to be up there racing with those guys.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.