ALMIROLA TOP TOYOTA IN DARLINGTON
Creed places his Ivan Stewart tribute Supra inside the top-10 finishers
DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 11, 2024) – Aric Almirola led Toyota with a fifth-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway on Saturday afternoon.
Sheldon Creed scored his third straight top-10 with a ninth-place run. It is his seventh top-10 finish in the first 11 races of the season.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Darlington Raceway
Race 11 of 33 – 200.802 miles, 147 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Justin Allgaier*
2nd, Austin Hill*
3rd, Cole Custer*
4th, Sam Mayer*
5th, ARIC ALMIROLA
9th, SHELDON CREED
12th, CHANDLER SMITH
18th, TAYLOR GRAY
23rd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 20 He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
Can you tell me about that run?
“It was a great run. Track position was tough today. The cars are so evenly matched. The 7 (Justin Allgaier) was certainly the class of the field, but I felt like – at given times – I could match his pace, and then when I finally got to second there – it was what I needed to figure out where we stacked up against them. Just didn’t execute perfectly on pit road – some of mine doing as well – but still a good run. Every time I get in this car, I plan to win and expect to win. Fifth is great, but I want to win – but Justin was so fast. Proud of everyone on this He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra. They’ve been working hard. They’ve been bringing great race cars to the race track. We will go to Charlotte.”
SHELDON CREED, No. 18 Ivan Stewart Tribute Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
Solid top-10, and a great livery that I know means a lot to you. Can you talk about your race?
“Overall, I love throwback weekend at Darlington. To be able to throwback to an off-road legend like Ivan Stewart was really cool for us. A great looking Supra today. Certainly, wish it would have gone a little better and we could have been faster to start – just was really, really tight at the beginning of the race, and pretty much the start of every run. I would just build slowly freer, so that I could drive against the fence and move around a little more, but ultimately, just battled too tight all day – it was a little frustrating, but good to get another top-10. Just want to run better at this place.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th 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 28 electrified options.
Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
