HAMLIN SCORES MILESTONE VICTORY FOR HIMSELF, TOYOTA
Denny Hamlin earns 50th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, 600th NASCAR victory for Toyota
POCONO, Penn. (July 23, 2023) – Denny Hamlin delivered on a special day for himself and Toyota as he earned his series-best seventh Cup Series victory at Pocono, 50th NASCAR Cup Series win for himself and 600th NASCAR national series win for Toyota. It was a stellar day for Team Toyota as all six Toyota Camry TRD drivers finished inside the top-11 finishers – Tyler Reddick (second), Martin Truex Jr. (third), Ty Gibbs (fifth), Christopher Bell (sixth) and Bubba Wallace (11th). For Gibbs, it was a career-best result, a year after his Cup Series debut. It’s the 14th Toyota podium sweep in Toyota’s Cup Series history and the 11th time to have four of the top-five finishers. Both most recently happened in Kansas last fall.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Pocono Raceway
Race 21 of 36 – 400 miles, 160 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, DENNY HAMLIN
2nd, TYLER REDDICK
3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
4th, Kevin Harvick*
5th, TY GIBBS
6th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
11th, BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
Can you describe the race there at the end with Kyle Larson?
“I pushed him all the way into turn one. I don’t know if he didn’t have his tires clean and then he washed up the race track. We got side-by-side, and he chose not to lift. It’s just one of those things when you are on the outside the aerodynamics position, I didn’t touch him. He just made the decision not to lift.”
How good was the race car and how important was it to get that lead?
“Well, we had the best car that is for sure. Just happy to get this Mavis Tires and Brakes Camry into victory lane.”
What does it mean to be the winningest driver at Pocono and 50 career wins?
“It just means so much. I’ve got to thank the partners Mavis, Toyota, TRD, FedEx, Sport Clips, Coca-Cola, Interstate Batteries, Jordan Brand, Shady Rays and Logitech – they are the ones that make this possible. This team right here. They’ve just done a phenomenal job on pit road, the strategy guys in the war room, the guys on the top of the pit box – Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) and his team, they are the ones that got me those wins.”
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
How was the race today?
“Yeah, we had really strong Jordan Brand H-Wings 2 Toyota Camry TRD. The runner-up finish – when you look at the quality of the car and the tire advantage, it is a little disappointing.”
Can you take us through the decisions you had to make today?
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t make many decisions, they were being made for me. In the closing laps, we didn’t get a lot of pushes – we didn’t really get a good push on any of the restarts and that left us in a vulnerable spot. We did everything we could in our Jordan Brand H-Wings 2 Toyota Camry TRD. Solid car.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Interstate Batteries Fine Foods Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How was your race?
“Our Interstate Batteries Camry was a rocket. We fought track position all day, and finally got it, and then drove away from the field until strategy got us back a few spots. All-in-all, really good speed, good day. I just couldn’t get the push from the front row to get the lead back.”
Can you take me through those last few restarts?
“When I got to second behind the 5 (Kyle Larson), I thought better take the front row and hope for a good push. I fell back to third. I got the front row again, still didn’t get a good push. At least on the last one, I was able to pull the 4 (Kevin Harvick) off the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and get to second, just impossible to pass the leader. Our car was so fast, but the guy out front would get clean air and be gone. All-in-all great day, track position was king.”
TY GIBBS, No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
Congrats on your first top-five. Can you tell us about your race?
“It’s really cool. We had a really fast He Gets Us, Monster Energy Toyota Camry. It’s great to come home in the top-five. Thank you to everybody supports me at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Toyota, TRD. What a great day. We were up front all day. Solid day with good track position. It was nice to stay out of the mess back there. We just have to keep fighting.”
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 63,000 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 24 electrified options.
