BELL, GIBBS EARN PODIUM POSITIONS IN AUSTIN
Four Toyota drivers finish inside the top-10
AUSTIN, Texas (March 24, 2024) – Christopher Bell came from over 12 seconds back to close within a second of the lead in the final laps before finishing second to lead Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday. Bell, who led twice for nine laps, won the first stage to earn a valuable Playoff point.
Ty Gibbs (third) and defending race winner Tyler Reddick (fifth) joined Bell inside the top-five. Gibbs has now scored five consecutive top-10 finishes.
Martin Truex Jr. (10th) was the final Toyota in the top-10, and is the Cup Series points leader heading into the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway next weekend.
Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Kamui Kobayashi finished 30th in his second career Cup Series start after his 23XI Racing No. 50 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry was spun multiple times in Sunday’s race.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Circuit of the Americas
Race 6 of 36 – 231.88 miles, 68 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, William Bryon
2nd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
3rd, TY GIBBS
4th, Alex Bowman*
5th, TYLER REDDICK
10th, MARTIN TRUEX, JR.
14th, DENNY HAMLIN
15th, BUBBA WALLACE
22nd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
30th, KAMUI KOBAYASHI
33rd, ERIK JONES
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
Did you just need another lap there?
“Yeah, obviously, when I got close to him it was going to be tough to pass him. I needed a couple of mistakes. William (Bryon) has been really, really good on the road courses and he was flawless when it mattered today.”
I saw a conversation with Kyle Busch post-race. Was that about the contact in turn one?
“I mean, yeah. He’s very upset. He ended up turned around. First of all, I’m sorry to (Kyle) Larson and the 5 car. I got him earlier in the race, by no intention at all. I didn’t mean to do that. KB (Kyle Busch) is frustrated about what happened in turn one, and I don’t know. They were two-wide going in there and I haven’t seen a replay yet. I had no intentions of turning him and we will talk about it before the next race.”
How much more time did you really need?
“It seems like another lap, and I would have got there for sure with our DEWALT Camry. Passing was going to be a little more difficult, and I needed him to make a mistake.”
What happened on the race track with Kyle Busch?
“The (Kyle) Larson deal – I completely take ownership of. I’m completely sorry about that and had no intention of that. The Kyle Busch incident was a little bit different because I wasn’t trying to make a move or pass him. He opened his entry up because he was too wide, and I was obviously under him when he came down. I had no intentions of spinning him out at all.”
TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
Could you have defended that pass to finish higher in the race?
“I don’t think so. He’s (Christopher Bell) my teammate, and he has new tires on and caught me from like a whole straightaway back. I feel like if I raced him that hard, it would have been kind of mean. I tried to let him by when he got to me, and it was just what it was. We were too loose there. This Monster Energy team is all good and we will keep digging.”
What more did you need there, Ty?
“We were just a little bit too loose on the right hand corners. I wish we were a little bit tighter, but we did a really great job today. My team did a really great job. All props to them. Thank you to Monster Energy, He Gets Us, Interstate Batteries. It was a good day for us. A good points day.”
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
What more did you need?
“Billy Scott (crew chief) and I were just talking about that. Nothing really sticks out for us in our Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry. The obvious thing is that we just didn’t maintain the lead as much this time around. The downforce level is a little different. I didn’t feel like we were really bad in any one spot – it seemed like we were just decent. I would run were they would put me. I feel like we got behind when I made the mistake at the beginning of stage three that kind of hurt us for a bit after we came back out on tires there in stage three. I thought we were pretty good, but I don’t know. We will go to work on it and see what we were missing, but a little bit adds up a lot on this big race track.”
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 42 Romco Equipment Co. Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 22nd
What are your thoughts on today’s race?
“P22. Good finish, I guess. We always want more. Thank you to Romco. Thank you to all of our partners for getting us to the race track and everyone at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. Looking forward to Richmond next weekend – it’s a good race track for me, so let’s do it.”
KAMUI KOBAYASHI, No. 50 Mobil 1 50th Anniversary Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 30th
What is your perspective on today’s race?
“Overall, I feel pretty good. I feel comfortable in the car. The pace was good, just no yellow. Second time, no yellow in my race. Two shots – and there is no yellow. It is a little bit disappointing, but at least, I enjoyed it and my Mobil 1 Camry felt good and the pace was there. It was a big shame because the incidents damaged my race.”
ERIK JONES, No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 33rd
Can you describe your race?
“Just an overall rough weekend, didn’t have the pace we needed with our Family Dollar Toyota, and we didn’t have the chance to try to capitalize on strategy since the race ran green. We learned a lot in our first road course of the year, so hopefully we can be better next time.”
About Toyota
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